Contamination of surface-water bodies after reactor accidents by the erosion of atmospherically deposited radionuclides.

Reactor safety analyses usually do not consider the population risk which might result from the contamination of surface-water bodies after reactor accidents by the erosion of atmospherically deposited radionuclides. This paper is intended to provide perspective on the reasonableness of this omission. Data are presented which are suggestive of the rates at which atmospherically deposited radionuclides might erode into surface-water bodies. These rates are used in the calculation of potential health effects resulting from surface-water contamination due to such erosion. These health effects are compared with predicted health effects due to atmospheric and terrestrial pathways after reactor accidents. The presented results support the belief that the contamination of surface-water bodies after reactor accidents by the erosion of atmospherically deposited radionuclides is not a major contributor to the risk associated with such accidents.