Tritium Decay Energy

Abstract

The heat output of tritium has been determined by calorimetry as 0.3240±0.0009 watt/gram. This value is about 1 to 4% higher than those previously reported. If the half-life of tritium is 12.43i0.04 years, then its average beta energy is 5.73±0.03 kev.

Evaluation of molecular integral of Cartesian Gaussian type basis function with complex‐valued center coordinates and exponent via the McMurchie–Davidson recursion formula, and its application to electron dynamics

“…with its average emission energy 5.2 keV, which is aimed to be compared with the experimental average energy of tritium beta decay 5.7 keV [16]. In a rough estimation, the initial kinetic energy of the emitted particle in this system at t ϭ 0 would be lost by 1 keV in average as the particle flies away.…”

“…This exponent value is chosen to simulate an electron dynamics with emission energy near the experimental value [16], as shown in later paragraph. In low energy cases (B) and (D), the exponent value is set to (␤) ϭ 714.21 nm…”

The biological effects of ionising radiation on Crustaceans: A review

“…The radiation source employed in the previous study was tritiated water (HTO), a radionuclide that is discharged into groundwater systems from nuclear operations (Jaeschke et al, 2011;Jha et al, 2005). Despite the relatively low energy emission of beta particles from HTO (average beta energy of 5.73±0.03 keV [Pillinger et al, 1961]), the nature and behaviour of this radiation source within organisms has led to significant concern over the RBE of the radionuclide (Bridges, 2008;Little & Lambert, 2008). It has been demonstrated that HTO may be irreversibly incorporated into organic compounds within organisms (Takeda & Kasida, 1979) and therefore may produce a biological effect disparate with its emission characteristics.…”

Radiotoxicology of Tritium and 14C Compounds

“…An important reason for the high values shown in Table 6 for tritiated compounds is the low energy of the tritium beta-particles, the mean energy of which is only about 5.7 keV. (14) Another is the rapid rate at which some of the compounds are eliminated from the body; for example, in humans the half periods of elimination of the corticosteroids are in the order of a few hours. (g) 10 20 Careful workers using these radioactive compounds need, therefore, have little fear of approaching the limits of intake into the blood, especially when account is taken of the added safety factor often accompanying intake by ingestion and also of the fact that few of the compounds are sufficiently volatile to represent an appreciable risk from inhalation.…”

“…(3) This is 9 times greater than the mean energy of tritium betaparticles which is 5.7 keV, (14) and 5 times greater than the effective energy of the tritium beta-particles, which is assumed by ICRP to be 10 keV, including a Q F = 1.7. It may not always be justified, however, to infer maximum permissible intakes of 14C labelled materials from those of the corresponding tritiated compounds, simply on the basis of the ratio of the average energies of their beta-particles.…”