Improving Tritium Exposure Reconstructions Using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Exposure reconstructions for radionuclides are inherently difficult. As a result, most reconstructions are based primarily on mathematical models of environmental fate and transport. These models can have large uncertainties, as important site-specific information is unknown, missing, or crudely estimated. Alternatively, surrogate environmental measurements of exposure can be used for site-specific reconstructions. In cases where environmental transport processes are complex, well-chosen environmental surrogates can have smaller exposure uncertainty than mathematical models. Because existing methodologies have significant limitations, the development or improvement of methodologies for reconstructing exposure from environmental measurements would provide important additional tools in assessing the health effects of chronic exposure. As an example, the direct measurement of tritium atoms by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) enables rapid low-activity tritium measurements from milligram-sized samples, which permit greater ease of sample collection, faster throughput, and increased spatial and/or temporal resolution. Tritium AMS was previously demonstrated for a tree growing on known levels of tritiated water and for trees exposed to atmospheric releases of tritiated water vapor. In these analyses, tritium levels were measured from milligram-sized samples with sample preparation times of a few days. Hundreds of samples were analyzed within a few months of sample collection and resulted in the reconstruction of spatial and temporal exposure from tritium releases.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15004909
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC-151957; TRN: US0305205
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 379; Journal Issue: 2; Conference: International Atomic Energy Agency International Conference on Isotopic and Analytical Techniques for Health and the Environment, Vienna (AT), 06/09/2003--06/13/2003; Other Information: PBD: 1 Jun 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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