RE: Cs-137 in soil

[Shonka Research Associates Inc <sra@crl.com>]

Andy Hull at BNL headed a task force to determine the source of Cs-137 on
site following an ARAC survey of the site in the late 70's. 
 While the source was contaminated soil from BGRR days, early attempts to
explain it emphasized Cs-137 from fallout.  Andy is a great resource if
you can reach him (by phone).  If you cannot reach Andy Hull, call Bob
Miltenberger (also at BNL).  Any of the ARAC surveys might be another way
to get Cs-137 easily.  Also, Stew Farber while at Yankee Labs studied
fallout Cs-137 in order to determine the levels of Cs-137 in trees and
fireplace ash from woodburning in the Northeast.  I assume that EML did
not respond to your questions, if not, EML is another storehouse of data. 
Tom Gesell (U of Idaho Pocatello) co-authored the last revision of
Environmental Radioactivity, Unlike strontium (which moves at about a foot
per year in many soils), Cesium stays bound up in the organic matter and
migrates about an inch per year in soil, therefore, the dominant Cs-137
source term for CONUS is fallout.  In some areas of the country, the NTS
dose reconstruction could be used to predict the Cs-137. 

Joe Shonka