A Baseline Ground-Level Airborne Radionuclide Survey for a Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant

The ground-level airborne radionuclide concentrations and the resulting dose to man have been measured in the vicinity of Barnwell, S.C., during 1971, 1972, and 1973. These measurements, which were made as part of a preoperational baseline study for a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, include gross alpha-beta and high resolution Ge(Li)-NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometry using air filters, tritium (HTO) measurements using silica gel, and dose measurements using LiF thermoluminescence dosimeters. The observed levels of approximately 20 nuclides can be explained by contributions from worldwide fallout, natural process and naturally occurring terrestrial nuclei, and normal seasonal variations. There has been a considerable decline in levels during the latter part of 1972 and first half of 1973. The average annual dose to man resulting from inhalation of most of the measured nuclei is only a very small fraction of the total dose received from normal background sources.