Bioavailability studies in support of rational decision making for short- and long-term stewardship

This project applies the rapid analytical methods developed and validated in year 1 of CRESP 2 to measure bioacessibilty in soil and fish to radiological and mercury exposure, and develops mathematical models for estimation of resultant doses. The rapid analytical methods developed and validated in year 1 to measure bioacessibilty in soil and fish is applied to radiological and mercury exposure and dose estimation. "Radionuclide laden" soils previously collected at Savannah River Site and fish samples collected by the ecological center at Savannah River are analyzed for radionuclides and mercury respectively. During year 2 we began the process of expanding these efforts to other sites of concern to DOE for incidental soil ingestion or fish consumption. The goal is to establish more realistic exposure and dose estimates for these contaminants for risk assessments. The project also provides analytical support on alpha, beta and gamma radionuclides analyses for the Centers on Ecology and Remediation. The data obtained are used to support the modeling and analysis efforts that are also part of the Center of Expertise on Exposure Assessment.