Oxidation and dispersion of HT in the environment: the August 1986 field experiment at Chalk River.

The short-range environmental dispersion and oxidation of a release of tritiated hydrogen (HT) to the atmosphere has been studied in a field experiment. Emphasis was placed on the processes leading to the appearance of tritiated water (HTO) vapor in the atmosphere because HTO is much more radiotoxic than HT. The following conclusions were reached: No evidence was found for the rapid conversion of HT to HTO in the atmosphere; HTO observed in air, during and after the release, arose mainly from HT oxidation in the soil followed by emission of HTO; HT deposition velocities to soil ranged from 0.041 cm s-1 to 0.13 cm s-1, consistent with previous chamber measurements; the rate of HTO loss from soil, averaged over 21 d, was less than 1% h-1; and HTO concentrations in vegetation water initially increased with time after the release, then by 48 h decreased exponentially at a rate similar to soils.