Some aspects of organic and inorganic particulate transport at Rocky Flats. Final report

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 UTC 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5800304· OSTI ID:5800304

Nichols, H

Findings from the summer 1975 sampling program and the conclusions from the 1975-1976 winter sampling program are summarized. Large radionuclide particles were not found attached to pollen. Sampling the airborne pollen throughout the Rocky Flats area demonstrated that the Rocky Flats air samplers were deficient in their abilities to properly collect large lightweight pollen grains. This may not have serious consequences for the undetected transport of radionuclides by pollen, however, it has implications of sampling inefficiency in some particulate size ranges, and implies that if radionuclides are carried at times by larger particles, then the standard Rocky Flats air samplers are not sampling these materials efficiently. Some initial findings suggested that soil samples from downwind areas associated with winter snow accumulation had abnormally high fissile particle accumulations, and this suggested the need to sample these sites in winter. Areas of preferred particle accumulation such as snow banks had higher concentrations of radionuclide particles than surrounding areas which are more windswept. Any soil sampling program at Rocky Flats which seeks to monitor background radionuclide levels and movement of fissile particles across the site should take account of these topographically and wind-controlled accumulation areas, and not rely solely on a grid pattern of sampling. The snow samples contained radionuclide material in substantial quantities. In terms of fissile particulates smaller than 0.5 microns the snow banks three miles east of the plant site contained as much or more radionuclides than sites close to the Hot Spot contaminated area. The snow samples immediately east of the Hot Spot contained many more large particles (>0.5 m), as did soil samples from the upwind site next to the plant fence. The Hot Spot is clearly implicated again as the source of these materials.

• Research Organization: Colorado Univ., Boulder (USA). Inst. of Arctic and Alpine Research
• OSTI ID: 5800304
• Report Number(s): COO-2736-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
510300 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION MONITORS
AIR SAMPLERS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CASCADE IMPACTORS
COLLOIDS
DATA FORMS
DISPERSIONS
EFFICIENCY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FISSION TRACKS
GAMETES
GERM CELLS
GRAPHS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICLE TRACKS
POLLEN
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
ROCKY FLATS PLANT
SAMPLERS
SAMPLING
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SIZE
SNOW
SOILS
SOLS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VARIATIONS
WIND