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Background information for the PAR Pond safety and health hazard analysis
The baseline risk assessment [WSRC91] has demonstrated that the hazard at PAR Pond is solely from external exposure to Cs-137, a gamma emitting radionuclide. Between 1954 and 1964, approximately 222 curies of radioactive cesium (Cs-134 and Cs-137) were released to the Lower Three Runs Creek system from R Reactor [Ma9l]. These releases were associated with leaking fuel and target slugs in the reactor disassembly basin. Independent studies show that approximately 45 curies of Cs-137 (half-life of 30 years) still resides in the sediments of PAR Pond [Wh9l; Wi9l]; Cs-134 has a relatively short half-life (2 years) and has decayed to insignificant quantities since it was released