Assessment of radiological impact of the inactive uranium-mill tailings pile at Salt Lake City, Utah

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5238701· OSTI ID:5238701

Haywood, F. F.; Goldsmith, W. A.; Perdue, P. T.; Fox, W. F.; Shinpaugh, W. H.

One of the largest inactive uranium mill tailings piles in the United States is located within metropolitan Salt Lake City, Utah. A radiological survey was performed at this site during the fall of 1975. A series of field and laboratory analyses were performed to characterize the spread of contamination from the tailings pile to surrounding areas. These analyses provided a basis for discussion of the important pathways for transport of radioactivity to man. Measurements of radionuclide concentrations in soil indicated that radium had migrated up to one meter into soil beneath the tailings. Tailings material was found out to distances of several hundred meters, mostly in the prevailing wind directions. Elevated levels of /sup 226/Ra, /sup 238/U, /sup 230/Th, and /sup 210/Pb were found in sediments of streams running through the mill site; but in Jordan River samples, radionuclide concentrations were of the same magnitude as background samples collected in other parts of the Salt Lake Valley. Atmospheric dispersion of radon gas, which emanates from the pile continuously, was calculated. Potential health effects for continuous exposure to radon progeny and external gamma radiation from the pile in its current state were estimated using risk estimators presented in the BEIR report. For the 400,000 residents within 11 km (7 mi) of the pile, 0.4 cases of lung cancer per year were estimated. For the same population exposed to natural levels of radon progeny, 7.2 cases per year were estimated.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5238701
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-5251
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
510301 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Soil-- (-1987)
520301 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Water-- (1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
AIR
AIR POLLUTION
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DOSES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXTERNAL IRRADIATION
FLUIDS
GASES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INTERNAL IRRADIATION
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
LEAD 210
LEAD ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
MILL TAILINGS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON
RARE GASES
SEDIMENTS
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
STORAGE
STREAMS
SURFACE AIR
SURFACE WATERS
THORIUM 230
THORIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
USA
UTAH
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES