Information Notice 1986-32, Request for Collection of Licensee Radioactivity Measurements Attributed to Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Accident

Request for Collection of Licensee Radioactivity Measurements Attributed to Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Accident

ML031250006
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, 05000000, Zimmer, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Skagit, Marble Hill
Issue date:	05/02/1986
From:	Jordan E NRC/IE
To:
References
IN-86-032, NUDOCS 8605020492
Download: ML031250006 (10)

5-o -- 30a;s

_ = __PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUESTED SSINS No.: 6835

, - _

IN 86-32 S'JCIC':-B

X

_ - C_ E

L UNITED STATES

UCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555

-:-

- .  ;. lMay 2, 1986 Action Cv: t IXASi

.;u_ .,&,z u z t scU

Due Dam:1 REQUEST FOR COLLECTION OF LICENSEE

6,IE INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 86-32: RADIOACTIVITY MEASUREMENTS ATTRIBUTED

LlV -.EL TO THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT ACCIDENT

Addressees

license (0L)

All nuclear power reactor facility licensees holding an operating

or construction permit (CP).

Purpose

of the recent

The purpose of this information notice is to update licensees

voluntary reporting of

Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident and to request caused by

data probably

any licensee environmental radioactivity measurement

that event.

programs, all nuclear power

In order to enhance the Federal and state monitoring programs are requested

reactor facilities with on-going environmental monitoring

anomalous environmental radioac- to consider the NRC request to report confirmed

radioactive material released in the

tivity measurements probably caused by

plant in the U.S.S.R. It is requested

accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power environmental

and provide the

that recipients review the attached information

data discussed herein.

Description of Circumstances

(EPA) concerning the

Information issued by the Environmental Protection Agency Attachments 1, 2 and 3.

recent reactor accident in Chernobyl, USSR is contained in

levels of radioactivity

In the week following the accident at Chernobyl, elevated European countries.

food in many

have been detected in air, rainwater, soil and include:

in these countries

The radionuclides that have been detected in air Although

and Nb-95.

1-131, Cs-137, Cs-134, Te-132, Ru-103, Mo-99, Np-239, into the continental

estimates of plume arrival time and location of entry

the plume may arrive in the

United States are highly uncertain at this time, Pacific Northwest United States during May 7-10, 1986.

Discussion:

Chernobyl accident may

It appears likely that radioactive material from the

that are readily detectable.

arrive within the continental U.S. in concentrations the EPA (and some

In order to enhance nationwide environmental surveillance, frequencies to be better

states) have increased the airborne monitoring sampling

supplement and reinforce

able to detect any traces of the plume. In order to

the NRC licensees [as

this state and federal nationwide surveillance program,

8605020492

IN 86-32 May'2; 1986 Page 2 of

A

part of their routine Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)) are requested to

voluntarily provide the following information:

1. Report to the NRC any anomalous environmental radiation or radioactivity

measurement that can be reasonably assumed to have resulted from the

Chernobyl accident. These confirmed measurement results from the

licensee's routine EMP should be telephonically reported to the NRC

Operations Center (301-951-0550) within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> of determining that

material from the accident has been measured. (Environment air sampling

probably is the most sensitive and thus most likely means of detecting

the airborne materials. Some other less-sensitive potential means of

detection may include personnel whole body counting equipment).

The reporting format should provide for:

1. Sample date(s) and approximate locations(s).

2. Medium or pathway (e.g., air particulate, air charcoal, milk).

3. Type of analysis (e.g., gross beta, iodine-131, other gamma emitter).

4. Statistical data (mean, range, number of samples).

Any data provided by NRC licensees will be shared with appropriate federal

agencies. The NRC as part a combined Interagency Task Force is providing daily

technical information reports to the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO).

This updated technical information is available to member utilities through INPO's

Nuclear Network system. Because the sensitivity and broad scope of existing

licensee programs, augmentation of the NRC licensee EMPs is not necessary.

Any anomalous detection of radioactive material should be evaluated in

accordance with facility license, technical specifications and applicable

regulations to assure that the detected materials are properly identified as

to source (e.g., either plant operations or the Chernobyl Event).

We appreciate your cooperation with us on this matter. If you have any

questions regarding this matter, please contact the Regional Administrator of

the appropriate NRC regional office, or this office.

ad o Direc

Di vsis /of Emergency Preparedness

and Engineering Response

Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Technical Contacts: James E. Wigginton, IE

(301) 492-4967 Roger L. Pedersen, IE

(301) 492-9425 Attachments:

1. EPA Task Force Report (May 1, 1986)

2. Talking Points (April 30, 1986)

3. Fact Sheet (May 2, 1986)

A. List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices

AVV

evil. v,60 ' b.,- ' Attacnment i

,EPA Soviet Nuclear

Accident'

YOR RELEASE: 2:00 P.M.$ THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1986 A Task Force Report

CONTACT

DAVE COHEN

(202) 382-4355 Protection Agency, which

On Tuesday. the Environmental network. increased

maintains the nation's radiation monitoring todally. Results

its sanpling frequency for airborne inr&.ioactivity

radioactivity above normal

obtained thus far show no increaseair monitoring network has also

background levels. The Canadian daily. Results there show no

increased its sampling frequency to

increase in radioactivity.

frown th initial

The air mass containing the radioactivity dispersed throughout

Chernobyl nuclear event is now widely Portl.ano nf radioactivity off

northern Europe and Polar regions. morning shoulI continue to

the northwest T3orwegian coast yesterday the east in the next several

disperse with possible novement toward air mass may move eastward

days. Other portions of the radioactive the Polar regions over the

through the Soviet Union and through

coning week.

snothered the fire. From

The Soviets have reported they have

the fire is out or not. We

our information.it is not clear whether damage at a second reactor, but

also cannot confirm neaw renorts of photos is not a reactor.

the second hot spot seen in the Lk4nSkT

provide technical

The U.S. Government has offered to with the accident.

to deal

assistance to the Soviet Government official from their

On Wednesday afternoon, a senior aSoviet note to the Department of

Embassy in Washincton delivered offer of assistance and

State exnressina appreciation for our is not needed.

stating that for the time being. assistance

At the present time, the 11.3. *,o',ernnent has no data on

at any location within

radiation levels or contaminationno levelsfirm information concerning

the Soviet Union. We also have accident.

the number of casualties from the

(more)

-2- The Department of State is not advising against travel to the

Soviet Union, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. As a *result of the

nuclear accident, the State Department has issued a travel advisory

recommending against travel to Kiev and adjacent areas. We are

largely dependent on the Soviets for information on conditions

within the USSR and we are doing everything possible to obtain

relevant information from Soviet authorities. Americans planning

travel to the Soviet Union and adjacent countries should carefully

monitor press reports on this rapidly changing situation to make as

fully Informed a decision as possible with respect to their travel

plans. They should bear in mind that many of these countries have

reported increased levels of radiation in the environment.

The State Department Office of Legislative Affairs has

commented that customary international law requires the Soviet

Union to notify other States/Countries of the possibility of

transboundary effects of the incident and to furnish then with

the information necessary to address those effects.

The White House has established an Interagency Task Force

to coordinate the Government's response to the nuclear reactor

accident in Chernobyl. The Task Force is under the direction

of Lee M. Thomas, Administrator of the Environmental Protection

Agency, with representatives from the White House, Department of

State, EPA, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Cctission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. Air Force, Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Federal

Emergency Management Agency, Department of Interior, Federal

Aviation Administration, the U.S. Public Health Service, and

other agencies.

I* .

_ _

Attachment 2 IN 86-32 May 2, 1986 TALKING POINTS

CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR1966. ACCIDENT

April 30.

26, a

April 25, or early Saturday. April

o Late Friday, facility

at the Chernobyl nuclear

serious accident occurredUnion. As a result of:an apparent

near Kiev in the Soviet the facility experienced a core

loss of reactor coolant, are

and fire. Causes of the accident

meltdown, explosion, not known.

of

and resulting fire released a plume

o The explosion So long as the

materials to the atmosphere. gases will be given

radioactive radioactive

reactor core. fire continues*

off.-

is a graphite-moderated, o The facility involved it is one of four

pressure-tube unit. only this one

boiling-water-cooled, To our knowledge.

such units at Chernobyl. *4, is involved in the

accident.

unit, known as Unit

plume traveled in a northwest directionmove in

o The initial now suggest it will background

Predictions normal

toward Scandanavia. Radiation levels above However, these

an eastward direction. in Scandanavian countries.

have been detected or the

no significant risk to human health

levels pose

environment.

technical

U.S. government has made an offer of was made

o The This good faith offer

assistance to the Soviets. and safety of the Soviet

for the health

out of genuine concern responded April 30 that no

government

people. The Soviet is needed.

foreign assistance

on the

requested specific information

o We have also

have not received a full response to

we the

accident. To date, is also a matter of great concern to

that request. This

United States.

of the Chernobyl

radiation plume emitted as a result Northern

o The the

over time throughoutcontamination will

accident will disperse some radioactive

iemisphere. Eventually, However, based on the limited that

reach the United States. have, there is no reason

to believe

risk

we now

information

this country will pose any significant

the accompanying

levels reaching see

the environment. Please

to human health or health effects for

basic information

fact sheet on radiation

on exposure.

v

-2- of

is very unlikely that any significant amounts

-It the

will reach the U.S. during .

radiation from the accident Protection Agency's

next few days. The EnvironmentalMonitoring.System - ERAlS - -

Radiation Ambient In

Environmental throughout the nationi.

is conducting daily sampling the system also monitors radiation

addition to ambient air, surface water, and milk.

levels in drinking water, House has established an interagency task

o The White consequences

to monitor the health, safety and environmental by Lee

force The task force is chaired

of the Chernobyl accident.the U.S. Environmental Protection

Thomas. Administrator of the following federal agencies:

Agency. Members represent USDA, DOD, DOT and others. On a

EPA, DOE, NRC, NOAA, HHS, compiles, evaluates, and

widely

daily basis, the task force information on the Chernobyl

distributes current technical and health consequences.

accident and its environmental

-

Attachment 3 IN 86-31

,May 2, 1986 Fact Sheet-Chernobyl

SOVtTV NUCLEAR

ACCIDENT

FOR RELEASE: 2:00 P.M., FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1986

CONTACT

DAVE COHEN (202) 382-4355 Radiation monitoring networks -inthe United States and

Canada are continuing to analyze for airborne radioactivity

daily. No increases in radioactivity above normal background

levels have been detected in either country. Canadian officials

intend to increase the sampling frequency of their milk

monitoring network, which consists of 16 stations near

population centers in southern Canada, to weekly beginning

next week.

It is believed that air containing radioactivity now covers

much of Europe and a large part of the Soviet Union. The distribu- tion of radioactivity is likely to be patchy. Air containing

radioactivity detected by aircraft at 5000 feet about 400 miles

west of northern Norway is believed to have moved westward and now

appears to be heading south or southeastward perhaps to return to

western Europe. There is no independent confirmation of the radio- activity in the air moving eastward across Asia.

(A weather map should be attached to today's Task Force Report.

If you do not have a copy, it can be picked up in the EPA press

office, room 311, West Tower, 401 M St., S.W. -(202) 382-4355.)

Environmental monitoring data have been provided by the Swedish

government for the Stockholm area for April 28-30. Extrapolations

of those data suggest that radiation exposure levels at the Chernobyl

site would-have been in a range from 20 rem to hundreds of rem

whole-body for the two-day period over which most of the radiation

release probably took place. Radiation doses for the thyroid gland

have been estimated to be in a range from 200 rem to thousands of rem

for the same period. These doses are sufficient to produce severe

physical trauma including death. It should be emphasized that these

are estimates subject to considerable uncertainty. The U.S. has

as yet no information from the Soviet Union as to actual radiation

levels experienced at the accident site.

-2-

¢-,The Soviets have reported they have smothered the fire. We

still cannot confirm that the reactor fire in unit 4 has been

extinguished. There is evidence that the reactor or associated

equipment continues to smolder. We also cannot confirm news

reports of damage at a second reactor, but the second hot spot

seen in the LANDSAT photos is not a reactor.

Based on the fact that no harmful levels of radioactivity are

expected to reach the continental United States, it is highly

unlikely that potassium iodide (KI) will be needed to minimize

the uptake of radioactive iodine from the Russian nuclear power

plant accident. KI, although relatively harmless, has been

associated with certain allergic reactions; thus, since the use

of KI is not without some risk to the population, the U.S. Public

Health Service recommends against taking KI as a precautionary

measure. Federal authorities do not believe there is any reason

for concern at this time about the safety of either our domestic

food or drug supplies. Nor should there be concern over imported

products already in the United States or on their way to the

United States at the time of the nuclear accident in the Soviet

Union.

The State Wartment is continuing efforts to obtain relevant

information fjv6m Soviet authorities on the nuclear accident and

the potent~il health dangers that might be posed to individuals

in the Soviet Union and adjacent countries. State has noted, for

example, recent statements issued by Polish authorities concerning

public health precautionary measures.

The State Department is seeking more information from all the

governments in the region. The U.S. is sending experts to

potentially affected areas for medical consultation and to provide

relevant expertise on which to make appropriate recommendations

with regard to the health of American citizens.

With the limited data at hand, the Departments of State and

Health and Human Services have issued an advisory against travel

to Kiev and adjacent areas. To minimize possible exposure to

radioactive contamination, we also suggest that those in Eastern

Europe avoid milk and other dairy products. In addition, State

is recommending that women of child-bearing age and children

should not travel to Poland until the situation is clarified.

The State Department is receiving reports from our European

embassies, based on their discussions with local officials, as to

the impact of the accident and local reactions to it. We are

still not receiving the necessary technical information from the

Soviets on the details of the accident.

-3-.

The White House has established an Interagency Task Force

to coordinate the Government's response to the nuclear reactor

accident in Chernobyl. The Task Force is under the direction

of Lee M. Thomas, Administrator of the Environmental Protection

Agency, with representatives from the White House, Department of

State, EPA, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Air Force, Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Fede al

Emergency Management Agency, Department of Interior, Federal

Aviation Administration, the U.S. Public Health Service, an

other agencies.

1. 1. #

PLEASE NOTE: THE EPA PRESS OFFICE WILL BE OPEN OVER THE WEEKEND

FOR UPDATING. HOURS WILL BE FROM lOam TO 2PM. 202-382-4355.

Attachment 4 IN 8.-31 .,

May 2, 1986 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

IE INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issue Issued to

86-31 Unauthnrizmd Trane4r -an r are

I. .

D/O/50 All power reactor

Loss of Control of

Industrial Nuclear Gauges facilities holding

an OL or a CP

86-30 Design Limitations of 4/29/86 All power reactor

Gaseous Effluent Monitoring

Systems facilities holding

an OL or a CP

86-29 Effects of Changing Valve 4/25/86 All power reactor

Motor-Operator Switch

Settings facilities holding

an OL or a CP

86-28

4/28/86

86-27 Access Control at Nuclear 4/21/86 All power reactor

Facilities

facilities holding

an OL or CP, research

and nonpower reactor

facilities, and fuel

fabrication & pro- cessing facilities

86-26 Potential Problems In 4/17/86 All power reactor

Generators Manufactured By

Electrical Products facilities holding

Incorporated an OL or CP

86-25 Traceability And Material 4/11/86 All power reactor

Control Of Material And

Equipment, Particularly facilities holding

an OL or CP

Fasteners

86-24 Respirator Users Notice: 4/11/86 All power reactor

Increased Inspection Frequency

For Certain Self-Contained facilities holding

Breathing Apparatus Air an OL or CP; research

and test reactor

Cylinders

facilities; fuel

cycle licensees and

Priority 1 material

licensees

86-23 Excessive Skin Exposures Due 4/9/86 All power reactor

To Contamination With Hot

facilities holding

Particles an OL or CP

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit