Date of Award

3-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Engineering Physics

First Advisor

Abigail A. Bickley, PhD

Abstract

The release of plutonium and other actinides into the environment following a nuclear detonation or accident, poses a health risk to biological systems. The spread, or transportation of that plutonium and its daughter products through environmental and meteorological means increases the potential affect and inherent danger within the surrounding area. In the 1960’s, a study was conducted in a joint effort by the US and Great Britain to collect information regarding the spread of plutonium released into the environment through a sub-critical detonation. Soil samples from these tests were collected by the USAF in 2015, approximately 50 years after these tests occurred. In this research effort, one of these soil samples collected from ground zero was opened and separated into smaller sub samples of discrete particle size distributions. These sub samples were then exposed to a digital auto-radiography film to identify the areas where the radioactivity was located. From there a gunshot residue stub was used to collect the activity bearing soil where it would then undergo a one minute scalar test to obtain a counts per minute value of alpha/beta/gamma counts. The samples that returned a higher cpm than the background were prioritized for elemental analysis through micro x-ray fluorescence. The elemental composition of the activity bearing soil confirmed the presence of uranium, plutonium, and americium in single particles in the size range of 424-300um, 299-250um, 249-125um, and ≤ 125um, revealing that there is still an inherent health risk to biological systems associated with the soil at this testing location.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENP-MS-24-M-054

Comments

An embargo was observed for posting this thesis.

The document is Distribution A: Approved for public release, Distribution Unlimited. PA Case number 88ABW-2024-0388

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