Radionuclides in Small Mammals Collected at the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility during 2001-- 2003

Rodents are effective indicators of environmental contamination and the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility Mitigation Action Plan specifies the (radionuclide) comparison of small mammals to baseline levels to determine if there are any impacts as a result of operations. Consequently, samples of (whole body) field mice (Peromyscus spp.) were collected from within the grounds of the DARHT facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Technical Area 15, from 2001 through 2003. Samples were analyzed for {sup 3}H, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 90}Sr, {sup 241}Am, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239,240}Pu, {sup 234}U, {sup 235}U, and {sup 238}U. Results, which represent three years since the start of operations in 2000, were compared with baseline statistical reference level (BSRL) data established over a four-year-long preoperational period. Most radionuclides in mice were either at nondetectable levels or within BSRLs. The few radionuclides that were above BSRLs included U isotopes; and the ratios of some samples indicated depleted U sources. Although the amounts of U in some samples were just above BSRLs, and since depleted U is less soluble and less toxic (chemical and radioactive) than naturally occurring U, the very small levels in the mice collected around the DARHT facility grounds are unlikely to pose a threat to predators that feed upon them