Tritium distribution in the environment in the vicinity of a chronic atmospheric source-assessment of the steady state hypothesis

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a major radionuclide production center. Tritium has been released to the atmosphere over the 36 year period of operation. The tritiated water concentration of the atmosphere, rain, vegetation and food have been routinely monitored during this period. Special studies have been made of tritium in soils and in the organic fractions of these same materials. The available data suggest that the average tritium concentration in the components of the terrestrial environment have approached a steady state with the two main sources of tritium, rainfall and atmospheric water vapor

Tritium in the Savannah River Site environment

Tritium is released to the environment from many of the operations at the Savannah River Site. The releases from each facility to the atmosphere and to the soil and streams, both from normal operations and inadvertent releases, over the period of operation from the early 1950s through 1988 are presented. The fate of the tritium released is evaluated through environmental monitoring, special studies, and modeling. It is concluded that approximately 91% of the tritium remaining after decay is now in the oceans. A dose and risk assessment to the population around the site is presented. It is concluded that about 0.6 fatal cancers may be associated with the tritium released during all the years of operation to the population of about 625,000. This same population (based on the overall US cancer statistics) is expected to experience about 105,000 cancer fatalities from all types of cancer. Therefore, it is considered unlikely that a relationship between any of the cancer deaths occurring in this population and releases of tritium from the SRS will be found

Use of models as a rationale for the design of environmental monitoring programs

This discussion describes methods for using the output of comprehensive dose assessment models to assist in developing a defensible rationale for the determining environmental sample locations, sampling media, and radionuclides for analyses. Methods for using models and examples for a power reactor and a large diversified nuclear complex are included. The discussion focuses on thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD), air, liquid, and groundwater monitoring. The use of modeling techniques serve as the basis for reducing empirical measurements. (This report accompanies a series of slides.