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Title: External radiation exposure of the population of Utah from Nevada weapons tests

Abstract

The external gamma radiation exposure of the population of Utah from nuclear weapons tests carried out at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) during 1951 to 1958 has been reconstructed from measurements of residual /sup 137/Cs and /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu in soil. The maximum time integrated (to infinity) free air exposure in any major population center is estimated to have been approx. 4 R at St. George and Hurricane. Exposures decreased with distance from the NTS to lower than 0.2 R at Richfield and Gunnison in south central Utah, before increasing again to levels of 1 to 2 R in the more populous northern valleys around Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden. These relatively higher exposures, coupled with the much larger population, probably resulted in a total population dose (person-rads) to the heretofore supposedly low fallout counties of northern Utah significantly greater than that for the supposedly high fallout areas nearer the NTS. Nevertheless, the total doses incurred from Nevada tests were probably only a few times greater than doses incurred from Nevada tests were probably only a few times greater than the doses which this northern valley population, as well as the rest of the US population, incurred frommore » worldwide weapons fallout from all other atmospheric weapons tests. The mean exposure estimates for towns in southwest Utah nearest the NTS are somewhat lower but reasonably consistent with other retrospective estimates based on radiation surveys made directly after the tests.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Department of Energy, New York (USA). Environmental Measurements Lab.
OSTI Identifier:
5430341
Report Number(s):
DOE/EML-401
ON: DE82010421; TRN: 82-008970
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE; FALLOUT; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; HUMAN POPULATIONS; RADIATION DOSES; NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS; UTAH; FALLOUT DEPOSITS; ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS; CESIUM 137; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; NEVADA TEST SITE; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; PLUTONIUM 239; PLUTONIUM 240; RADIATION MONITORING; SOILS; TESTING; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CESIUM ISOTOPES; DATA; DOSES; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; EXPLOSIONS; FEDERAL REGION VIII; HEAVY NUCLEI; INFORMATION; ISOTOPES; MASS TRANSFER; MONITORING; NORTH AMERICA; NUCLEI; NUMERICAL DATA; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES; POPULATIONS; RADIOISOTOPES; USA; WEAPONS; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 560151* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man; 510301 - Environment, Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987); 500300 - Environment, Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989); 450202 - Explosions & Explosives- Nuclear- Weaponry- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Beck, H L, and Krey, P W. External radiation exposure of the population of Utah from Nevada weapons tests. United States: N. p., 1982. Web.
Beck, H L, & Krey, P W. External radiation exposure of the population of Utah from Nevada weapons tests. United States.
Beck, H L, and Krey, P W. 1982. "External radiation exposure of the population of Utah from Nevada weapons tests". United States.
@article{osti_5430341,
title = {External radiation exposure of the population of Utah from Nevada weapons tests},
author = {Beck, H L and Krey, P W},
abstractNote = {The external gamma radiation exposure of the population of Utah from nuclear weapons tests carried out at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) during 1951 to 1958 has been reconstructed from measurements of residual /sup 137/Cs and /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu in soil. The maximum time integrated (to infinity) free air exposure in any major population center is estimated to have been approx. 4 R at St. George and Hurricane. Exposures decreased with distance from the NTS to lower than 0.2 R at Richfield and Gunnison in south central Utah, before increasing again to levels of 1 to 2 R in the more populous northern valleys around Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden. These relatively higher exposures, coupled with the much larger population, probably resulted in a total population dose (person-rads) to the heretofore supposedly low fallout counties of northern Utah significantly greater than that for the supposedly high fallout areas nearer the NTS. Nevertheless, the total doses incurred from Nevada tests were probably only a few times greater than doses incurred from Nevada tests were probably only a few times greater than the doses which this northern valley population, as well as the rest of the US population, incurred from worldwide weapons fallout from all other atmospheric weapons tests. The mean exposure estimates for towns in southwest Utah nearest the NTS are somewhat lower but reasonably consistent with other retrospective estimates based on radiation surveys made directly after the tests.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5430341}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982}
}

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