Investigation of the tritium release occurrence at the Rocky Flats Plant

Technical Report · Mon Nov 26 04:00:00 EST 1973

OSTI ID:5356695

Investigations at Rocky Flats Plant showed that 500 to 2,000 curies of tritium had been received in a shipment of scrap plutonium from LLL on March 19, 1973. The contaminated scrap was processed April 9 to 25, 1973. Processing of this scrap resulted in the accumulation of 100 to 300 curies of tritium in on-site tanks, basins, and ponds and 50 to 100 curies in the Great Western Reservoir. Hydriding and oxidizing operations in Building 779A resulted in gaseous discharges of tritium and tritium oxide to the atmosphere through the building exhausts. The recovery products, contaminated by tritium, were routed through other processing areas probably resulting in elevated tritium levels observed in other work areas. Treated liquid wastes from these scrap recovery and waste treatment operations were discharged to the plant waste evaporation ponds and to Walnut Creek, providing a plausible explanation for the contamination levels found in evaporation ponds, holding ponds, Walnut Creek, and Great Western Reservoir. There were no reportable exposures (3 rem per quarter or 5 rem per year whole body) to plant personnel, and radiation protection guidelines for the public were not exceeded.

• Research Organization: Atomics International Div., Golden, Colo. (USA). Rocky Flats Plant
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-3533
• OSTI ID: 5356695
• Report Number(s): TID-27810
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520300 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PROCESSING
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
ROCKY FLATS PLANT
SAMPLING
SURFACE AIR
SURFACE WATERS
TRITIUM
US AEC
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WATER RESERVOIRS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES