Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Critical Evaluation Of The Double Tracks Remediation Project, Craig J. Barnes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) (now the U.S. Department of Energy), in testing the safety of nuclear weapons under many different conditions, detonated single plutonium bearing devices in such a fashion as to simulate an unintentional detonation of the high-explosive portion of nuclear weapons. This resulted in the uncontained spread of plutonium and other radionuclides, such as americium and depleted uranium, in the environment in the vicinity of these experiments. The Double Tracks site was one of these experiments on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) which was contaminated hi excess of 200 picocuries per gram (pCi/g). The Double Tracks …