SREL Reprint #1824

HEALTH RISKS TO HYPOTHETICAL RESIDENTS OF A RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED LAKE BED

F. Ward Whicker
Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523

'Thomas Hinton, Daniel J. Niquette and Jeff Seel
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802

ABSTRACT

This paper presents site-specific data and dose/risk calculations for hypothetical residents of the PAR Pond lake bed. a portion of which has been exposed following a partial drawdown of the reservoir. PAR Pond is contaminated ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, transuranics, and ³H from R reactor at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site. The risk assessment was motivated by the declaration of the exposed sediments as an operable unit under CERCLA. This work has demonstrated measurable external gamma ray exposures above the exposed lake bed from ¹³⁷Cs, as well as high mobility of this radionuclide in the aquatic and terrestrial food chains associated with the reservoir. "Reasonable maximum exposure" and "reasonable average exposure" scenarios for an adult resident farmer both yield predicted radiation induced lifetime fatal cancer risks in excess of the EPA guideline of 10 . This result, if confirmed, may affect the future disposition of PAR Pond.

SREL Reprint #1824

Whicker, F.W., T.G. Hinton, D.J. Niquette, and J. Seel. 1993. Health risks to hypothetical residents of a radioactively contaminated lake bed. p. 619-624. In ER'93 - Environmental Remediation Conference, Department of Energy. Augusta, GA.

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