Coloured rain dust from Sahara Desert is still radioactive

J Environ Radioact. 2001;55(1):109-12. doi: 10.1016/s0265-931x(00)00182-x.

Abstract

A coloured rain event originating from the Sahara Desert occurred on April 9, 2000 at Thessaloniki, Northern Greece (40 degrees 38'N, 22 degrees 58'E). The radioactive nuclides that were determined in a coloured rain dust sample were 137Cs of Chernobyl origin, 7Be of cosmogenic origin and 40K of terrestrial origin. Cesium-137 still remained 14 years after the Chernobyl accident, reaching 26.6 Bq kg-1 in the coloured rain dust.

MeSH terms

  • Africa, Northern
  • Beryllium / analysis
  • Cesium / analysis
  • Desert Climate
  • Dust
  • Greece
  • Potassium / analysis
  • Radioactive Fallout / analysis*
  • Radioactive Hazard Release
  • Radioisotopes / analysis*
  • Rain*
  • Ukraine

Substances

  • Dust
  • Radioactive Fallout
  • Radioisotopes
  • Cesium
  • Beryllium
  • Potassium