The legacy of Cf-252 operations at Savannah River Technology Center: Continuous releases of radioiodine to the atmosphere
The iodine isotopes I-132, 1-133, I-134, and I-135, which have half-lives ranging from 53 minutes to 21 hours, are measured in the atmospheric effluent from the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. SRS is operated by Westinghouse Savannah River Company for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The isotopes' release rates range from 10 to 300 microcuries per week compared to the rate. The resulting annual dose from all iodine isotopes is minor; it comprises 0.01 percent of the total offsite dose due to atmospheric releases from SRS in 1990. Circumstantial evidence indicates the radioiodine originates from traces of unencapsulated Cf-252. The determination that spontaneous fission of Cf-252 is the source of the radioiodine has several ramifications. Radioactive fission-product isotopes of the noble gas elements krypton and xenon must also be released. Noble gases are more volatile and mobile than iodine. Also, the released iodine isotopes decay to xenon isotopes. The noble gases decay to non-gaseous elements that are transported along with radioiodine to the terrestrial environment by deposition from the SRTC plume. Only Sr-89 is believed to accumulate sufficiently in the environment to approach detectable levels. Given similar conditions in earlier years, releases of short-lived radioiodine have occurred undetected in routine monitoring since the early 1970s. Release rates 20 years ago would have been 200 times greater than current release rates. This report documents preliminary experiments conducted by SRTC and Environmental Monitoring Section (EMS) scientists. The release process and the environmental impact of fission products from Cf-252 should be thoroughly researched.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 6575991
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-MS-92-379; CONF-9304116-1; ON: DE93011788
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Spring meeting of Canberra/nuclear data, San Diego, CA (United States), 28-30 Apr 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
AIR POLLUTION
CALIFORNIUM 252
COMPILED DATA
FISSION
IODINE 131
IODINE 132
IODINE 133
IODINE 134
IODINE 135
KRYPTON
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION MONITORING
STRONTIUM 89
VOLATILITY
XENON
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CALIFORNIUM ISOTOPES
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DOSES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
POLLUTION
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE GASES
SAFETY
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISO
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
540130* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)