A Handbook of Decay Data for Application to Radiation Dosimetry and Radiological Assessments
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DOE/TIC- 1 1026 A Handbook of Decay Data for Application to Radiation Dosimetry and Radiological Assessments David C. Kocher Office of Scientific and Technical Information U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ABOUT THE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION . The Department of Energy’s Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) is carried out at many levels within the Depart- ment and by its contractor organizations. The Office of Scien- tific and Technical Information (OSTI) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, provides direction and leadership for STlP and serves as DOE’s national center for scientific and technical information manage- ment and dissemination. Both DOE-originated information and worldwide literature regarding advances in subjects of interest to DOE researchers are collected, processed, and disseminated through an energy information system maintained by OSTI. 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DOE/TIC-1 1026 (DE81002999) A Handbookof Decay Data for Application to Radiation Dosimetry and Radiological Assessments David C. Kocher Health and Safety Research Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory 1981 _. Published by Office of Scientific and Technical Information U. S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kocher, David C. Radioactive decay data tables. “DOE/TIC-11026” 1. Radioactive decay-Tables. I. Title. [ DNLM: 1. Radioactivity-Tables. WN 16 K76r] QC795.8.D4K62 539.7’5 81 -607800 ISBN 0-87079-124-9 AACR2 Available as DE81002999 National Technical Information Service U S. Department of Commerce 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161 DOE Distribution Category UC-41 Price Code: Paper Copy A1 1 Microfiche A01 Printed in the United States of America April 1981; latest printing November 1988 Radioactive Decay Data Tables This compilation of radioactive decay data culminates occupationally exposed individuals. Approximately 8 years of effort in the field of nuclear data 500 radionuclides are contained in the current data compilation and evaluation. During the first 4'/2 years base, and our recent experience suggests that almost of this time, I worked with the Nuclear Data Project all radionuclides of potential impact on the general in the Physics Division at Oak Ridge National public or occupationally exposed individuals have Laboratory (ORNL). The primary interest of this been included. The data for each radionuclide have group is the evaluation of a wide variety of nuclear been maintained on an up-to-date basis by examina- physics data to determine the structure and prop- tion of all recent experimental results published in erties of atomic nuclei, and its most visible contribu- the open literature and incorporation of these results tion to nuclear structure physics is the mass-chain into the data base whenever warranted. The data base evaluations published in the journal Nuclear Data takes into account all experimental results reported Sheets. to me prior to July 1, 1979. In 1976, I joined the Technology Assessments Several compilations of radioactive decay data Section of the Health and Safety Research Division at similar in some respects to this one have been ORNL. Since that time I have been concerned with published in recent years. Particularly noteworthy are the evaluation and compilation of radioactive decay the compilations by L. T. Dillman and F. C. data from the point of view of its application to Von der Lage, published in 1975 in Pamphlet No. 10 radiation dosimetry and radiological assessments. of the Medical Internal Radiation Dose Committee, Initially, I prepared a data base of evaluated decay and M. J. Martin of the Nuclear Data Project, data for 240 radionuclides of potential importance in published in 1978 in Report No. 58 of the National the nuclear fuel cycle. This data base was adopted for Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. use by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and The proliferation of published compilations contain- the data were published in August 1977 as the report ing data for large numbers of radionuclides is ORNL/NUREG/TM:102. testimony to the successful application of computers The radioactive decay _data tabulated in this to the processing of data bases of this type. handbook result from the continual expansion and In spite of the apparent similarities between the updating of the data base published in the afore- different compilations, there are some differences of mentioned report. In addition to the radionuclides of importance to potential users of the data. The most interest in the nuclear fuel cycle, the data base now obvious is the particular selection of radionuclides. comprises most of the nuclides occurring naturally in More subtle differences may result from the various the environment, those of current interest in nuclear methods used to select and evaluate data from the medicine and fusion reactor technology, and some literature and to prepare the data sets. It is worth (but hardly all!) additional radionuclides of interest emphasizing that there is a considerable degree of to Committee 2 of the International Commission on subjectivity in this process and two knowledgeable Radiological Protection for the estimation of annual compilers can therefore produce somewhat different limits of intake and derived air concentrations for decay schemes for a given radionuclide starting from iii the same data in the literature. We note, however, effort was required on my part to prepare many of that the differences would likely be within experi- the data sets in the proper format. In the meantime, mental uncertainties unless the decay scheme is however, ENSD F has been expanded to currently poorly determined from the data. include more than 1500 radioactive decay data sets. In the preparation of the decay data in this If a compiler were to begin now to assemble a handbook, the fundamental principle has been to compilation such as the one presented in this hand- critically evaluate the available data from all source! book, he or she would be able to rely almost in the open literature and attempt to construct the exclusively on data sets already contained in ENSDF, most accurate decay scheme consistent with the data and little additional effort in evaluating data and rather than simply to adopt a decay scheme proposed producing new data sets would be required. Thus it is by another compiler or experimenter without further my intention in the future to rely on ENSDF rather examination. The evaluation process is not always than continually updating a separate data base of my foolproof, however, since the compiler is occasionally own to provide additional radioactive decay data that faced with reconciling or choosing between disparate might be needed in the radiological assessment sets of data, and the choices made may not prove to activities of the Health and Safety Research Division. be correct. It is clear, therefore, that the biases of the It is worth noting that, with few exceptions, the compiler can play an important role in the process of decay data contained in this handbook are not likely selecting and evaluating data. It is hoped that my to change significantly over the next few years as the biases and data-evaluation philosophy have been result of new measurements. Most of the decay applied reasonably consistently to obtain the adopted schemes have been studied with reasonable care and data sets for all the radionuclides contained herein. accuracy, and only minor improvements in the data I cannot overemphasize the importance of the of little significance for radiological applications can contributions of the staff of the Nuclear Data Project be expected. Thus I anticipate that the data con- and other compilers who have published mass-chain tained in this handbook and in other recent compila- compilations in the journals Nuclear Data Sheets and tions can be used with confidence for a considerable Nuclear Physics to the successful completion of this period of time. work. I am particularly grateful to W. B. Ewbank, I would like to express my appreciation to G. G. director of the Nuclear Data Project, for his continual Killough, R. 0. Chester, P. S. Rohwer, and S. V. Kaye assistance and cooperation throughout this effort. of the Health and Safety Research Division at ORNL The Nuclear Data Project maintains a computer and to F. Swanberg, Jr., of the Division of Safe- file called the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File guards, Fuel Cycle, and Environmental Research at (ENSDF).