Plutonium association in soils

This paper reviews the association of plutonium in the soils and sediments of several contaminated environmental samples. The plutonium-matrix association based on selected chemical treatments is reviewed. The association of plutonium with the soil particle sizes is reviewed and a soil plutonium index is derived for several contaminated sites to permit comparison of the potential transfer to man via the inhalation pathway. The soil plutonium index accounts for the fraction of the total activity in the resuspendible sizes, the relative concentration of the activity on the soil particle, and the potential lung deposition upon inhalation. The derived soil plutonium indices for four sites range from 0.52 to 1.26 from the least to the most severely contaminated site. The order of increasing site severity is the Nevada Test Site (0.52), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (0.69), Mound Laboratory (1.18), and Rocky Flats (1.26). Limitations of the soil factor are discussed