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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Environmental monitoring report: United States Energy Research and Development Administration, Oak Ridge facilities, calendar year 1975

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7184801

Surveillance of radioactivity in the Oak Ridge environs for calendar year 1975 indicates that atmospheric concentrations of radioactivity were not significantly different from other areas in East Tennessee. Concentrations of radioactivity in the Clinch River and in fish collected from the river were less than 2 percent of the permissible concentration and intake guides for individuals in the offsite environment. While some radioactivity was released to the environment from plant operations, the concentrations in all of the media sampled were well below established standards. The total body dose to a hypothetical maximum exposed individual at the site boundary was calculated to be 8.4 mrem/yr which is 1.7 percent of the ERDA Manual Chapter 0524 standard. The maximum dose to the critical organ of an individual from the aquatic food chain was calculated to be 3.4 millirem to the bone which is 0.7 percent of the allowable standard. The maximum dose to individuals living nearest the site boundary from airborne releases, assuming continuous residence, was 0.4 mrem/yr to the total body and 6.9 millirem to the lung. These doses are 0.08 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, of the standards. The average dose to an Oak Ridge resident (the critical population group) was calculated to be 0.06 mrem/yr to the total body and 0.3 millirem to the lung as compared to approximately 100 mrem/yr from natural background radiation. The cumulative total body dose to the population within a 50-mile radius of the Oak Ridge facilities resulting from 1975 effluents was calculated to be 7.4 man-rem. This dose may be compared to an estimated 74,000 man-rem to the same population resulting from natural background radiation.

Research Organization:
Union Carbide Corp., Oak Ridge, Tenn. (USA). Nuclear Div.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
7184801
Report Number(s):
Y/UB-4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English