Trends in radionuclide concentrations for wildlife and food products near Hanford for the period 1971 through 1988

Conference · Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5507920

Eberhardt, L. E.; Cadwell, L. L.; Price, K. R.; Carlile, D. W. ^[1]

---

1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)

The objective of this summary investigation was to identify trends in radionuclide concentrations for wildlife and food products sampled from 1971 through 1988 as part of the Hanford Site Environmental Monitoring Program. No upward trends in radionuclide concentrations were detected for any wildlife or food products. Several sample types demonstrated significantly declining radionuclide concentrations. Three factors appeared to be responsible for the trends. First, the cessation of atmospheric testing by the United States and Soviet Union in 1971 contributed to the decline of radionuclides in some samples. Second, contaminants discharged to the Columbia River were reduced subsequent to the 1971 shutdown of the last Hanford nuclear reactor that used a once-through cooling water design. The reactor closing resulted in declines in activation products in oysters from Willapa Bay and in whitefish from the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. Third, reductions in radionuclide concentrations in Hanford wildlife suggested a decreasing availability of environmental contaminants to wildlife. Remediation of areas having environmental surface contaminants on the Hanford Site was identified as a probable cause. 5 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5507920
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-17359; CONF-891053-7; ON: DE90002673; TRN: 89-031489
• Resource Relation: Conference: 28. Hanford life sciences symposium on environmental monitoring, restoration and assessment: what have we learned, Richland, WA (USA), 16-19 Oct 1989
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
FOOD
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MINIMIZATION
WILD ANIMALS
COLUMBIA RIVER
EVALUATION
FALLOUT
HANFORD RESERVATION
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
REMEDIAL ACTION
SAMPLING
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
HAZARDS
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
510300 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)