Click here to make tpub.com your Home Page

Page Title: Chemical Versus Radiological Hazards
Back | Up | Next

Click here for thousands of PDF manuals

Google


Web
www.tpub.com

Home

   
Information Categories
.... Administration
Advancement
Aerographer
Automotive
Aviation
Construction
Diving
Draftsman
Engineering
Electronics
Food and Cooking
Logistics
Math
Medical
Music
Nuclear Fundamentals
Photography
Religion
   
   

 



DOE-STD-1128-98
Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Plutonium Facilities
possibility of a fire or explosion in a plutonium facility is probably the most serious threat
because the consequences of a fire could lead to loss of containment and subsequent dispersement
of highly mobile plutonium particulates. In addition, fighting the fire with water to maintain
containment could create the potential for a criticality accident and/or loss of containment in the
immediate vicinity.
The day-to-day hazards for personnel in plutonium facilities involve exposure to gamma rays,
X-rays, and neutrons, as well as possible accumulation of plutonium in the body. These hazards
are described in more detail in Section 3.0, "Radiation Protection," and Section 7.0, "Nuclear
Criticality Safety." The amount of plutonium needed to present potential hazards to personnel in
plutonium-handling facilities is summarized in Figure 2.4. Hazards related to interim and long-
term storage of plutonium will be found in Section 2.7, "Storage and Containment."
2.6.1
Chemical Versus Radiological Hazards
The radiological toxicity of reactor-produced plutonium far exceeds the chemical toxicity
of this heavy element.  Furthermore, its low solubility in near-neutral or basic solutions
reduces the uptake through ingestion by a factor >1000 for any plutonium compounds
except certain complexes, such as the citrate or ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)
complex. (Refer to Sections 2.3, "Radiobiological Properties," and 6.0, "External Dose
Control"). Tipton (1960) summarizes the differences in chemical hazards between
plutonium and uranium: "In contrast to uranium, the chemical toxicity of plutonium is
insignificant in comparison to the hazard arising from its natural radioactivity."
Moreover, "the toxicity of plutonium and other transuranic elements," according to Voelz
et al. (1985), "has only been studied in animals since acute toxicity has never been
observed in man for these elements and epidemiologic studies have not produced positive
results." However, recent evidence suggests that plutonium can catalyze reactions
including oxidative stress in the absence of significant radioactive decay. These data
presented by Claycamp and Luo (1994) suggest that plutonium complexes might
contribute to long-term oxidative stress related to tumor promotion.
2.6.2
Associated Chemical Hazards
The main chemical hazard of plutonium is its vulnerability to oxidation and the
pyrophoricity of some of its alloys and compounds (see Section 2.6.3).
The processing of plutonium, including separation from irradiated uranium, purification,
conversion, waste disposal, environmental restoration, and D&D, necessarily requires the
use of chemicals and reagents with varying degrees of toxicity and hazardous properties.
A partial list of chemicals that are either used or proposed for use at DOE plutonium
facilities is provided in Table 2.9. An abbreviated evaluation of the potential hazards of
2-25


Privacy Statement - Press Release - Copyright Information. - Contact Us

Integrated Publishing, Inc. - A (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business