{sup 129}I in deer thyroids from the Savannah River Site
- Univ. of Tennessee, Memphis, TN (United States). Physiology and Biophysics Dept.
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States). Environmental Monitoring Section
- Univ. of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Lab.
{sup 129}I can be released in many forms, most of which can be incorporated into animals, metabolized, concentrated and stored in the small thyroid gland. Atmospheric nuclear weapons tests added {approximately}0.37 TBq of {sup 129}I to the {approximately}1.48 TBq naturally present in the earth, oceans, and atmosphere. Previous investigators showed that during 1965--1969, thyroids of most cattle in USA contained less than 0.001 Bq {sup 129}I/g (wet weight) of thyroid. From 1984 through 1993 the authors measured {sup 129}I in 19 to 143 deer thyroids per year from the 316 square miles Savannah River Site (SRS) in SC. Most of these thyroids have averaged 0.1 to 2.8 Bq {sup 129}I/g. The storage and release of {sup 129}I at the SRS has been extensively reviewed. That report shows between 1954 and 1989 approximately 0.1. TBq of {sup 129}I was released into seepage basins, 0.2 TBq released into the atmosphere and 0.3 TBq retained in waste storage tanks. From 1985--1987 the annual medians of {sup 129}I/g deer thyroid from SRS were sustained at 0.03--0.06 Bq g{sup {minus}1} thyroid. In 1988 the median was highest at 0.12 Bq/g thyroid. The medians then decreased and in 1992 and 1993 they were 0.028 and 0.032 Bq {sup 129}I/g thyroid. The annual average concentrations showed a similar trend with a maximum in 1989 of 2.3 Bq/g thyroid and in 1992 and 1993 the averages were reduced to 0.12 and 0.34 Bq {sup 129}I/g. {sup 129}I in thyroid glands may be a minimal biohazard but it is a convenient biological index of contamination by a long-lived fission product.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 10186146
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-MS-94-0500; CONF-9410138-2; ON: DE95000746; TRN: 94:020367
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Topical meeting on environmental radiation: how clean is clean?,Springfield, IL (United States),11-14 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: 10 Aug 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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