Tritium: An analysis of key environmental and dosimetric questions

Technical Report · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6682455· OSTI ID:6682455

Till, J E; Meyer, H R; Etnier, E L; Bomar, E S; Gentry, R D; Killough, G G; Rohwer, P S; Tennery, V J; Travis, C C

This document summarizes new theoretical and experimental data that may affect the assessment of environmental releases of tritium and analyzes the significance of this information in terms of the dose to man. Calculated doses resulting from tritium releases to the environment are linearly dependent upon the quality factor chosen for tritium beta radiation. A reevaluation of the tritium quality factor by the ICRP is needed; a value of 1.7 would seem to be more justifiable than the old 1.0 value. A new exposure model is proposed, based primarily upon the approach recommended by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. Employing a /open quotes/typical/close quotes/ LMFBR reprocessing facility source term, a /open quotes/base case/close quotes/ dose commitment to total body (for a maximally exposed individual) was calculated to be 4.0 /times/ 10/sup /minus/2/ mSv, with 3.2 /times/ 10/sup /minus// mSv of the dose due to intake of tritium. The study analyzes models which exist for evaluating the buildup of global releases of tritium from man-made sources. Scenarios for the release of man-made tritium to the environment and prediction of collective dose commitment to future generations suggest that the dose from nuclear weapons testing will be less than that from nuclear energy even though the weapons source term is greater than that for any of our energy scenarios.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6682455
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-6990; ON: DE88003141
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520300* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
655003 -- Medical Physics-- Dosimetry
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BREEDER REACTORS
CALCULATION METHODS
DOSES
DRINKING WATER
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPLOSIONS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FISSION
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
FUELS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HUMIDITY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
TERNARY FISSION
TRITIUM
UPTAKE
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES