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EXPOSURE CRITERIA FOR ESTIMATING THE CONSEQUENCES OF A CATASTROPHE IN A NUCLEAR PLANT

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4309112
s a result of exposure to a fission product cloud, and of the effects of ground contamination. A hypothetical 500 Mw (thermal) reactor was assumed to have been operating for six mouths. Two types of accident were postulated, one in which a large fraction of the total fission product inventory was released, and the other involving the escape of the volatile fission products only. Whole body exposures to beta and gamma rays, lung exposure to beta rays, and the exposures of body organs to deposited isotopes as a result of direct exposure to the mpt was lues of whole body exposure, to combine them, and thereby to obtain an concluded that for the full fission product release an exposure to more than 400 curie seconds per cubic meter (as measured at 24 hours after the accident) would likely be fatal, between 90 and 400 C-sec/m/sup 3/ illness would be unlikely but there might well be expenses involved in establishing absence of damage, and below 10 C-sec/m/sup 3/ no illness or expense would be anticipated. For the volatile fission product release the corresponding numbers are 350, 80 to 350, 10 to 80, and 10 C-sec/m/sup 3/. Estimates of the effects of contamination on land use are necessarily rather crude, and actions taken would undoubtedly deffected. l exposure were considered. They were combined and criteria for evacuation and limitations on the use of land were proposed. It was concluded that for the full fission product release areas contaminated with more than 10/ sup -2 curies (measured at 24 hours) per square meter would have to be evacuated, that between 10/sup 3/ rictions on land use an outdoor work would be required, between 10/sup -4/ and 10/sup -3/ some crops might have to be destroyed and temporary restrictions on agriculture would be expected, and that below 10/sup -4/ no restrictions would be necessary. For the volatile fission product release these figures would all be a factor of 10 greater. (auth)
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, N.Y.
NSA Number:
NSA-12-014518
OSTI ID:
4309112
Report Number(s):
A/CONF.15/P/430
Country of Publication:
Country unknown/Code not available
Language:
English