Atmospheric radionuclide concentrations measured by Pacific Northwest Laboratory since 1961

• Main Authors: Young, J. A., Thomas, C. W.
• Other Authors: United States. Department of Energy.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Pacific Northwest Laboratory 1981
• Subjects: Americium 241; Radiation Monitoring; Cesium 134; Cesium 137; Compiled Data 540130; Explosions; Zinc 65; Radioactive Materials Monitoring And Transport; Gamma Spectroscopy; Site Resource And Use Studies; Alaska; Cobalt 60; New Mexico; Scandium 46; Iron 55; Reactors; Air Filters; Washington; Ussr; Stratosphere; Strontium 90; Hanford Reservation; Nuclear Weapons; Barbados; Brazil; 540150; 54 Environmental Sciences; Plutonium 238; Plutonium 239; Earth Atmosphere; Pacific; Barrow
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2172/10130035; https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1319650/

The atmospheric concentrations of a wide spectrum of radionuclides produced by nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, cosmic rays, radon and thoron decay and the SNAP-9A burn-up ({sup 238}Pu) have been measured at Richland, Washington, since 1961; at Barrow, Alaska, since 1964; and at other stations for shorter periods of time. There has been considerable concern over the health hazard presented by these radionuclides, but it has also been recognized that atmospheric mixing and deposition rates can be determined from their measurement. Therefore, Pacific Northwest Laboratory began the continuous measurement of the atmospheric concentrations of a wide spectrum of radionuclides produced by nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, cosmic rays, and radon and thoron decay. This report will discuss the concentrations of the longer-lived radionuclides (T 1/2 > 12 days). The concentrations of shorter-lived radionuclides measured following Chinese nuclear tests since 1972 are discussed in another report.