Chornobyl fallout particles kept their structure after 40 years

Researchers from Leibniz University Hannover and HZDR performed the first structural analysis of six radioactive particles from the Chornobyl zone at a synchrotron in Grenoble. Nuclear fuel inside the 8–50 µm particles retained much of its original crystal structure, suggesting parts of the fallout are more chemically stable than assumed.

• Six particles of 8–50 µm from two Chornobyl sites were analyzed
• Each particle was measured from 2,000 angles in a 100 µm X-ray beam
• Three particle classes found: UO₂ fuel, zirconium alloys and oxides from the graphite fire
• Small sample size means the findings do not make the contamination harmless