Baseline concentrations of radionuclides and heavy metals in soils and vegetation around the DARHT facility: Construction phase (1997). Progress report

摘要

As part of the Department of Energy's Mitigation Action Plan for the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), baseline concentrations of radionuclides H-3, Cs-137, Sr-90, Pu-238, Pu-(239,240), Am-241, and U(total) and heavy metals (Ag, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Tl) in soil, sediment, and vegetation (overstory and understory) around the DARHT facility during the construction phase in 1997 were determined. Most radionuclides and heavy metals in soils, sediments, and vegetation, with the exception of Sr-90 in soils and sediments, were within upper (95%) limit background concentrations. Although the levels of Sr-90 in soils and sediments around the DARHT facility were higher than background, they were below LANL screening action levels (<4.4 pCi/g dry) and are of no concern.