Critical pathways of radionuclides to man from agro-ecosystems. Annual progress report Oct 80-Sep 81

Technical Report · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6728975

Smith, M H; Alberts, J J; Adriano, D C; McLeod, K W; Pinder, III, J E

The research describes the fate and behavior in the environment of radionuclides from nuclear fuel reprocessing. Greenhouse radionuclide uptake studies which examined factors possibly altering phyto-availability of radionuclides show only slight differences among crop species or soil treatments (lime or lime plus chelate) in Pu or Cm uptake. Field grown broadleaf crops grown have differing Pu concentrations associated with plant morphology, with some species exceeding the concentrations observed in wheat and soybean crops. Uranium contamination of a wheat crop grown near the separations facility appears to be strongly affected by root uptake. This is in contrast to the behavior of Pu where surficial pathways are the dominant modes of contamination, and is probably related to (1) the ubiquitous presence of naturally occurring U isotopes and (2) a greater concentration ratio for U than for Pu.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6728975
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-2625
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
510302* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560173 -- Radiation Effects-- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ABSORPTION
ACTINIDES
AGRICULTURE
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CEREALS
CROPS
CURIUM
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FIELD TESTS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
GLYCINE HISPIDA
GRAMINEAE
GRASS
INDUSTRY
LEGUMINOSAE
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLANTS
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
ROOT ABSORPTION
SOILS
TESTING
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
UPTAKE
URANIUM
WASTES
WHEAT