Tritium Concentrations in Air and in Urine of Workers Resulted from Tritium Handling

Abstract

Tritium content in air and urine of workers was measured during and after the handling of about 30Ci tritium.
Tritium content in environmental samples such as air and air-condensed water collected by a cold trap method was determined using a tritium monitor or a liquid scintillation counter. Internal radiation dose was estimated for workers by the analysis of their urine.
The tritium concentration in air was about 10^-9μCi/cm³ at the beginning of work, whereas the maximum value was observed during the working period as 2.6×10^-4μCi/cm³ in hood, 1.3×10-⁶μCi/cm³ in laboratory and 1.8×10^-7μCi/cm³ in corridor. The daily urinary excretion of tritium was represented approximately by a single exponential function with the effective half-lives of 14 days and 12 days for two workers, and their internal radiation dose was estimated as 12 mrem and 7.1 mrem respectively.