Natural and Man-Made Radionuclide Concentrations in Tennessee Soils

摘要

Soil samples from sites in eastern and central Tennessee, at distances from 35 to 210 km from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have been analyzed to determine their radionuclide composition. The soils were analyzed for naturally-occurring radionuclides and the now unbiquitous man-made radioisotopes exp 60 Co, exp 90 Sr, exp 106 Ru, exp 125 Sb, and exp 137 Cs present due to fallout from weapons tests. The radioanalyses consisted of a combination of gamma-ray spectroscopy and radiochemical separation techniques followed by analyses using solid-state and low-level beta detectors. The results are used to quantify the natural external exposure conditions for the population surrounding the Energy Research and Development Administration's Oak Ridge facilities. (ERA citation 02:023290)