Actinides in deer tissues at the rocky flats environmental technology site

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Wildlife Management

Background:

• Rocky Flats historically contaminated environmental media with actinides.
• Proposed compatible public use includes limited deer hunting at the future refuge.
• Actinide contamination requires assessment for wildlife and human health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure actinide concentrations in Rocky Flats deer tissues.
• To assess potential human health risks from consuming edible deer tissues.
• To inform wildlife management and public use decisions at Rocky Flats.

Main Methods:

• Harvested liver, muscle, lung, bone, and kidney tissues from 26 resident and 1 control deer.
• Measured concentrations of specific americium, plutonium, and uranium isotopes.
• Calculated human health risks based on detected actinide levels and established thresholds.

Main Results:

• Only 17 of over 450 actinide analyses exceeded method detection limits.
• Two analyses exceeded risk thresholds when analytical uncertainty was included.
• Maximum calculated human ingestion risk was 4.73 x 10(-6), within EPA acceptable range.

Conclusions:

• Actinide concentrations in edible deer tissues are very low.
• Human health risks from consuming Rocky Flats deer are minimal.
• Proposed hunting is likely compatible with wildlife refuge goals.