Measured concentrations of radioactive particles in air in the vicinity of the Anaconda Uranium Mill
Concentrations of radioactive particles (U-238, Th-230, Ra-226, and Pb-210) in air were measured in the vicinity of the Anaconda Uranium Mill, Bluewater, New Mexico. Airborne particles were collected at three stations for about two-thirds of a year using a continuous collection method at a sampling rate of 10 L/min, and also were measured in monthly composites collected periodically at four stations using high volume air samplers at a sampling rate of 1400 L/min. The ratios of concentrations of each radionuclide to the concentrations of U-238 indicate that the concentrations of the radionuclides are influenced principally by the proximity of the major sources of emission and the direction of the wind. In all cases, the concentration of Pb-210 exceeded that of U-238. The ratio of Pb-210/U-238 was 12.3 and 13.3 for stations dominated by the emissions from the tailings and ore pads, but was only 1.6 for the station dominated by the yellowcake stack emission. The ratio of the radionuclide concentrations measured by the two methods of sample collection was between 0.8 and 1.2 for uranium, radium, and lead at station 104, but was 0.28 to 1.7 for thorium, radium, and lead at stations 101 and 102. The average concentrations calculated from the measurements made in this study suggest that releases from the Anaconda mill were made well within the existing limits of the maximum permissible concentrations for inhalation exposure of the general public.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 5688057
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-1320; ANL/ES-89
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AEROSOLS
AIR
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANACONDA URANIUM MILL
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COLLOIDS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
FLUIDS
GASES
GRAPHS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LEAD 210
LEAD ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MONITORING
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
SAMPLING
SOLS
TABLES
THORIUM 232
THORIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES