Chapter 2 Radioactive aerosols

This chapter focuses on radioactive aerosols. Radioactive aerosols can be classified in the following categories: (a) Radioactive aerosols associated with radioactive nuclides of cosmogenic origin, such as 7Be, 22Na, 32P and 35S, (b) radon and thoron decay product aerosols associated with 218Po 214Pb, 212Pb, 210Pb, 210Bi and 210Po, (c) fission product radionuclide aerosols associated with 89Sr, 90Sr, 137Cs, 103Ru, 131I, 132Te and 140Ba, (d) radioactive aerosols associated with the operation of high-energy accelerators, such as 7Be, 22Na, 24Na and 52Mn, (e) plutonium aerosols, due to nuclear weapons testing or nuclear reactor accidents, and (f) mine aerosols. The chapter also discusses the radioactive aerosols associated with the cosmic-ray produced radionuclides. This chapter concludes with a brief discussion on the plutonium aerosols, due to nuclear weapons testing or nuclear reactor accidents.