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17

Precipitation data from the Quarterly Health Physics Reports of
Atomic Energy of Canada, Limited.

|

,

The source of the elevated tritium in this table is the thermonuclear

_ testing carried out from 1952 through 1961.

Tritium from the more recent

thermonuclear tests has not yet appeared in precipitation samples.
There is some variation in the excretion pattern of tritium with age
following a single exposure.

This has no effect in the case cf continuous

exposure from the environment and the body burdens reflect the amount of

.

body water times the concentration in the environment.
The geographical pattern of tritium in precipitation in the United
States is available for 1963.

The data are shown in the following table.

Tritium in Precipitation-United States, 1963 Average

(U. S. Geological Survey Data)

~

Palmer, Alaska
Menlo Park, Calif. Salt Lake City

2950 Tritium Units
480
.
3670

Albuquerque

1870

Denver

Lincoln, Neb.

Madison, Wis.
Bismark

St. Louis

Baton Rouge

Boston
Washington

Ocala, Fla.

San Juan

3110

2280

2510
4370

1560

830

1410
1130

620

ako

Data from Stewart and Hoffman, Geological Survey Circular: 520 (1966)

Carbon-14

(Natural and Man-made)

Carbon-1h is produced in the atmosphere by cosmic-ray bombardment.

The

isotope has a long half-life (over 5000 years) and is mixed uniformly with
the carbon compounds of living matter to give an activity of about 6 pCci/gren

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