Environmental monitoring for radionuclides, chemicals, fish and wildlife at a US energy research facility: A case story
Environmental monitoring has been an ongoing activity on the US Department of Energy's 560 m{sup 2} Hanford Site in southeastern Washington, USA, for 45 years. Objectives are to detect and assess potential impacts of site operations on air, surface and ground water, foodstuffs, fish, wildlife, soils and vegetation. Data from monitoring efforts are used to calculate the overall radiological dose to humans working onsite or residing in nearby communities. In 1988, measured Hanford Site perimeter concentrations of airborne radionuclides were below applicable guidelines. Tritium and nitrate continued to be the most widespread constituents in onsite ground water. Concentrations of radionuclides and nonradiological water quality in the Columbia River were in compliance with applicable standards. Foodstuffs irrigated with river water downstream of the Site showed low levels of radionuclides that were similar to concentrations found in foodstuffs from control areas. Low levels of {sup 90}Sr and {sup 137}Cs in some onsite wildlife samples and concentrations of radionuclides in soils and vegetation from onsite and offsite locations were typical of those attributable to worldwide fallout. The calculated dose potentially received by a maximally exposed individual (i.e., based on hypothetical assumptions for all routes of exposure) in 1988 (0.08 mrem/yr) was similar to that calculated for 1985 through 1987. 31 refs., 3 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5466545
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-17026; CONF-8909243-2; ON: DE90002665; TRN: 89-031956
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Global natural resource monitoring and assessments: preparing for the 21st century, Venice (Italy), 24-30 Sep 1989
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Monitoring for potential environmental problems at a nuclear research facility at Hanford, Washington, USA
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
HANFORD RESERVATION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ALPHA SOURCES
ANIMALS
BIRDS
CESIUM 137
COLUMBIA RIVER
DOSE EQUIVALENTS
FISHES
GROUND WATER
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
NITRATES
NUCLEAR MATTER
PLANTS
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SOILS
STRONTIUM 90
SURFACE WATERS
TRITIUM
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ION SOURCES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MATTER
METALS
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SOURCES
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOISOTOPES
RIVERS
STREAMS
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VERTEBRATES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560152* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Animals
510300 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
520300 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1989)