Abstract
To assess the health significance of fission products in the upper Great Lakes, we have reviewed available data from 1963 to 1980 on 90Sr, 125Sb, 137Cs, and 144Ce concentrations in the water, sediments, and biota of Lakes Superior and Huron. Activities in water and sediment were compared with predictions based on fallout deposition over the past 25 yr. Estimates have also been derived of the removal half-times of the various fission products from lake water. There are indications that 137Cs is re-entering water from sediment. The significance of the various pathways of fission products from the upper lakes system to man has been evaluated. The dose commitments from fission product concentrations over the past 25 yr give no basis for health concern. However, a large-scale release from a nuclear facility on the shore of a lake could have a measurable impact for many years to come.
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Tracy, B.L., Prantl, F.A. 25 years of fission product input to Lakes Superior and Huron. Water Air Soil Pollut 19, 15–27 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176792
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176792