A simplified model for estimating health effects due to leaching of long-lived nuclides stored in a radioactive waste repository.
Evaluation of alternate methods of treating long-lived radionuclides to be stored in a waste repository include evaluating the differences in health effects from a potential release due to the distribution of nuclides produced by each method. The potential for release and the health effects extend into the indefinite future so predictions of human behavior become speculative. A simple model is proposed which incorporates the nuclides in the repository, leached, in transit in ground water, discharged to surface water, used for irrigation, taken up into crops and ingested. The model yields a solution of simple form and permits the evaluation of potential health effects per unit activity of a nuclide initially placed in the repository. The model is applied to calculate the potential health effects due to the nuclides occurring in a 4n, 4n + 1, 4n + 2, and 4n + 3 decay chain.
D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D011868:Radioisotopes; D012306:Risk; D013997:Time Factors; D014878:Water Pollution, Radioactive
D011850:Radioactive Waste; D011868:Radioisotopes