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Influence of a Nuclear Fuel Chemical Separations Facility on the Plutonium Contents of a Wheat Crop¹

ABSTRACT

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) was grown in very close proximity to a nuclear-fuel chemical separations facility to determine the environmental behavior and potential health hazard of chronic low-level releases of plutonium (Pu) to the atmosphere from that facility. The majority (>95%) of the contamination of wheat plants was surfical contamination resulting from direct deposition of recently released Pu-bearing particles onto plant surfaces and resuspension of Pu from soil. Internal contamination resulting from root uptake of Pu was negligible compared to surface contamination. The major pathway (>70%) of Pu to wheat grain was via harvesting activities when Pu was transferred from the surface of vegetative portions of plants to the surface of the grain. Radiation dose resulting from consumption of grain grown in the vicinity of a nuclear-fuel separations facility is negligible compared to that currently received from natural and fallout sources of radiation.

Key Words: transuranic

¹ This study was conducted under the auspices of contracts EY-76-C-09-0819 and AT(07-2)-1 between the U.S. Dep. of Energy and the Univ. of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab. and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.'s Savannah River Lab., respectively.

² Assistant Research Ecologist, Associate Research Ecologist, Research Associate, and Research Associate, Savannah River Ecology Lab., Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29801.

³ Research Supervisor, Research Supervisor, and Staff Chemist, Savannah River Laboratory, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Aiken, SC 29801.

⁴ Present Address: 202S 200 West, Rockwell-Hanford Operations, Richland, WA 99352.

⁵ Deceased.

Received for publication July 3, 1979.

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