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PLUTONIUM BURDENS IN PEOPLE LIVING AROUND THE ROCKY FLATS PLANT
Citation:
Cobb, J., B. Eversole, P. Archer, R. Taggart, AND D. Efurd. PLUTONIUM BURDENS IN PEOPLE LIVING AROUND THE ROCKY FLATS PLANT. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/4-82/069.
Description:
A study was conducted to determine whether the tissues of people who lived near to or downwind from the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility in Colorado contained more plutonium than the tissues from people who lived farther away. Information was collected on the age, sex, smoking history, residence history, presence of disease, and plutonium level in selected tissues from individuals autopsied in various Eastern Colorado hospitals. The 236, 238, 239 and 240 isotopes of plutonium were determined. Plutonium levels in lung and liver tissues were affected by age and smoking history more than by distance from the Rocky Flats Plant. Though the measured 240/239 isotope ratio indicated a small contribution from Rocky Flats, the total amount of plutonium in the samples was no different than in similar samples collected from other areas of the U.S.