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Title: Comparison of Near-field and Far-field Air Monitoring of Plutonium-contaminated Soils from the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

Abstract

Operation Roller Coaster, a series of nuclear material dispersal experiments, resulted in three areas (Clean Slates 1, 2, and 3) of widespread surface soil plutonium (Pu) contamination on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), located 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The State's Division of Environmental Protection raised concerns that dispersal of airborne Pu particles from the sites could result in undetected deposition further downwind that the background monitoring stations. Air monitoring data from different distances from the Clean Slate sites but during the same period of time were compared. From the available data, there is no indication that airborne PM10 particles are being transported to the farther distance,however, the data are statistically insufficient to conclude whether there is a difference in transport of respirable Pu particles to the closer verses the farther sites from the Clean Slate sites.

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV (US); Desert Research Inst., Las Vegas, NV (US)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
OSTI Identifier:
786230
Report Number(s):
45181; DOE/NV/13609-08
TRN: US0108915
DOE Contract Number:  
AC08-00NV13609
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 1 May 2001
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE; AIR POLLUTION MONITORING; RADIATION MONITORING; PLUTONIUM; SOILS; TONOPAH TEST RANGE; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; AMERICIUM; AIRBORNE PLUTONIUM AND AMERICIUM; AIR MONITORING; PM10; CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT; CLEAN SLATE SITES

Citation Formats

Bowen, John L, and Shafer, David S. Comparison of Near-field and Far-field Air Monitoring of Plutonium-contaminated Soils from the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada. United States: N. p., 2001. Web. doi:10.2172/786230.
Bowen, John L, & Shafer, David S. Comparison of Near-field and Far-field Air Monitoring of Plutonium-contaminated Soils from the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/786230
Bowen, John L, and Shafer, David S. 2001. "Comparison of Near-field and Far-field Air Monitoring of Plutonium-contaminated Soils from the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/786230. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/786230.
@article{osti_786230,
title = {Comparison of Near-field and Far-field Air Monitoring of Plutonium-contaminated Soils from the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada},
author = {Bowen, John L and Shafer, David S},
abstractNote = {Operation Roller Coaster, a series of nuclear material dispersal experiments, resulted in three areas (Clean Slates 1, 2, and 3) of widespread surface soil plutonium (Pu) contamination on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), located 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The State's Division of Environmental Protection raised concerns that dispersal of airborne Pu particles from the sites could result in undetected deposition further downwind that the background monitoring stations. Air monitoring data from different distances from the Clean Slate sites but during the same period of time were compared. From the available data, there is no indication that airborne PM10 particles are being transported to the farther distance,however, the data are statistically insufficient to conclude whether there is a difference in transport of respirable Pu particles to the closer verses the farther sites from the Clean Slate sites.},
doi = {10.2172/786230},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/786230}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001},
month = {Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001}
}