610 TRANSURANIC ELEMENTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT 



TABLE 3 Southeastern Seafood Plutonium 

 Dose Commitments 



* Consumption assumed for the dose calculation, 

 5.9 kg/yr molluscs, 11.8 kg/yr fish. 



year is less than 0.0004% of tlie annual background radiation dose of about 120 mrem 

 which is received by man in tlie southeastern United States. 



Conclusions 



Nuclear facihties operating on the Savannali River waterslied have contributed less than 

 10% as much plutonium to the waterslied as has nuclear weapons fallout. Transport of 

 plutonium from the watershed to the estuary is very slow and appears to be influenced by 

 two large reservoirs that serve as sinks for suspended plutonium-bearing particles. 

 Consequently plutonium concentrations in Savannah River water and estuary sediments 

 are no higher — and in some cases are much lower — than plutonium concentrations in 

 other rivers and estuaries on which there are no nuclear facilities. 



At present plutonium levels, seafoods make a very minor contribution to the overall 

 dose commitment to the population in tlie soutlieastern United States. 



Acknowledgment 



The information contained in diis chapter was developed during the course of work under 

 contract No. AT(07-2>1 witli tlie U. S. Department of Energy. 



References 



Ashley, C. A., and C. Zeigler, 1975, Releases of Radioactivity at the Savannah River Plant, 1954 

 Through 1975, ERDA Report DPSPU-75-25-1, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, NTIS. 



Butler, F. E., 1965, Determination of Uranium and Americium-Curium in Urine by Liquid Ion 

 Exchange, ^«fl/. Chem., 37: 340. 



Edgington, D. N., J. J. Alberts, M. A. Wahlgren, J. O. Karttunen, and C. A. Reeve, 1976, Plutonium 

 and Americium in Lake Michigan Sediments, in Transuranium Nuclides in the Environment, 

 Symposium Proceedings, San Francisco, 1975, p. 493, STI/PUB/410, International Atomic Energy 

 Agency, Vienna. 



Fukai, R., S. Bullestra, and E. Holm, 1976, ^"'Am in Mediterranean Surface Waters, TVarM re, 264: 

 739. 



Hayes, D. W., J. H. LeRoy, and F. A. Cross, 1976, Plutonium in Atlantic Coastal Estuaries in the 

 Southeastern United States, in Transuranium Nuclides in the Environment, Symposium Proceed- 

 ings, San Francisco, 1975, p. 79, STI/PUB/410, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. 



Livingston, H. D., and V. T. Bowen, 1975, Americium in the Marine Environment — Relationships to 

 Plutonium, in Environmental Toxicity of Aquatic Radionuclides: Models and Mechanisms. 

 Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Toxicology, Rochester, N. Y., June 



