Abstract

The doses to adults in Palomares resulting from an aviation accident in 1966 are reappraised. For this purpose, site- and material-specific data on airborne contamination and the absorption biokinetics of 239Pu in animals are used in conjunction with recent ICRP biokinetic models. The committed effective doses for members of the public ranging from 0.037 to 0.21 mSv depending on different work practices are well below the limit of 1 mSv.y-1 currently recommended by ICRP. The predicted urinary excretion rates of 239Pu show that fission track or mass spectrometry techniques must be used for bioassay for cases of low chronic intake.

This content is only available as a PDF.
You do not currently have access to this article.