T. W, Duke - Adjunct Associate Professor, 

 Graduate Faculty, North Carolina State Uni- 

 versity, Raleigh, N.C. 



J. W. Angelovic, R. B. Williams, D. A. Wolfe - 

 Adjunct Assistant Professors, Graduate 



Faculty, North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, N.C. 

 J. W. Angelovic- President, Atlantic Estuarine 

 Research Society. 



Radiological Consulting Activities 



T. R. Rice and John P. Baptist 



As the result of a rapidly expanding tech- 

 nology, the nation's need for more sources of 

 power is being met by the construction of 

 nuclear powerplants. It is likely that nuclear 

 reactors will eventually produce most of the 

 nation's electric power including that now being 

 produced by fossil fuels, partly because of the 

 campaign against air pollution and partly be- 

 cause of econonnic considerations. Nuclear 

 reactors, however, produce large quantities of 

 radioactive wastes that nr^ust be disposed of in 

 a safe manner. Since it is not economically 

 feasible to store all wastes, those having low 

 concentrations of radioactivity are being dis- 

 charged into the aquatic environment where 

 they are diluted and dispersed. 



Even though the radioactivity discharged to 

 the aquatic environment is reduced to low 

 levels by dilution, organisms concentrate cer- 

 tain radionuclides many times above levels in 

 the water. At present, it is not known whether 

 these concentrations of radionuclides accumu- 

 lated in organisms, from water containing legal 

 limits of radioactivity (Maximum Permissible 

 Concentrations), will have harmful effects upon 

 the organisms. Because of this lack of knowl- 

 edge, each reactor location must be studied 

 individually and a radiological monitoring pro- 

 grann must be designed to ensure that orga- 

 nisms will not be exposed to enough radio- 

 activity to harm them or cause them to become 

 unfit for use as food by man. 



As radiological consultants for the Bureau of 

 Com.mercial Fisheries, we review the Pre- 

 liminary Safety Analysis Reports for each 

 nuclear powerplant before construction begins. 

 After making a careful study of the reactor 

 site, radioactive- waste disposal system, 

 cooling water intakes and outlets, and the appli- 

 cant's radiological monitoring program, we 

 make recommendations based on sound 

 principles of radioecology. These recommen- 

 dations vary among nuclear powerstations be- 

 cause of variation in physical features of the 

 environment and differences among the pro- 

 posed radiological surveys. In general, how- 

 ever, our minimum recommendations may be 

 summarized as follows: 



I. Make at least one preoperational radio- 

 logical survey of the aquatic environment. 

 II. Make similar surveys of the aquatic en- 

 vironment every 6 months after reactor 

 operation has begun. 



III. Collect and analyze samples for contained 

 radioactivity as follows: 



A. Water and sediment samples should be 

 collected within 500 feet of the reactor 

 effluent outfall. 



B. Aquatic plants and animals (crusta- 

 ceans, moUusks, and fish) should be 

 collected as near as possible to the 

 outfall of the reactor effluent and at 

 stations upstream and downstream 

 from the reactor site. 



C. Samples of biological material should 

 be analyzed for both beta and gamma 

 radioactivity. Water and sedinnent 

 samples need be measured only for 

 gamma radioactivity. 



IV. Results of the radiological surveys should 

 be sent to the Secretary of the Interior 

 for distribution to the appropriate Bureau 

 for evaluation, including the Radiobio- 

 logical Laboratory. 



While evaluating reactor sites, we some- 

 times are asked to send representatives to 

 public hearings and various meetings on en- 

 vironmental survey planning. The following list 

 summarizes the scope of these activities during 

 the last year. 



Conferences and Meetings 



T. R. Rice - Public hearing, Vermont Yankee 

 Nuclear Power Station, Brattleboro, Vt., 

 September 6-7, 1967. 



T. R. Rice - Conference, Savannah River Plant 

 personnel. Savannah, Ga., January 26, 1968. 



T. R. Rice - Conference, Public Health Service 

 Radiological Health Center personnel, Rock- 

 ville, Md., February 9. 1968. 



T. R. Rice - Conference, TVA and Alabama 

 Fish and Game officials. Browns Ferry 

 Nuclear Reactor, Montgomery, Ala., April 9, 

 1968. 



T. R. Rice - Conference, Bureau of Sport 

 Fisheries and Wildlife, Division of River 

 Basin personnel, Atlanta, Ga., May 10, 1968. 



F. A. Cross - Visit, Nine Mile Point Nuclear 

 Station, Oswego, N.Y., June 21, 1968. 



J. P. Baptist - Conference, State and Federal 

 conservation agencies representatives and 

 Virginia Electric Company personnel, Surry 

 Nuclear Power Station, Richmond, Va., 

 June 20-21, 1968. 



J. P. Baptist - Visit, Surry Nuclear Power Sta- 

 tion, Surry, Va., June 21, 1968. 



