Pilot study risk assessment for selected problems at the Nevada Test Site (NTS)
- ed.
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Nevada Univ., Las Vegas, NV (United States). Water Resources Center
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
The Nevada Test Site (NTS) is located in southwestern Nevada, about 105 km (65 mi) northwest of the city of Las Vegas. A series of tests was conducted in the late 1950s and early 1960s at or near the NTS to study issues involving plutonium-bearing devices. These tests resulted in the dispersal of about 5 TBq of {sup 239,24O}Pu on the surficial soils at the test locations. Additionally, underground tests of nuclear weapons devices have been conducted at the NTS since late 1962; ground water beneath the NTS has been contaminated with radionuclides produced by these tests. These two important problems have been selected for assessment. Regarding the plutonium contamination, because the residual {sup 239}Pu decays slowly (half-life of 24,110 y), these sites could represent a long-term hazard if they are not remediated and if institutional controls are lost. To investigate the magnitude of the potential health risks for this no-remediation case, three basic exposure scenarios were defined that could bring individuals in contact with {sup 239,24O}Pu at the sites: (1) a resident living in a subdivision, (2) a resident farmer, and (3) a worker at a commercial facility -- all located at a test site. The predicted cancer risks for the resident farmer were more than a factor of three times higher than the suburban resident at the median risk level, and about a factor of ten greater than the reference worker at a commercial facility. At 100 y from the present, the 5, 50, and 95th percentile risks for the resident farmer at the most contaminated site were 4 x 10{sup {minus}6}, 6 x 10{sup {minus}5}, and 5 x 10{sup {minus}4}, respectively. For the assessment of Pu in surface soil, the principal sources of uncertainty in the estimated risks were population mobility, the relationship between indoor and outdoor contaminant levels, and the dose and risk factors for bone, liver, and lung.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 10170059
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-LR-113891; ON: DE93016333; TRN: 93:016542
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jun 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Risk assessment of soil-based exposures to plutonium at experimental sites located on the Nevada Test Site and adjoining areas
Risk-based screening analysis of ground water contaminated by radionuclides introduced at the Nevada Test Site (NTS)
Related Subjects
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
PLUTONIUM
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
CARCINOGENESIS
SOILS
SURFACE CONTAMINATION
GROUND WATER
PUBLIC HEALTH
RISK ASSESSMENT
HUMAN POPULATIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
NEVADA TEST SITE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
HALF-LIFE
LIFETIME
MORTALITY
TRITIUM
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
CUEX
540250
450200
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS AND EXPLOSIVES