Plutonium aerosol fluxes and pulmonary exposure rates during resuspension from bare soils near a chemical separation facility
The purpose of this study was to examine the plutonium aerosol fluxes (Curies per ground area per unit time) from a bare soil near a chemical separation facility and to determine the characteristics of the plutonium-bearing aerosols, which are of consequence in deposition of the alpha-emitters into the lung. These characteristics are the plutonium aerosol concentration (Curies per unit volume of air), the particle size distribution, the radioactivity size distribution, the enhancement factors, and others. The site was the agricultural field adjacent to H-area of Savannah River Plant near Aiken, South Carolina, where low-level releases of /sup 239/Pu and /sup 240/Pu occurred from 1967 through 1974. The releases then changed primarily to /sup 238/Pu. Results indicate that plutonium aerosol concentrations were not greatly increased by removing the vegetation and cultivating the field. Following a rain which stabilized the surface /sup 239/Pu concentrations were 37% of normal to 144% of normal as the field dried. The /sup 239/Pu concentration was broadly distributed over particle sizes and had MAD 2.7 ..mu..m. The /sup 239/Pu concentration distributions were found to be 12% respirable and the maximum concentration observed, 4.94 x 10/sup -17/ Ci m/sup -3/, amounted to an inconsequential exposure of less than 10/sup -5/ lifetime background dose for 100 days exposure. /sup 239/Pu flux was not greatly increased as the dust flux increased because /sup 239/Pu activity of the aerosols decreased with time to counteract the increased dust flux.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6529694
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-87676; CONF-821136-9; ON: DE83005764
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 4. international conference on precipitation scavenging, dry deposition and resuspension, Santa Monica, CA, USA, 29 Nov 1982
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
LUNGS
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
PLUTONIUM
PARTICLE RESUSPENSION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISTRIBUTION
INTAKE
PERSONNEL
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RESPIRATION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOILS
WIND TUNNELS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
AEROSOLS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DOSES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ORGANS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POPULATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SOLS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
TUNNELS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
560161* - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)