The effects of variations in the average soil concentration (C_) are
easily seen from the equations.
Both A_ and H_ are directly proportional
to C_

and,

therefore,

the 239py burdens” and

the corresponding radiation

doserates for lungs and bone are also directly proportional to C
This relationship was recognized in previous studies (Martin and Hloom,
1976; 1977) and was used to normalize all calculations to 1 pCi/g soil
and to determine an acceptable soil concentration at NTS.
Since Cy can
have values which range over several orders of magnitude, the estimated
radiation dose rates to lungs and bone can also range over several
orders of magnitude.
The nominal value of the mass loading factor used previously (Martin and
Bloom, 1976; 1977) is 100 ug/m3.
Measured air concentrations of *39Pu
at NTS are in good agreement with predictions based on this value
(Anspaugh et al., 1975).
However, this parameter can also range over
several orders of magnitude and

the inhalation rate

(A_)

is directly

proportional to L_..
Variations in L_ can also affect
but the effects
may be smaller and less obvious.
Also, since inhalation is far more
significant than ingestion in transporting 2339pu to bone and is the
exclusive mechanism for transport to lungs, the range of variation in
dose rate to the lungs is directly proportional to the range in L
values, and the rate to bone is also directly proportional for alt
practical purposes.
It is much more difficult to visualize from the equations the effects of
variations in the fractions and half-times involved in the lung model as
well as the ingestion to inhalation ratio.
Table 3 shows the equilibrium
lung burden of 239py due to a chronic inhalation of 1 pCi/day as a
function of particle size and translocation class.
The dose rate to
lungs is directly proportional to the burden.
These data are plotted in
Figure 5.
The data show that the burden decreases with increasing
particle size, within the range of respirable particle sizes.
For a
given translocation class, the maximum variation is about a factor of
five to six.
There is a much larger variation from one translocation

class to another with the year class (insoluble, immobile particles)

being about 600 to 700 times greater than the corresponding particles in

the day class (soluble, mobile particles).

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