Fate and bioaccumulation of soil-associated low-level naturally occurring radioactivity following disposal into a marine ecosystem. Final report

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:6216616

Hunt, C D

The fate of radium (Ra) and other naturally occurring uranium-series isotopes associated with soils disposed in seawater was examined using the Marine Ecosystem Research Laboratory (MERL) controlled marine ecosystems. Thirty-seven kilograms of a soil containing approximately 400 pCi Ra-226/g from an inactive uranium ore processing plant site in Middlesex, New Jersey, were added to each of two mesocosms over five days in mid-September 1984. Radionuclide activity in these and two control mesocosms was observed for three months after the soil additions. Radioactivity in the soil appeared to be confined to discrete soil particles rather than being distributed equally on the soil particles, suggesting the source of the radioactivity was remnant ore particles.

• Research Organization: Rhode Island Univ., Narragansett (USA). Marine Ecosystems Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6216616
• Report Number(s): PB-87-204822/XAB; TRN: 87-032233
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
CONTAMINATION
MARINE DISPOSAL
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SOILS
RADIOACTIVITY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
RADIUM 226
SAMPLING
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
520300* - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1989)
510300 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage