Environmental behavior of technetium in soil and vegetation: implications for radiological impact assessment

Technical Report · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5214254· OSTI ID:5214254

Hoffman, F O

Significant radiological exposures have been estimated for hypothetical atmospheric releases of Tc-99 from gaseous diffusion facilities when vegetation-to-soil concentration ratios representative of laboratory experiments are substituted for generic default values assumed in current regulatory models. To test the relevancy of these laboratory ratios, field investigations were conducted to obtain measurements of the vegetation-to-soil concentration ratio for Tc-99 in samples collected near operating gaseous diffusion facilities and to observe the dynamic behavior of technetium in soil and vegetation following a single application of a sprayed solution of /sup 95m/TcO/sub 4//sup -/ Comparison of observed field concentration ratios and calculated steady-state concentration ratios with ratios obtained from previous laboratory experiments indicates that concentration ratios obtained from field data are one to two orders of magnitude less than those obtained from the laboratory. Furthermore, a substantial accumulation of technetium in soil and vegetation may not occur over long periods of time, since concentrations of technetium in both environmental media were observed to decrease with time subsequent to initial application of /sup 95m/TcO/sub 4//sup -/.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5214254
• Report Number(s): ORNL-5856; ON: DE82013737
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510302* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONCENTRATION RATIO
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FIELD TESTS
GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS
GASEOUS WASTES
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE SEPARATION PLANTS
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERTECHNETATES
PLANTS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SOILS
TECHNETIUM 95
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM COMPOUNDS
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
TESTING
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES