Key mechanisms for tritium transfer in the terrestrial environment

CEA, Cabinet du HC, CEA siège, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

Received: 8 October 2012
Accepted: 18 January 2013

Abstract

During an accidental release of tritium, mechanisms of hydrogen transfer from air to man are very numerous, dependent on multiple climate, physiological and biological parameters, and the kinetic is highly variable from one environmental compartment to another. To evaluate the impact of an acute tritium release requires either an overall assessment of the state of the environment during the release and the following hours from a number of restricted data, or the establishment of a significant data bank, a complex model and a system of data acquisition in real time whose potential for daily purposes is very hypothetical. To facilitate the first approach, this paper discusses the key elements of the mechanisms to guide the choice of parameters for a rapid assessment of the situation, and to clarify the types of measurements to carry out and their interpretation.