the half time of five days found by Andelman and Rozzell (1971) for the Pusilica system.
Kutose et al. (1967b, 1968, 1963) found that although the
plutonium released from Pu0> microspheres was quantitatively removed from sea
water by shaking with sediment, adsorption of the products of Pus dissolution
from similar microspheres placed in sediments in situ was highly dependent on
the flow rate of the overlying water.
Their results were that 77% of the
plutonium activity released from the microspheres was adsorbed by surrounding
sediments when calm water conditions existed, but that only 0.3% was adsorbed
when the flow rate of overlying seawater was high.
This result may correlate
well with the prediction of Andalman and Rozzell (1968, p. 135) that “Pu (IV),
{f continually released into a flowing stream, would be expected to sorb more
on those silica particles which lie a distance downstream corresponding to the
tivo of optimum aging."
Fukai and Murray (1974) found that about 10% of the
Fu (IV) or Am (III) sorbed onto Var river sediments in fresh water conditions
was desorbadie
with Mediterranean Sea water.
They also noted that the
ecsorption-desorption behavior of Am (III) was much more sensitive to pH than
was the behavior of Pu (IIT).
The association of plutonium and americtum with various terrestrial soils
mas bean investigated by a number of workers.
ty Francis (1973) and Price (op. cit.).
These papers have been reviewed
Distribution coefficients for plutoni-
we setween soils and various solutions are also presented by Higgins (1959).
* cereral conclusion that can be drawn from these works is that, in the absence
Cf orcanic chelating agents, plutonium appears to te very immobile in the soils
'"vesticated so far.
Francis has emphasized, however, that research in
arid
‘rs sem{-arid climates has dominated the literature.
pee
s
a
Further, he concluded
the most likely mode of plutonium entry into [terrestrial] food chains
leatira to man (appears to be) that [fraction] chelated with naturally occur"ire orcanic soil components.”