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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Lung-clearance classification of 241 Am and 238 -240 Pu in dust collected near the sites of Hanford Incidents 2827 and 2828

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6459919· OSTI ID:6459919
Dust samples containing /sup 241/Am and /sup 238 -240/Pu were obtained from sites near the occurrences of Hanford Incidents 2827 and 2828, and the alpha-activity ratios of /sup 241/Am//sup 239 -240/Pu were found to be 215 and 1.7, respectively. The latter sample was also found to have a /sup 238/Pu//sup 239 -240/Pu alpha-activity ratio of 0.033. The dissolution rates of these radionuclides into simulated lung fluid at 37/sup 0/C were measured over a period of 10 days, and these measurements were used to classify the samples in terms of the lung clearance model proposed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The results showed that less than 0.02% of the /sup 239 -240/Pu in both samples and less than 0.02% of the /sup 238/Pu in the sample from Incident 2828 had dissolved in 10 days. Only 0.01% of the /sup 241/Am in the sample from Incident 2827 and 0.27% of the /sup 241/Am in the sample from Incident 2828 dissolved during this time period. It is recommended that the /sup 241/Am and /sup 239 -240/Pu components in both of these samples be considered 100% Y-type compounds for calculations with the ICRP Lung Clearance Model.
Research Organization:
Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6459919
Report Number(s):
PNL-3716; ON: DE81028258
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English