Tritium: An analysis of key environmental and dosimetric questions
This document summarizes new theoretical and experimental data that may affect the assessment of environmental releases of tritium and analyzes the significance of this information in terms of the dose to man. Calculated doses resulting from tritium releases to the environment are linearly dependent upon the quality factor chosen for tritium beta radiation. A reevaluation of the tritium quality factor by the ICRP is needed; a value of 1.7 would seem to be more justifiable than the old 1.0 value. A new exposure model is proposed, based primarily upon the approach recommended by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. Employing a /open quotes/typical/close quotes/ LMFBR reprocessing facility source term, a /open quotes/base case/close quotes/ dose commitment to total body (for a maximally exposed individual) was calculated to be 4.0 /times/ 10/sup /minus/2/ mSv, with 3.2 /times/ 10/sup /minus// mSv of the dose due to intake of tritium. The study analyzes models which exist for evaluating the buildup of global releases of tritium from man-made sources. Scenarios for the release of man-made tritium to the environment and prediction of collective dose commitment to future generations suggest that the dose from nuclear weapons testing will be less than that from nuclear energy even though the weapons source term is greater than that for any of our energy scenarios.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6682455
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-6990; ON: DE88003141; TRN: 88-037536
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
DOE 2012 Occupational Radiation Exposure October 2013
Impacts of Stable Element Intake on C and I Dose Estimates - Implications for Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository
Related Subjects
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
TRITIUM
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CALCULATION METHODS
DRINKING WATER
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
HUMIDITY
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEAR FUELS
TERNARY FISSION
UPTAKE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDER REACTORS
DOSES
ENERGY SOURCES
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPLOSIONS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FISSION
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
520300* - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1989)
655003 - Medical Physics- Dosimetry