Plutonium-aerosol emission rates and human pulmonary deposition calculations for Nuclear Site 201, Nevada Test Site
This study determined the plutonium-aerosol fluxes from the soil to quantify (1) the extent of potential human exposure by deep-lung retention of alpha-emitting particles; (2) the source term should there be any significant, long-term, transport of plutonium aerosols; and (3) the resuspension factor and rate so that, for the first time at any nuclear site, one may calculate how long it will take for wind erosion to carry away a significant amount of the contaminated soil. High-volume air samplers and cascade impactors were used to characterize the plutonium aerosols. Meteorological flux-profile methods were used to calculate dust and plutonium aerosol emission rates. A floorless wind tunnel (10-m long) was used to examine resuspension under steady-state, high wind speed. The resuspension factor was two orders of magnitude lower than the other comparable sites at NTS and elsewhere, and the average resuspension rate of 5.3 x 10/sup -8//d was also very low, so that the half-time for resuspension by wind erosion was about 36,000 y.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5082230
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-53301; ON: DE82020491
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
LUNGS
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
PLUTONIUM 239
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
PLUTONIUM 240
SOILS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
DEPOSITION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MAN
NEVADA TEST SITE
PARTICLE RESUSPENSION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AEROSOLS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BODY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MASS TRANSFER
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ORGANS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PRIMATES
RADIOISOTOPES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SOLS
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560161* - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man
510302 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains- (-1987)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)