Radioactivity of Antimony-125, Iodine-129, and Cesium-137 in the environmental vegetation and soil of a nuclear reactor and a reprocessing operations

This paper reports on field studies conducted during 1987 and 1990 to characterize the distribution of 125Sb, 129I, and 137Cs in vegetation and soil in the vicinity of a nuclear reactor at Savannah River Site (SRS) and around Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). The objective was to determine the status of these nuclides in the environs of two nuclear facilities and the possible mode of their mobility and distribution in the surrounding vegetation and soil. Samples of broom sedge grass from SRS, and of sagebrush, wheat-grass and rabbitbrush from ICPP were collected and separated into leaves, stem, roots and litter components. The vegetation samples were dried at 70 degrees C and ground to fine powder. Soil profile samples were collected to depths of 30 cm at SRS and 18 cm at ICPP, dried at 45 degrees C and ground to pass 2 mm sieve. Prepared vegetation and soil samples were packed into plastic vials and the concentrations of 125SB and 137Cs were determined by gamma spectrometry. Iodine-129 was separated by combustion and chemical extraction of samples and was measured ny mass spectrometer