Environmental monitoring and dose assessment following the December 1991 K-reactor aqueous tritium release

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Health Physics; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199307000-00004· OSTI ID:7368801

Hamby, D M; Addis, R P; Beals, D M; Boni, A L; Cadieux, J R; Carlton, W H; Dunn, D L; Hall, G; Hayes, D W; Heffner, J D ^[1]

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1. Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC (United States)

Between 22 December and 25 December 1991, approximately 570 L of tritiated water was released from the K Reactor at the Savannah River Site. Analyses of river flow rates and measured tritium concentrations showed that approximately 210 TBq of tritium had been released from the reactor and was being transported down the Savannah River. Elevated tritium concentrations in the Savannah River were first detected on 26 December 1991. The maximum measured tritium concentration at Highway 301 (a major sampling point 37 km downstream of the Savannah River Site) was 2.5 Bq mL-1. A hypothetical maximum individual located at Highway 301 would have received a drinking water dose of approximately 0.35 microSv, less than 1% of the Environmental Protection Agency's 40 microSv y-1 drinking water standard. Concentrations at the intake canals to two water treatment facilities, approximately 160 km downstream, began to rise above normal on 28 December. The population dose to users of the downstream domestic water supplies and consumers of Savannah River biota was estimated to be 4.7 x 10[sup [minus]3] person-Sv.

• OSTI ID: 7368801
• Journal Information: Health Physics; (United States), Journal Name: Health Physics; (United States) Vol. 65:1; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540350* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
560101 -- Biomedical Sciences
Applied Studies-- Radiation Effects-- Dosimetry & Monitoring-- (1992-)
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
ACCIDENTS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CONTAMINATION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DOSES
DRINKING WATER
HEAVY WATER
HEAVY WATER MODERATED REACTORS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTAKE CANALS
ISOTOPES
K REACTOR
LIGHT NUCLEI
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POPULATIONS
PRODUCTION REACTORS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTORS
RISK ASSESSMENT
RIVERS
SAMPLING
SAVANNAH RIVER
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOUTH CAROLINA
SPECIAL PRODUCTION REACTORS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TRITIUM
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WATER
WATER POLLUTION
WATER SUPPLY
WATER TREATMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES