Radioactive aerosols and vapours

Abstract

Radioactive substances may be present in air as dust, fume or vapour. very often attached to the natural aerosol. Many nuclides are produced in the upper atmosphere by the interaction of cosmic rays and atmospheric gases, and as a result of nuclear bomb tests. Radio-iodine has also been released accidentally from nuclear reactors. Radioactive vapours and aerosols have been used to study mass-transfer between airstreams and surfaces. The results are applicable to problems such as the travel and deposition of spores and pollen.