Sandside beach near Dounreay particle finds from 2021 to present
Updated 27 October 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radioactive-particles-in-the-environment-around-dounreay/sandside-beach-near-dounreay-particle-finds-2021
The particle finds attachment pages are updated as and when particles are found.
The details of particle finds on the Sandside beach near Dounreay.
2023
| ID Number | Date | Easting | Northing | Depth cm | Cs137 Bq | Co60 Bq | Nb94 Bq | Am-241 | Type | Category | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSBCH/23/001 | 14/04/2023 | 296556 | 965490 | 6 | 4.40E+04 | <4.0E+00 | <4.20E+00 | 8.20E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count | |
| SSBCH/23/002 | 01/06/2023 | 296692 | 965544 | 15 | 1.50E+04 | <3.8E+00 | <3.7E+00 | <4.4E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count | |
| SSBCH/23/003 | 10/08/2023 | 296184 | 965439 | 10 | 5.40E+03 | 1.50E+01 | <4.0E+00 | <3.3E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count | |
| SSBCH/23/004 | 27/09/2023 | 296499 | 965500 | n/a | 2.20E+04 | <3.6E+00 | <3.8E+00 | 6.10E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hr count | Unable to measure depth due to tides. |
| SSBCH/23/005 | 16/10/2023 | 296547 | 965445 | 8 | 9.90E+03 | <3.4E+00 | <3.9E+00 | <2.9E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hr count |
2022
| ID Number | Date | Easting | Northing | Depth cm | Cs137 Bq | Co60 Bq | Nb94 Bq | Am-241 | Type | Category | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSBCH/22/001 | 22/05/2022 | 296460 | 965511 | 20 | 3.00E+04 | <3.8E+00 | <7.7E+00 | 4.70E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/22/002 | 19/07/2022 | 296173 | 965434 | 5 | 1.70E+04 | <3.40E+00 | <4.20E+00 | <3.70E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/22/003 | 18/10/2022 | 296290 | 965390 | 5 | 3.50E+04 | <3.30E+00 | <4.70E+00 | 4.60E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/22/004 | 20/11/2022 | 296578 | 965477 | 12 | 3.20E+04 | <3.60E+00 | <4.90E+00 | 3.00E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
2021
| ID Number | Date | Easting | Northing | Depth cm | Cs137 Bq | Co60 Bq | Nb94 Bq | Am-241 | Type | Category | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSBCH/21/001 | 13-Jan-21 | 296523 | 965409 | 4 | 2.8E+04 | <2.8E+00 | <3.3E+00 | 5.3E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/21/002 | 09/04/21 | 296698 | 965501 | 11 | 1.50E+04 | <2.7E+00 | <2.9E+00 | <3.9E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/21/003 | 13/04/21 | 295990 | 965409 | 0 | 1.20E+04 | <2.7E+00 | <2.7E+00 | <3.4E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/21/004 | 02/07/21 | 296669 | 965630 | 11 | 4.30E+03 | <3.4E+00 | 1.00E+02 | <2.1E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
| SSBCH/21/005 | 01/12/2021 | 296708 | 965530 | 14 | 4.20E+04 | <2.0E+00 | 4.10E+01 | <2.0E+01 | - | Minor | 16 hour count |
Glossary of terms
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ID number | Unique reference number given to each particle |
| Date | Date on which the particle was found |
| Easting | East co-ordinate of particle find in UK national grid |
| Northing | North co-ordinate of particle find in UK national grid |
| Depth | Approximate depth in centimetres at which the particle was located |
| Cs137 Bq | Content of Caesium 137 activity in the particle, measured in becquerels |
| Co60 Bq | Content of Cobalt 60 activity in the particle, measured in becquerels |
| Nb94 Bq | Content of Niobium 94 activity in the particle, measured in becquerels |
| Am-241 | Content of Americium-241 activity in the particle, measured in becquerels |
| Type | Type of particle. Particles are generally of 3 main types depending on the origin of the particle, but a fourth type, denoted by U, has also been identified |
| Type of particle code | Type of particle |
|---|---|
| DFR | Originated from Dounreay Fast Reactor |
| MTR | Originated from a Materials Test Reactor |
| SS | Stainless steel, originated from DFR or PFR (Prototype Fast Reactor) cladding materials |
| U | Contain irradiated uranium oxide, which could have originated from MTR or DFR fuel |
Note: particle type is determined from analysis. Where required SEM/Edax is carried out, with the agreement of SEPA, on selected particles.
Comments: Some particles, when separated in the laboratory from the associated sediments, are found to comprise more than 1 fragment. The number of fragments are identified.