Considerations in the assessment of the consequences of effluents from mixed oxide fuel fabrication plants

Environmental consequences of postulated radionuclide releases from the Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus Laboratories JN-1b Building at the West Jefferson site as a result of severe natural phenomena

“…can EPA Existing guidelines on acceptable be found to range from 0.01 ~Ci/m2 Martin and Bloom 1975; Healy levels of soil contamination from Pu to 270 ~Ci/m2 (Selby et al 1975;u.s. Code 1976;Healy 1974;Guthrie and Nichols 1964;Hazle and Crist 1975;Kathren 1968;Dunster 1962).…”

“…Our experience has shown that the more important pathways for exposure to atmospheric releases of plutonium and daughter products are inhalation, cloud submersion, ingestion, and direct ground irradiation. For chronic atmospheric releases of plutonium, the most important of these pathways is inhalation (Selby 1975, Friedman 1976, Anspaugh et al 1975, EPA 1977. It can also be shown that inhalation is the only important pathway for acute atmospheric releases of plutonium (see Appendix A).…”

“…The deposition velocity of plutonium particles cannot be specified exactly because it will vary depending on the size distribution of the particles, the nature of the surface on which deposition occurs, the wind speed, and other meteorological variables. The deposition velocity for plutonium has been reported to range from 1 x 10-4 to 3 x 10-2 m/sec (Selby et al 1975, Cohen 1977, Baker 1977, Gudiksen et al 1976. A value of 1 x 10-3 m/sec is used in this report (Baker 1977).…”

“…Local conditions can be expected to strongly affect the rate, with rainfall, winds, and surface characteristics predominant. The exact relationships are not wellenough understood to account for these effects (Selby et al 1975). However, the airborne concentration from resuspended material can be estimated using a resuspension factor, K. The resuspension factor is defined as the resuspended air concentration divided by the surface deposition.…”

“…However, the airborne concentration from resuspended material can be estimated using a resuspension factor, K. The resuspension factor is defined as the resuspended air concentration divided by the surface deposition. Values for K in the environment between 10-4 and 10-13 m-l have been measured and reported (Selby et al 1975, Friedman 1976, Anspaugh et al 1975, EPA 1977, Cohen 1977, FES 1974, Bennett 1975, Hanson 1975, Martin and Bloom 1975, Sehmel 1977, Healy 1977, Anspaugh 1976. Until a more general model is available, which considers all the important variables affecting the resuspension process, Anspaugh (1975) recommends using a simple time-dependent model to predict the average airborne concentration of a resuspended contaminant: where K(t) = 10-4 exp(-0.15 t l / 2 ) + 10-9 t • time since the material was deposited on the ground, days 10-4 0 resuspension factor at time t = 0, m-l 10-9 • resuspension factor after 20 years, m-l (3 ) The second term in Equation 3, 10-9 m-l , was added based on the assumption that there may be no further measurable decrease in the resuspension factor after 20 years.…”