Vegetation uptake from burial ground alpha waste trenches

Abstract

This study was conducted as part of an evaluation of the potential radiological consequences of reinhabiting the SRS burial ground. The objective was to determine the uptake of buried, low-level, transuranic waste from unlined earthen trenches by forest vegetation. Two tree plots were established in 1979. One plot was put over a trench containing alpha waste and the other in an area without trenches. When the tree seedlings were sampled during 1979 and 1980, and analysized for {sup 239}Pu and {sup 238}Pu, there was only a small difference in radionuclude concentration between trees planted over the trench and those planted on the control plot because of the limited root intrusion into the trench by the seedlings. However, when trees were sample in 1986, 1987, and 1988 and analyzed for {sup 241}Am, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239}Pu, and {sup 237}Np activity, the average activity of all of these isotopes was significantly higher over the trenches than in the control plot. These measurements indicate that tree roots will extract transuranic isotopes from buried, low-level waste. The amount of radioisotopes moved from the trenches to the surface is small and the level in the trees is low enough that dose from exposure will be small. The long term effects of transport of radioisotopes from the trenches to the surface soil was evaluated by estimating the accumulation in the surface soil. Transuranic activity in selected food crops was calculated using the soil activity and the literature derived concentration factors. In all cases, the activity of the transuranic isotopes in the edible portion of the plants was quite low. The activity in the leaf tissue was much higher than in the seed. However, it should be noted that in only one case was the activity higher than the naturally occurring activity of {sup 40}K in the pine foliage.