Impact of North Korean nuclear weapons test on 3 September, 2017 on inland China traced by ¹⁴C and ¹²⁹I

Environmental impact of North Korea nuclear weapons testing on 3 Sept, 2017, is of key concern. In order to investigate whether there is radioactive leakage and whether it can be transported to inland China, ¹⁴C and ¹²⁹I are determined in aerosol samples collected in a Chinese inland city before and after the test. Aerosol Δ¹⁴C values before and after the test do not show any significant difference. In contrast, a four-fold increase of ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratios was found after the test. The possible sources of ¹²⁹I in these atmospheric samples and the impact of the North Korea nuclear test are discussed.