Radionuclide characterization of subsurface soil on the site of building 3505 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Technical Report · Wed Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6588005· OSTI ID:6588005

Alexander, W. A.; Oakes, T. W.; Eldridge, J. S.; Huang, S.; Hubbard, H. M.

Ninety-two samples at varying depths were collected from 25 cores. Sample tubes were driven into the ground and segments of soil cores were retrieved at depths from the ground surface to subsurface consolidated material. forty samples of the 92 collected had detectable gamma activities (i.e., > 2 x 10/sup -2/ Bq/g (0.5 pCi/g)) of /sup 137/Cs. However, only four samples, all from the same borehole, were found to have significant amounts of /sup 137/Cs with a maximum of 1.7 x 10/sup 3/ Bq/g (4.6 x 10/sup 4/ pCi/g). These four samples also contained the highest activities of other radionuclides (/sup 60/Co, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 235/U, /sup 238/U, /sup 239/Pu, and /sup 241/Am). These subsamples came from core number 4DD, which was the deepest core collected. Core 4DD was taken at the southwest corner of the site, which is at the lower elevation of the site. Since most of the activity in this core was found below the bedrock (or shale) in the groundwater region, the contamination is probably not from Building 3505. Additional investigation in the area around core location 4DD will be required to determine the extent of contamination.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6588005
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-8479; ON: DE83005159
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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