pendent on the type of soil, as shown in Table 4.
Residual gross
alpha activity in surface soil samples taken at Palomares by Spanish
authorities in September 1966, approximately 7 months after the
incident, ranged from 5.1 to 214 pCi/g.
Additional surface samples
taken in the same areas and analyzed by LASL for plutonium activitiy
had levels ranging from 0.05 to 2,130 pCi/g; areas 2-2 and 3-1 had
average plutonium levels of 134 and 156 pCi/g, respectively.
data are presented in Tables 1 and 5.
These
It should be noted that the
range of plutonium in surface soil in control areas at Palomares was
0.09-3.6 pCi/g.
These areas were selected to be free of plutonium
from the incident.
This range is comparable to that found at Rocky
Flats, viz. 0.05-3.0 pCi/g.
Air samplers to measure gross alpha activity in airborne particulates were set up in the three areas of initial highest deposition,
viz. 2-1, 2-2, and 3-2.
For these areas, the maximum gross alpha
activity for the period 6/66-5/67 ranged from 0.05 to 0.14 pCi/m?,
with an average of about 0.003 pCi/m>,
These Palomares levels may
be compared with background measurements made at Madrid during the
same period:
a maximum and average gross alpha activity level of
0.16 and 0.004 pCi/m? in air, respectively.
Again, assuming the
entire content of the sample to be plutonium, the averages for Palomares
and for Madrid would be on the order of 0.2 to 0.4% of the appropriate
pe