Environmental monitoring in the vicinity of the Savannah River Plant. Annual report for 1978

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6252382· OSTI ID:6252382

The radiation dose at the plant perimeter or the population dose in the region from SRP operations is very small relative to the dose received from naturally occurring radiation. The annual average dose in 1978 from atmospheric releases of radioactive materials from SRP was 0.76 millirem (mrem) at the plant perimeter (approximately 1% of natural background). The maximum dose at the plant perimeter was 1.05 mrems, which is 0.2% of the Department of Energy limit for offsite exposures. The total radiation exposure at the plant perimeter from SRP releases and natural background radiation (98 mrems) was substantially less than the exposure of a person living in Columbia, SC (111 mrems), or Atlanta, GA (124 mrems). These differences are due to variation in natural radiation. The population dose to people living within 80 km (50 mi) of the center of SRP (population: 465,000) was 110 man-rems. During 1978, this same population received a radiation dose of 54,400 man-rems from natural radiation and an additional dose of 47,000 man-rems from medical x rays. An individual consuming river water downstream from SRP would receive a maximum calculated dose of 0.32 mrem. Air and water are the major dispersal media for radioactive emissions. Samples representing most segments of the environment that may conceivably be affected by these emissions were monitored to ensure a safe environment. Releases of radioactivity from SRP had very small effect on living plants and animals and were too minute to be detectable, and with a few exceptions, concentrations outside the plant boundary were too low to distinguish from the natural radioactive background and continuing worldwide fallout from nuclear weapons tests.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-09-0001
• OSTI ID: 6252382
• Report Number(s): DPSPU-79-30-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300 -- Environment
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560161* -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DOSES
EMISSION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FALLOUT
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INFORMATION
ISOLATED VALUES
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANTS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVITY
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER POLLUTION