The Effective and Environmental Half-Life of super(137)Cs at Coral Islands at the Former US Nuclear Test Site

From 1946-58, the US military conducted nuclear weapons testing activities at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the northern Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Findings from a study that evaluated previous, detailed dose assessments for Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap, and Utirik Atolls over a 28-year pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental radioactivity 2003-01, Vol.69 (3), p.207-207
Main Authors: Robison, William L, Conrado, Cynthia L, Bogen, Kenneth T, Stoker, A C
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:From 1946-58, the US military conducted nuclear weapons testing activities at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the northern Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Findings from a study that evaluated previous, detailed dose assessments for Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap, and Utirik Atolls over a 28-year period indicated that cesium 137 contributes some 85-89% of total estimated dose at Bikini Atoll. This contribution occurs via the terrestrial food chain due to the uptake of super(137) by food crops. Researchers also identified a continuing inventory of super(137)Cs and super(90)Sr in the freshwater portion of groundwaters at all contaminated atolls despite the fact that the turnover rate of fresh groundwater is roughly five years. These findings suggest that a portion of the soluble fraction of super(137)Cs and super(90) inventory in soils is lost by transport to groundwater during heavy rainfall events. These losses occur in addition to losses via radioactive decay.
ISSN:0265-931X