Over the past sixty years most plutonium isotopes (Pu-238 thru Pu-244) have been produced in gram to metric ton quantities at the Savannah River Site. Their isotopic compositions include, Pu-239+240 for weapons grade material, Pu-238 for heat sources (radioisotope thermoelectric generators for NASA's deep-space probes), Pu-242 as an intermediate for the production of heavier actinides (curium to californium) and Pu-244 for use as a standard reference material for nuclear analysis and in nuclear fuel tagging.  Traces of these isotopes have been routinely monitored in the vicinity of the low-level, radio-analytical facilities of the Savannah River National Laboratory. Airborne and solid environmental samples collected outside of the limited access, clean room type laboratories are concentrated and purified by radiochemistry and analyzed for plutonium isotopes by alpha spectrometry/thermal ionization mass spectrometry.  Current measurements of these isotopes at femtocurie/femtogram levels consistently show signatures of the former/current production processes.

Plutonium isotopes in the Savannah River Laboratory environment

244th National Meeting (2012)

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