Re: Iodine 131

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 23:13 18.08.2000 -0500, you wrote:
>Aug. 18
>
>	What is the source of the vast quantities of I-131 that is produced in
>power reactors, and why is there so much of it?
>


Steve,

I-131 is a fission product and produced in large quantities because it is
on top of the two-hump curve of fission product production together with
Cs-137 (the other hump is in the range of Sr-90). I-131 is very volatile,
both in the elemental form and in the form of organic compounds like
methyliodide, so it is more likely to escape and to be emitted from NPP,
but gaseous effluents are usually treated by absorption and retention in
order to minimize both iodine and noble gas emissions.

When saying "much" and "quantity" you have to be careful - "much" may mean
the number of atoms, but "much" can also refer to the specific activity,
which is higher for short-lived radioisotopes like I-131 than for long
lived ones which would be produced in equal quantities rearding the numbers
of atoms.

Thanks that you posted a  t e c h n i c a l   question to RADSAFE!

Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at


Please note my new telephone number at my office!

Office:
Ministerialrat Dr. Franz Schoenhofer
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
Radiation Protection Department (BMLFUW I/8 U)
Radetzkystr. 2
A-1031 Vienna
AUSTRIA

phone: -43-1-71100-4458
fax: -43-1-7122331

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