No abstract

Cesium in the Sa'_,annahRiver Site Environment is published as a part of the Radiological Assessment Program (RAP). lt is the fourth in a series of eight documents on individual radioisotopes released to the environment as aresult of Savannah River Site (SRS) operations. The earlier documents describe the environmental cortsequences of tritium, iodine, and uranium. Documents on plutonium,strontium, carbon, and technetium will be published in the future. These are dynamic documents andcurrent plans call for revising and updating each one on a two-year schedule. Radiocesium exists in the environment as aresult of above-ground nuclear weapons tests, the Chemobyl accident, the destruction of satellite Cosmos 954, small releases from reactors and reprocessing plants, and the operationof industrial, medical, andeducational facilities. Radiocesium has been produced at SRS during the operation of five production reactors. Several hundred curies of _TCswas released into streams in the late 50s and 60s from leaking fuel elements. Smaller quantifies were released from the fuel reprocessing operations. About 1400Ciof lrPCswas released to seepagebasins where it was tightly boundby clay in the soil. A much smallerquantity, about four Ci, was released to the atmosphere. Radiocesium concentration andtransport mechanisms for atmospheric, surface water, and groundwater have _en extensively studied by Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and ecological mechanisms have been studied by Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SP, EL). The overall ngliological impactof SRS releases on the offsite maximum individual can be characterizedby total dosesof 0.33 nuem (atmospheric)and 60 mrem (liquid), compared with a dose of 12,960 nare_ fromtmn-SRSsouree_ duringthe same period of time. Isotope _r_Cs releases haveresultedin a negligiblerisk to the environment and the population it supports.

Cesium in the Sa'_,annahRiver Site Environment is published as a part of the Radiological Assessment Program (RAP). lt is the fourth in a series of eight documents on individual radioisotopes released to the environment as aresult of Savannah River Site (SRS) operations. The earlier documents describe the environmental cortsequences of tritium, iodine, and uranium. Documents on plutonium,strontium, carbon, and technetium will be published in the future. These are dynamic documents andcurrent plans call for revising and updating each one on a two-year schedule. Radiocesium exists in the environment as aresult of above-ground nuclear weapons tests, the Chemobyl accident, the destruction of satellite Cosmos 954, small releases from reactors and reprocessing plants, and the operationof industrial, medical, andeducational facilities. Radiocesium has been produced at SRS during the operation of five production reactors. Several hundred curies of _TCswas released into streams in the late 50s and 60s from leaking fuel elements. Smaller quantifies were released from the fuel reprocessing operations. About 1400Ciof lrPCswas released to seepagebasins where it was tightly boundby clay in the soil. A much smallerquantity, about four Ci, was released to the atmosphere. Radiocesium concentration andtransport mechanisms for atmospheric, surface water, and groundwater have _en extensively studied by Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and ecological mechanisms have been studied by Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SP, EL). The overall ngliological impactof SRS releases on the offsite maximum individual can be characterizedby total dosesof 0.33 nuem (atmospheric)and 60 mrem (liquid), compared with a dose of 12,960 nare_ fromtmn-SRSsouree_ duringthe same period of time. Isotope _r_Cs releases haveresultedin a negligiblerisk to the environment and the population it supports.

No abstract

4-2. Sediment ConcL_ntrations(PCi/gm dry weight of 23spu and 239'240pu in CJ'eeks (Gladden 1985) ........... .4-13 4-3. Sediment Concentrations (pCi/gm dry weight) of Plutonium in the Savannah River Floodplain ........... 4-14 4-4. Comparison of Plutonium Concentration in Burial Ground Monitoring Wells between