DEVELOPING HISTORICAL FOOD-PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION DATA FOR I-131 DOSE ESTIMATES - THE HANFORD EXPERIENCE

This paper describes the methods used to reconstruct the movement of c ommercial foods in and through the study area of the Hanford Environme ntal Dose Reconstruction Project. The most dose-relevant radionuclide released from Hanford separations plants was I-131 via the atmospheric pathway, As a result of atmospheric deposition of I-131, commercial f ood supplies may have been contaminated. Because the half-life of I-13 1 is relatively short, foods consumed soon after production, such as m ilk and produce, presented the highest risk. For that reason, this pap er deals primarily with the reconstruction of milk and produce product ion, marketing, and consumption from 1945-1951, the period with the hi ghest known I-131 releases. The reconstructed food production and cons umption information was used as input to radiation dose estimates for representative individuals and as default values for real individuals who may not remember where they obtained food or how much they consume d during that period, Specific methods for tracing the movement of com mercial milk and produce back from the point of human consumption, thr ough commercial markets, to original production are presented, Results include the characteristics of food consumption exhibited by represen tative individuals, examples of commercial milk and produce market str uctures, and a review of commercial milk production and processing pra ctices from 1945-1951.