Tritium occurs naturally and is produced anthropogenically. It exists as tritiated water, a radioactive form of water also known as tritium oxide or super-heavy water. Tritium is found globally in air, water sources, and oceans due to natural processes and human activities like nuclear weapons testing. While naturally occurring tritium concentrations are very low, anthropogenic sources from nuclear testing injected tritium into the stratosphere which then entered surface waters and oceans. Present day tritium levels vary by location, with higher concentrations in northern hemisphere waters and lower levels in the southern oceans. Tritium water has similar physical properties to ordinary water but can cause health effects if exposed including cancer and genetic defects.

1. Tritium In Water
By Laiba Sarwar

2. Tritium
Produced both as:
•Naturally
•Anthropogenic ally
Tritiated water:
•radioactive form of water
•tritium oxide,T2O or super-heavy
water

3. Tritium in water:
• naturally occurs in the air, rivers, lakes or the
sea.
• first tracer used extensively in oceanographic
studies
• Oxidizes into HTO

5. Natural tritium concentrations in water:
• tritium concentrations are reported as TU
• 10-18 tritium atoms per hydrogen atom.
• a tritium to hydrogen ratio [T]/[H] of 10-18

6. Anthropogenic tritium concentration in
water:
• A major part of the bomb tritium was injected
into the stratosphere.
• Transferred to the surface waters of the
oceans, the largest sink of tritium.
• tritium distribution is strongly asymmetric.

7. Present day tritium concentrations:
• 10 TU in continental precipitation.
• In the ocean the maximum tritium
concentrations observed in the northern
hemisphere surface water are of the order of
2 TU.
• tritium concentrations in Southern Ocean
surface waters are of the order of 0.15 TU.

8. Properties of tritium water:
• Color : Colorless liquid
• Boiling Point: 101.51 deg C
• Melting Point: 4.48 deg C
• Density: 1.2138 g/cu cm at 25 deg C
• Vapor Pressure: Liquid vapor pressure: 2.64
kPa at 25 deg C
• Heat of Vaporization: 45.81 J/mol K at 25 degC

9. Effects and Uses of
Tritium Water

10. Effects of
Tritium:
• Binds readily with
tissues
• Can cause:
• Cancer
• Genetic defects
• Reproductive
defects
• Developmental
abnormalities
• Decreased brain
weight

11. Duration:
Range from 10
days-10 years
Can become
chronic by
continuous
exposure

12. Uses:
• Used to measure
total volume of
water in body
• Amount of Tritium
water in urine =>
Amount of Tritium
water in body