Radioecology of iodine-129

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1974

OSTI ID:4327311

Vaughan, B E

Iodine-129 has an extremely long half-life (1.6 x 10/sup 7/ yr) and a low energy. It has a fission yield in the range from 1 to 1.4% depending on fuel composition and history. Predictions of potential releases to the environment have been of the order of 10/sup 4/ Ci if 1% of the /sup 129/I produced by the year 2060 is released. Little attention was devoted to releases of /sup 129/I in effluents of nuclear fuels reprocessing plants until recently when levels of /sup 129/I were reported to be building up in the vicinity of the Nuclear Fuels Service Plant in West Valley, New York. A study has been undentaken including theoretical dose calculations, field studies of the /sup 129/I presently in the environment, and laboratory studies of iodine movement in soils and plants in order to determine the long-term consequences of releases of /sup 129/I to the environment. (auth)

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA)
• NSA Number: NSA-29-029370
• OSTI ID: 4327311
• Report Number(s): BNWL--1850(Pt.2)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*ECOSYSTEMS-- RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
*ENVIRONMENT-- CONTAMINATION
*FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS-- RADIOACTIVE WASTES
*HUMAN POPULATIONS-- RADIATION DOSES
*IODINE 127-- RADIATION MONITORING
*IODINE 129-- UPTAKE
*PLANTS-- RADIATION MONITORING
*SOILS-- RADIATION MONITORING
HAPO
MIDWEST FUEL RECOVERY PLANT
N44340* --Environmental & Earth Sciences--Radioactivity Monitoring & Transport--Ecosystems & Food Cycles
N48710 --Life Sciences--Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology--Man
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
THYROID
WEST VALLEY PROCESSING PLANT