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ANIMAL INVESTIGATION PROGRAM 1979 ANNUAL REPORT: NEVADA TEST SITE AND VICINITY
Citation:
Smith, D., K. Giles, AND D. Bernhardt. ANIMAL INVESTIGATION PROGRAM 1979 ANNUAL REPORT: NEVADA TEST SITE AND VICINITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-81/035 (NTIS DOEDP00539042).
Description:
Data are presented from the radioanalyses of tissues collected from animals that resided on or near the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Gamma-emitting radionuclides were detected infrequently. Strontium-90 concentrations in bones were lower than those of recent years. Tritium and plutonium levels varied little from previous years. Radionuclide tissue concentrations were generally higher in animals from Area 15 than in similar animals from other NTS areas. The highest postulated annual dose estimate to man was 2.6 millirems to bone based on the daily consumption of 0.5 kg of deer liver containing peak levels of plutonium-238. This dose is about 0.5 percent of the 500 millirems per year radiation protection guide for individuals in the general population. Postulated doses for other radionuclides are about 0.3 percent or less of the standard. The movements of 25 mule deer outfitted with collars containing a radio transmitter unit were monitored weekly. During the winter all deer left their summer range on the NTS. The deer dispersed over the widest areas observed since 1975. A deer captured in December 1979 was observed 7 months later in the Barley Creek area of Nye County which is approximately 160 kilometers from its capture point. No gross or microscopic lesions were found in necropsied animals that could be directly attributed to the effects of ionizing radiation.