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ANALYSIS OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN BY-PRODUCTS FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT OPERATIONS
Citation:
Krieger, H. AND B. Jacobs. ANALYSIS OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN BY-PRODUCTS FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT OPERATIONS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/4-78/039 (NTIS PB286365).
Description:
The major radionuclides detected in fossil fuel power plant operations have been identified and quantified. Samples of coal, fly ash, bottom ash, and scrubber sludge were collected from different regions in the U.S. and analyzed for radium, thorium, and uranium. The standard radiochemical procedures were modified in order to obtain reproducible results for the variety of samples analyzed, which then can be used to calculate a radioactivity balance on the basis of normal operations. The report tabulates the spectrum of activity levels in a variety of samples, and compares the results from non-destructive spectrometry and from radiochemical separations. The environmental impact of an expanding fossil-fuel power plant operation is discussed, and it is concluded that, for the present, no radiation hazard exists.