Savannah River Site Environmental Report for 1990: Summary pamphlet

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:6969597

Cummings, C L; Martin, D K; Todd, J L

The SRS publishes the Environmental Report each year to communicate the endings of the environmental monitoring and research programs to the public and government agencies. This pamphlet is intended to summarize important environmental activities at the Savannah River Site in 1990. Highlights include: In 1990, over 40,000 samples of environmental material were collected for radiological and nonradiological analyses. The largest radiation doses to the surrounding population were from the radionuclide tritium,'' which was released to air and water from SRS operations.; tritium concentrations measured near the site in air, rainwater, Savannah River water, milk from local dairies and downriver drinking water were higher than background levels; the maximum radiation dose to individuals offsite was estimated to be 0.16 millirem from atmospheric releases of radioactivity, and 0.17 millirem from liquid releases of radioactivity. There was one accidental release of tritium to air on February 7, when 100 curies were released from a K-Area stack. The maximum radiation dose offsite was calculated to be 0.003 millirem (mrem); SRS issued a detailed report on the impact of routine and accidental releases of tritium from 1964 to 1988 on the environment. Currently, SRS investigating possible causes for higher concentrations of mercury found in fish caught onsite, compared to those taken from the Savannah River. Mercury concentrations have been higher in onsite fish since 1989; and, n response to concerns expressed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) over concentrations of radionuclides in fish collected from the Savannah River, the Savannah River Site is working with the GDNR to resolve technical issues regarding sampling and analyses of fish from the river and the resultant dose calculations.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 6969597
• Report Number(s): WSRC-IM-91-28-Summ.; ON: DE93000455
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540250* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
540330 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540350 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
560101 -- Biomedical Sciences
Applied Studies-- Radiation Effects-- Dosimetry & Monitoring-- (1992-)
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY FLUIDS
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
DOCUMENT TYPES
DOSES
DRINKING WATER
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FISHES
FOOD
FOOD CHAINS
GROUND WATER
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MERCURY
METALS
MILK
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
PROGRESS REPORT
PUBLIC INFORMATION
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
TRITIUM
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES