Observed and Modeled Tritium Concentrations in the Terrestrial Food Chain near a Continuous Atmospheric Source

Journal Article · Fri Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · Fusion Science and Technology

OSTI ID:20854198

Davis, P A; Kim, S B; Chouhan, S L; Workman, W J.G. ^[1]

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1. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (Canada)

Tritium concentrations were measured in a large number of environmental and biological samples collected during 2002 at two dairy farms and a hobby farm near Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario, Canada. The data cover most compartments of the terrestrial food chain in an agricultural setting and include detailed information on the diets of the local farm animals. Ratios of plant OBT concentration to air moisture HTO varied between 0.12 and 0.56, and were generally higher for the forage crops collected at the dairy farms than for the garden vegetables sampled at the hobby farm. Animal OBT to air HTO ratios were more uniform, ranging from 0.18 to 0.45, and were generally higher for the milk and beef samples from the dairy farms than for the chicken products from the hobby farm. The observed OBT concentrations in plants and animals were compared with predictions of IMPACT, the model used by the Canadian nuclear industry to calculate annual average doses due to routine releases. The model performed well on average for the animal endpoints but overestimated concentrations in plants by a factor of 2.

• OSTI ID: 20854198
• Journal Information: Fusion Science and Technology, Journal Name: Fusion Science and Technology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 48; ISSN 1536-1055
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AIR
CHICKENS
CONCENTRATION RATIO
CROPS
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
DOSES
FARMS
FOOD CHAINS
FORAGE
MEAT
MILK
MOISTURE
ONTARIO
TRITIUM
TRITIUM OXIDES
VEGETABLES