Re: Naturally occurring Pu-244

["Duane Schmidt" <DWS2@NRC.GOV>]

Phil,



This may not be much help, but maybe $0.01 worth:



Holleman JW, PA Quiggins, BD Chilton, MS Uziel, HA Pfuderer, and JA Longmire. March 1987. Worldwide Fallout of Plutonium from Nuclear Weapons Tests. Rep. ORNL-6315. Oak Ridge National Laboratory.



This report focuses on fallout and deposition of Pu-238 and Pu-239,240. It does have a very brief discussion of the composition of fallout, which does NOT specifically mention Pu-244. It does indicate that "...No transuranics above 246Cm were identified in reactor material. However, transuranics from 242Pu to 255Es have been identified in bomb debris at levels of 10-3 to 10-8 [i.e., E-3 to E-8] relative to 239Pu as 1."



This would seem to say that there could be some Pu-244 from weapons testing fallout, but that the levels would be quite small. And smaller now with a few half-lives of decay.



Good luck.



Duane.



Duane Schmidt

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Division of Waste Management

Decommissioning Branch

dws2@nrc.gov 





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 16:59:44 -0600

From: "Philip Egidi" <phil.egidi@state.co.us>

Subject: Naturally occurring Pu-244



RADSTERS,

I have a time critical response to put out to a member of the public

about naturally occurring Pu-244.

I have looked at NCRP 94, Kocher, UNSCEAR, Eisenbud/Gessell, Schlien,

and the prestigious Google.  I don't have a whole lot to show for it

yet.

Does anyone have (preferable electronic) any papers or references on

the occurrence and properties of naturally occurring Pu-244?



Thanks,

Phil Egidi

phil.egidi@state.co.us 





************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/