Radon and aerosol release from open-pit uranium mining
The quantity of /sup 222/Rn (hereafter called radon) released per unit of uranium produced from open pit mining has been determined. A secondary objective was to determine the nature and quantity of airborne particles resulting from mine operations. To accomplish these objectives, a comprehensive study of the release rates of radon and aerosol material to the atmosphere was made over a one-year period from April 1979 to May 1980 at the Morton Ranch Mine which was operated by United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) in partnership with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The mine is now operated for TVA by Silver King Mines. Morton Ranch Mine was one of five open pit uranium mines studied in central Wyoming. Corroborative measurements were made of radon flux and /sup 226/Ra (hereafter called radium) concentrations of various surfaces at three of the other mines in October 1980 and again at these three mines plus a fourth in April of 1981. Three of these mines are located in the Powder River Basin, about 80 kilometers east by northeast of Casper. One is located in the Shirley Basin, about 60 km south of Casper, and the remaining one is located in the Gas Hills, approximately 100 km west of Casper. The one-year intensive study included simultaneous measurement of several parameters: continuous measurement of atmospheric radon concentration near the ground at three locations, monthly 24-hour radon flux measurements from various surfaces, radium analyses of soil samples collected under each of the flux monitoring devices, monthly integrations of aerosols on dichotomous aerosol samplers, analysis of aerosol samplers for total dust loading, aerosol elemental and radiochemical composition, aerosol elemental composition by particle size, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, barometric pressure, and rainfall.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5141164
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-2407; PNL-4071; ON: DE82019318
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
MONITORING
PARTICULATES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADON 222
URANIUM MINES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
AIR SAMPLERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
METEOROLOGY
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIUM 226
SOILS
SURFACE AIR
SURFACE MINING
WYOMING
AEROSOLS
AIR
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COLLOIDS
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISPERSIONS
EQUIPMENT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MINES
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
PARTICLES
POLLUTION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
SAMPLERS
SOLS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
USA
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
050300 - Nuclear Fuels- Mining- (-1987)