Radionuclides in fishes and mussels from the Farallon Islands Nuclear Waste Dump Site, California
- Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States); and others
The Farallon Islands Nuclear Waste Dump Site (FINWDS), approximately 30 miles west of San Francisco, California, received at least 500 TBq encapsulated in more than 47,500 containers from approximately 1945 to 1970. During several seasons in 1986/87 deep-sea bottom feeding fishes (Dover sole = Microstomus pacificus; sablefish = Anoplopoma fimbria; thornyheads = Sebastolobus spp.) and intertidal mussels (Mytilus californianus) were collected from the vicinity of the FINWDS and from comparable depths at a reference site near Point Arena, CA. Tissues were analyzed for several radionuclides ({sup 137}Cs, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239+240}Pu, and {sup 241}Am). Radionuclide concentrations for fish mussel tissue ranged from non-detectable to 4,340 mBq kg{sup {minus}1} wet weight, with the following means for Farallon fishes: {sup 137}Cs = 1,110 mBq kg{sup {minus}1}; {sup 238}Pu = 390 mBq kg{sup {minus}1}; {sup 239+240}Pu = 130 mBq kg{sup {minus}1}; and {sup 241}Am = 1,350 mBq kg{sup {minus}1}. There were no statistically significant differences in the radionuclide concentrations observed in samples from the Farallon Islands compared to reference samples from Point Arena, CA. Concentrations of both {sup 238}Pu and {sup 241}Am in fish tissues (from both sites) were notably higher than those reported in literature from any other sites worldwide, including potentially contaminated sites. Concentrations of {sup 239+240}Pu from both sites were typical of low values found at some contaminated sites worldwide. These results show {approximately} 10 times higher concentrations of {sup 239+240}Pu and {approximately}40-50 times higher concentrations of {sup 238}Pu than those values reported for identical fish species from 1977 collections at the FINWDS. Radionuclide concentrations were converted to a hypothetical per capita annual radionuclide intake for adults. 51 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 380943
- Journal Information:
- Health Physics, Vol. 71, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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