Cl-36 Transfer to Ryegrass and Consequences for Environmental Modeling

Chlorine-36 is a long-lived and highly mobile radionuclide that has not historically received much attention. In recent years that has begun to change and there is particular current interest in the transport and fate of Cl-36 in the environment. In September of 2006 ANDRA hosted an International Forum on Chlorine-36 in the Biosphere where models indicating that Chlorine 36 will be a significant contributor to long-term potential doses arising from radioactive waste disposal were presented. A recent report of the International Union of Radioecology’s Radioecology and Waste Task Force identified the need for more research, stating in part: “More experiments for the determination of Cl-36 soil to plant transfer should be performed and combined with studies of stable Cl behaviour. In particular, direct measurement of uptake chlorine fluxes by forest vegetation and reliable estimations of budgets are needed (IUR, 2006).”