Environmental monitoring at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. 1979 annual report

Technical Report · Sat Mar 11 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6059230

Silver, W J; Lindeken, C L; Wong, K M; Conover, A; White, J H

In 1978, the annual average airborne gross beta activity in Livermore Valley air samples was 6.0 x 10/sup -14/ ..mu..Ci/ml, or half the average observed in 1977. Airborne /sup 238/U concentrations at Site 300 were higher than those at Livermore because of the use of depleted uranium (a byproduct of /sup 235/U enrichment) in high-explosive tests at the Site. Soil samples collected in the off-site vicinity of the Laboratory and at Site 300 were analyzed for plutonium. Water samples collected within the Livermore Valley and at Site 300 exhibit gross beta and tritium activities within the ranges previously observed in these areas. One well-water sample from Site 3900 shows an above-average level of gross alpha activity because of naturally occurring /sup 226/Ra. Tritium analyses were made on well-water samples collected near the Livermore Water Reclamation Plant (LWRP). All are well below the standards set by DOE. Tritium levels in Livermore Valley and Site 300 vegetation were also comparable to those observed in 1977. For 1978, the median annual gamma-radiation dose rate at the Laboraotry perimeter was 64 mrem, which was essentially the same as the median off-site background of 59 mrem. Operation of a 14-MeV neutron generator near the south perimeter continued to be a source of elevated radiation. However, dose rates have been reduced to about one-third of those recorded in 1977 by scheduling many high-flux experiments at a new facility (Bldg. 292). Assessment of the calculated rdiation dose to an individual from the environmental concentrations listed in this report demonstrates that the dose contribution from Laboratory operations in 1978 was small compared to the dose received locally from natural sources.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6059230
• Report Number(s): UCRL-50027-78
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500500* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
510200 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
510300 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520300 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AIR
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ALPHA DETECTION
ANTIMONY 125
ANTIMONY ISOTOPES
BERYLLIUM 7
BERYLLIUM ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DETECTION
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY FLUIDS
CALIFORNIA
CERIUM 141
CERIUM 144
CERIUM ISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CHARGED PARTICLE DETECTION
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DETECTION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FILTERS
FLUIDS
FOOD
GAMMA DETECTION
GASES
GROUND WATER
HEAVY NUCLEI
HERBICIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY
LIGHT NUCLEI
MILK
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
PLANTS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POTASSIUM 40
POTASSIUM ISOTOPES
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTH ISOTOPES
RARE EARTH NUCLEI
RUTHENIUM 103
RUTHENIUM 106
RUTHENIUM ISOTOPES
SEWAGE
SOILS
SURFACE WATERS
TABLES
THORIUM 232
THORIUM ISOTOPES
TRITIUM
URANIUM 235
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
VALLEYS
WASTES
WATER
WESTERN REGION
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZIRCONIUM 95
ZIRCONIUM ISOTOPES