The depletion of radioisotopes from the Columbia River by natural processes

Technical Report · Fri Oct 04 04:00:00 EDT 1957

OSTI ID:5917679

Nielsen, J M; Perkins, R W

Ten radioisotopes were introduced into the Columbia River in effluent water from the Hanford reactors. An average depletion of 35% was measured between the reactor outfalls and the Pasco and Kennewick water plants. This depletion is a self-purification that may be an important factor in estimating exposures resulting from domestic use of this water. Variations in radioisotope loss from sample to sample and studies of the amounts of radioisotopes associated with the filterable solids in the river indicated that incorporation in sediments may account for a large part of the depletion. Since this incorporation will depend on the solids content of the river, it is to be expected that the self-purification of the river will vary with stream conditions. The values reported here are thus representative only of the conditions existing during the period of these studies. A study of amount of loss of four radioisotopes to the river from Pasco to Vancouver, Washington, indicates that Cr/sup 51/ and Zn/sup 65/ should be prominent in river sediments. Analyses of one river mud sample confirmed these isotopes as the major radioactive contaminants. 12 refs., 1 fig., 19 tabs.

• Research Organization: General Electric Co., Richland, WA (USA). Hanford Atomic Products Operation
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5917679
• Report Number(s): HW-52908; ON: DE88001918
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

053000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
520300 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ARSENIC 76
ARSENIC ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHROMIUM 51
CHROMIUM ISOTOPES
COLUMBIA RIVER
COPPER 64
COPPER ISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HAPO
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEPTUNIUM 239
NEPTUNIUM ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PHOSPHORUS 32
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PURIFICATION
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RIVERS
SAMPLING
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
SEDIMENTS
SODIUM 24
SODIUM ISOTOPES
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
ZINC 65
ZINC ISOTOPES