Radiation doses from Hanford Site releases to the atmosphere and the Columbia River

Radiation doses to individuals were estimated for the years 1944-1992 as part of the Hanford Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR). The dose estimates were based on the radioactive releases to the atmosphere and Columbia River from the Hanford Site in southcentral Washington State. Conceptual models, computer codes, and previously published dose estimates were used to reconstruct doses. The most significant exposure pathway was found to be the consumption of cow's milk containing I-131. The median cumulative dose estimates to the thyroid of children ranged from <0.7 mGy to 2.3 Gy throughout the study area, depending upon residence location. The highest estimated cumulative dose to a child ranged from 0.6-8.4 Gy (5th and 95th percentiles) with a median of 2.3 Gy based on 100 Monte Carlo realizations. The geographic distribution of the dose levels was directly related to the pattern of I-131 deposition and was affected by the distribution of commercial milk and leafy vegetables. For the atmospheric pathway, the highest cumulative effective dose equivalent to an adult was estimated to be 12 mSv at Ringold, Washington, for the period 1944-1992. For the Columbia River pathway, cumulative effective dose equivalent estimates ranged from <5 mSv to 15 mSv cumulative dose to maximally exposed adults downriver from the Hanford Site for the years 1944-1992. The most significant river exposure pathway was consumption of resident fish containing P-32 and Zn-65.