Radionuclide activity concentrations in forest surface fuels at the Savannah River Site

Hejl, Anna M.; Ottmar, Roger D.; Jannik, G. Timothy; Eddy, Teresa; Rathbun, Stephen L.; Commodore, Adwoa; Pearce, John L.; Naeher, Luke P.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.10.058

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Cesium-137 is a high-yield contaminant with a long half-life of 30.2 years, is water soluble, and is easily taken up by plants as a biological analog to potassium (Garten et al 2000;Paliouris et al 1994;Saffarzadeh et al 2014;Yoschenko et al 2017). Long after the primary atmospheric 137 Cs has dissipated from contaminated areas, high levels of 137 Cs have been found in vegetation, litter, and concentrated in the top 5 cm of soil (Hejl et al 2012;Paliouris et al 1994;Yoschenko et al 2006). This secondary contamination has been found to be redistributed into the atmosphere by forest fires (Bourcier et al 2010;Commodore et al 2012;Dusha-Gudym 2005;Evangeliou et al 2014;Hao 2009;Paatero et al 2009;Paliouris et al 1994;Strode et al 2012;Wotawa et al 2006;Yoschenko et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cesium emissions from laboratory fires

Hao

Baker

Lincoln

et al. 2018

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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If a radiological incident such as a nuclear power plant accident, a radiological dispersal device, or detonation of an improvised nuclear device occurs, significant areas may be contaminated. Initial cleanup priorities would likely focus on populated areas, leaving the forested areas to pass several seasons where the overhead canopy materials would fall to the forest floor. In the event of a wildfire in a radionuclide-contaminated forest, some radionuclides would be emitted in the air while the rest would remain in the ash. This paper reports on a laboratory simulation study that examines the partitioning of cesium-133 (a nonradioactive isotope of cesium) between airborne particulate matter and residual nonentrained ash when pine needles and peat are doped with cesium. Only 1-2.5% of the doped cesium in pine needles was emitted as particulate matter, and most of the cesium was concentrated in the particulate fraction greater than 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter. For peat fires, virtually all of the cesium remained in the ash. The results from this study will be used for modeling efforts to assess potential exposure risks to firefighters and the surrounding public.Implications: There is a potential for emissions of radionuclides such as cesium-137 from a wildfire over a radionuclide-contaminated forest. This paper reports on a laboratory simulation study of a wildfire with two types of biomass doped with nonradioactive cesium. This simulation suggests that only 1-2.5% of the cesium in the biomass will be emitted from the wildfire, while the rest will reside in the residual ash. In this study, pine needles were the only contributor to the air emissions of cesium; duff was not a source of cesium emissions. In this study, cesium emitted from the simulated wildfire was concentrated in the particle sizes larger than 10 µm.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cesium emissions from laboratory fires

Hao

Baker

Lincoln

et al. 2018

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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“…241/00). Therefore, periodic campaigns of in soil gas Rn concentrations, such as the one proposed in this study, as well as surveys based on the gamma‐dose assessment (Hejl et al ), and direct measurements of indoor Rn concentration (Groves‐Kirkby, Denman, and Phillips ) should be proposed. Moreover, mitigation strategies and decontamination procedures of Rn‐prone areas suitable to support policies of human health protection should be adopted (Haucke ).…”

Section: Rn‐prone Areas and Urban Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radon Predictions withGeographical Information SystemCovariates: From Spatial Sampling to Modeling

Iaco

Maggio

Palma

2016

Geographical Analysis

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Radon (Rn) is a potentially toxic gas in soil which may affect human health. Assessing Rn levels in soil gas usually requires enormous efforts in terms of time and costs, since the sampling protocol is very complex. In most cases, the variable under study is sparsely sampled over the domain and this could affect the reliability of the spatial predictions. For this reason, it is useful to incorporate, into the estimation procedure, some auxiliary variables, correlated with the in soil gas Rn concentrations (primary variable) and more densely available over the domain. On the basis of this latter aspect, it is even better if the covariates are derived from a geographical information system (GIS). In this article, the Rn sampling protocol used during a measurement campaign planned over a risk area is described and the process of deriving GIS covariates considered as secondary information for predicting the primary variable is clarified. Then, multivariate modeling and prediction of the Rn concentrations over the domain of interest are discussed and a comparative study regarding the performance of the prediction procedures is presented. Rn prone areas are also analyzed with respect to urban and school density. All these aspects can clearly support decisions on environmental and human safeguard.

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“…Background radionuclide levels, including some long distance fallout, were obtained from SRS pine forests, African savannas, Japanese forests, Canada boreal conifer forests and deciduous Irish forests (LeCloarec et al 1995, Paliouris et al 1995, Seymour et al 1999, Sugihara et al 2003, Hejl et al 2013 (Table 2). Radionuclides are not uniformly distributed in wildland fuel components such as litter, duff, branches, bark wood, live foliage, etc.…”

Section: Radionuclide Activity In Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wildland firefighters and emergency response personnel will receive a radiation dose through inhalation when exposed to radionuclides emitted during forest wildfires and prescribed fires. Natural isotopes of radon ( Rn) decay, beryllium ( 7 Be) and potassium ( 40 K) exist in significant amounts in forest wildland fuels (LeCloarec et al 1995, Sugihara et al 1997, Hejl et al 2013). However, background levels from natural sources, and those from aboveground atomic weapons testing prior to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, are not thought to be a health concern when compared to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) (Volkerding 2003, Paatero et al 2009, Commodore et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling and mitigating dose to firefighters from inhalation of radionuclides in wildland fire smoke

Viner

Jannik

Stone

et al. 2015

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Firefighters responding to wildland fires where surface litter and vegetation contain radiological contamination will receive a radiological dose by inhaling resuspended radioactive material in the smoke. This may increase their lifetime risk of contracting certain types of cancer. Using published data, we modelled hypothetical radionuclide emissions, dispersion and dose for 70th and 97th percentile environmental conditions and for average and high fuel loads at the Savannah River Site. We predicted downwind concentration and potential dose to firefighters for radionuclides of interest (137Cs, 238Pu, 90Sr and 210Po). Predicted concentrations exceeded dose guidelines in the base case scenario emissions of 1.0 × 107 Bq ha–1 for 238Pu at 70th percentile environmental conditions and average fuel load levels for both 4- and 14-h shifts. Under 97th percentile environmental conditions and high fuel loads, dose guidelines were exceeded for several reported cases for 90Sr, 238Pu and 210Po. The potential for exceeding dose guidelines was mitigated by including plume rise (>2 m s–1) or moving a small distance from the fire owing to large concentration gradients near the edge of the fire. This approach can quickly estimate potential dose from airborne radionuclides in wildland fire and assist decision-making to reduce firefighter exposure.

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Radionuclide activity concentrations in forest surface fuels at the Savannah River Site

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

Cesium emissions from laboratory fires

Cesium emissions from laboratory fires

Radon Predictions withGeographical Information SystemCovariates: From Spatial Sampling to Modeling

Modelling and mitigating dose to firefighters from inhalation of radionuclides in wildland fire smoke

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