Atmospheric deposition, resuspension and root uptake of plutonium in corn and other grain-producing agroecosystems near a nuclear fuel facility

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5535542· OSTI ID:5535542

Pinder, III, J E; McLeod, K W; Adriano, D C ^[1]; Corey, J C; Boni, A L ^[2]

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1. Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)

Plutonium released to the environment may contribute to dose to humans through inhalation or ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs. Plutonium contamination of agricultural plants may result from interception and retention of atmospheric deposition, resuspension of Pu-bearing soil particles to plant surfaces, and root uptake and translocation to grain. Plutonium on vegetation surfaces may be transferred to grain surfaces during mechanical harvesting. Data obtained from corn grown near the US Department of Energy's H-Area nuclear fuel chemical separations facility on the Savannah River Site was used to estimated parameters of a simple model of Pu transport in agroecosystems. The parameter estimates for corn were compared to those previously obtained for wheat and soybeans. Despite some differences in parameter estimates among crops, the relative importances of atmospheric deposition, resuspension and root uptake were similar among crops. For even small deposition rates, the relative importances of processes for Pu contamination of corn grain should be: transfer of atmospheric deposition from vegetation surfaces to grain surfaces during combining > resuspension of soil to grain surfaces > root uptake. Approximately 3.9 {times} 10{sup {minus}5} of a year's atmospheric deposition is transferred to grain. Approximately 6.2 {times} 10{sup {minus}9} of the Pu inventory in the soil is resuspended to corn grain, and a further 7.3 {times} 10{sup {minus}10} of the soil inventory is absorbed by roots and translocated to grains.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 5535542
• Report Number(s): WSRC-RP-89-1349; ON: DE92009544
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560162 -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Animals
Plants
Microorganisms
& Cells
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ABSORPTION
ACTINIDES
AGRICULTURE
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CONTAMINATION
CROPS
DEPOSITION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FALLOUT
FALLOUT DEPOSITS
INDUSTRY
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLUTONIUM
ROOT ABSORPTION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOILS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
UPTAKE
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS