Radioactivity in Precipitation - Canada.ca

Data Dictionary

Becquerel (Bq)

The International System (SI) unit of radioactivity, equivalent to one nuclear transformation per second.

Bq/L

Becquerel per litre. The units for radioactivity concentration in water.

Bq/m3

Becquerel per cubic metre. The units used to report radioactivity concentration in air.

Beryllium ( ⁷Be)

Beryllium ( ⁷Be) is a naturally occurring radionuclide that is produced in the earth’s upper atmosphere when cosmic rays bombard oxygen and nitrogen.

Cesium ( ¹³⁴Cs)

Cesium ( ¹³⁴Cs) is a fission product with a half-life of 2.06 years. ¹³⁴Cs decay is accompanied by beta particle and gamma ray emission. ¹³⁴Cs can be present in the environment as a nuclear fission product.

Cesium ( ¹³⁷Cs)

Cesium ( ¹³⁷Cs) is a fission product with a half-life of 30.17 years. ¹³⁷Cs decay is accompanied by strong gamma ray emission. ¹³⁷Cs can be present in the environment as a nuclear fission product.

Lead ( ²¹⁰Pb)

Lead ( ²¹⁰Pb) is a naturally occurring radioisotope that results from the decay of uranium found in the earth’s crust.

MDC

The smallest concentration of radioactivity that can be reliably detected in a sample, for a given time of measure.

Error

The amount the calculated value may vary from the true value.

References

Bowyer, T.W., et al. (2002). Detection and analysis of xenon isotopes for the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty international monitoring system. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 59: 139–151

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Cesium. [Cited 2014-01-08]. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/cesium.html

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Date modified:

2018-03-01