ML023230519

DNMS Division Meeting October 24, 2002

ML023230519
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	10/24/2002
From:	Division of Nuclear Materials Safety III
To:
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Download: ML023230519 (5)

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DNMS DIVISION MEETING October 24, 2002 Jim Lynch opened the meeting as the Bruce Jorgensen Memorial Division Meeting Thanks to Bruce for his many contributions to our Division.

KI Training

• Ken Riemer discussed the NRCs use of Potassium Iodide (KI). Final guidance will be due out soon. For questions regarding this information please contact Ken at ext. 9757.

Divisional Items of Interest

• Marc Dapas commented on appraisal inputs. The inputs are high quality, and Marc commented on the fact that we really accomplished a lot in FY02 in this division.

• An assessment by NMSS of how the Davis-Besse Lessons Learned findings apply to the materials arena was discussed. Bottom line: Opportunities for program enhancements but no immediate changes to how materials inspection and licensing programs are conducted.

• VA Master Materials License was discussed. See below for discussion.

• St. Joseph Mercy Hospital was discussed. On July 1, 2002, licensee staff administered a 285 millicurie dosage of sodium iodide iodine-131 to a patient who could not be released in accordance with 10 CFR 35.75. Between July 2 and 5, licensee patient care staff and the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) frequently observed the patients adult daughter next to the bedside and directed her back to the opposite side of the bed where shields had been installed. Interview of the daughter indicated that she was at the unshielded side of the bed for approximately 12 hours1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> each day between July 2 and 5, 2002. On July 5, the patients condition worsened. From approximately 5 p.m. on July 5 until the patients death at 11:30 a.m. on July 7, 2002, the daughter remained at the unshielded bedside for all but 3.5 hours5.787037e-5 days <br />0.00139 hours <br />8.267196e-6 weeks <br />1.9025e-6 months <br />. The inspectors calculated that the exposure to the daughter was approximately 15 rem total effective dose equivalent.

• Our IMPEP program review is set for March 2003. The Government Accounting Office (GAO) will be with the IMPEP review team as part of an assessment of nuclear materials security that GAO is performing for Congress.

Awards

• Bruce Jorgensen received an Instant Cash Award for his contributions on American Radiolabled Chemicals (ARC).

Training completed

• Introductory Health Physics - Sarah Bakhsh, Amber Morrell

• Conducting Inspection - Rich Berg, Amber Morrell, Mina Sheikh.

• Introduction to Health Physics - Mina Sheikh

• Expectations for Inspector - Richard Berg, Eugene Bonano, Magdalena Dziedzic, Amber Morrell, Mina Sheikh, Geoffrey Warren

• Inspecting for Performance (Materials Version) - Geoffrey Warren

• Safety Aspects of Industrial Radiography - Geoffrey Warren

• Transportation of Radioactive Materials - Mina Sheikh, Geoffrey Warren, Rich Berg

• Fuel Cycle Processes Directed Self-Study - Richard Berg, Mina Sheikh, Amber Morrell

• Environmental Monitoring for Radioactivity - Richard Berg, Tony Go, James Mullauer

• Root Cause/Incident Investigation Workshop - Richard Berg, Mina Sheikh ARC Lessons Learned

• Bruce Jorgensen presented lessons learned from our inspections at American Radiolabled Chemicals. Trying to help the licensee, we made comments regarding air effluents which the licensee took to heart resulting in deforestation of their property.

The basic message was that, in the future, we should not do the licensees work for them.

Decommissioning Branch

• Peter Lee has been a member of the Special Inspection Team sent to Davis-Besse to follow up on worker over-exposures. The ballpark preliminary figures for the highest doses to workers are 80 rem to the bone and 5 rem to the whole body, as calculated by NRC Staff and confirmed by Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Engineering (ORISE).

We are still waiting for more bioassay results.

• The Battelle Columbus Labs Decommissioning Project is getting ready to ship transuranic waste to Idaho. We will be sending an inspector to ensure this shipment is safely loaded.

• We have a number of license amendments in process for the Westinghouse-Hematite facility as they transition to various cleanup activities including digging up the burial pits on site. They have provided $70,000 seed money to investigate bringing public water to the houses in the vicinity of the site. This action will make it quicker to get houses connected if the decision is made that public water is the right solution to the water contamination problem in the area.

• Mike LaFranzo completed an inspection of a residence in Michigan. The individual was crushing and mixing uranium rocks for an experiment. The area was not contaminated, and results of a Technical Assistance Request (TAR) panel indicated the material should be treated as 10 CFR 40.22 (small quantity - generally licensed) material.

• The initial Big Rock Point Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) spent fuel loading campaign is very close. The licensee dry runs are taking place now, and fuel loading is expected to begin within 2 weeks.

Fuel Cycle Branch

• Portsmouth continues to process UF6 (uranium hexafluoride) through the autoclave system to remove technicum-99 contamination. The process will continue for the next 12 months.

• Bruce Bartlett, Paducah SRI, has been detailed to lead an inspection team at Davis-Besse. For the past 6 weeks substantial support to the regions Davis-Besse 0350 review panel has been provided by Bruce.

• The Fuel Cycle Branch completed its last fuel fabrication inspection at Westinghouse-Hematite. The Decommissioning Branch will assume lead for all future inspection activities.

• The Honeywell uranium conversion facility has implemented all of the requirements in the NRC order. This past month, DRS completed a security inspection of Honeywells compliance with the order.

Materials Inspection Branch

• Branch staff had identified that American Radiolabeled Chemicals (ARC), St. Louis, MO, had unknowingly disposed of tritium and carbon-14 liquid wastes to a septic tank from January 2000 until July 2002. Because of the nature of the septic tank, we suspect sub-surface environmental contamination, and are still evaluating its extent. There is also a shallow water table underneath ARC's property that has also become contaminated, and we are reviewing its impact/significance as well.

• The Division just issued pre-decisional enforcement conference invitations to a radiography licensee (Magna Check, Warren, MI) for deliberate violations of the radiographer certification requirement in Part 34. Apparently, the licensee employed an assistant radiation safety officer, who conducted radiographic operations and registered for, but failed to take the radiographer certification exam several times over the last few years. We are pursuing enforcement against the licensee and the assistant radiation safety officer.

Materials Licensing Branch.

• Part 35 Workshop - A complete success. Kudos to Patty and others. The Workshop provided information and guidance to the licensed community (approximately 200 individuals attended) in order to facilitate the implementation of the new 10 CFR Part 35 regulation.

Site Visits:

• Central Pharmacy Services, Inc, Joplin Missouri - Reviewers visited a new pharmacy to review its facilities and equipment prior to license issuance.

• Central Pharmacy Services, Inc., Indianapolis, IN. A reviewer visited a new pharmacy location to ensure proper facilities and equipment prior to issuing the amendment.

• RSO initiative - The QA/QC panel review indicated receipt of 26 RSO amendments in September. All 26 proposed RSOs were called and the calls documented to assure that new RSOs agreed to be an RSO and were aware of their responsibilities.

• Hutzel Hospital - An emergency request for use of iodine-125 eye plaques was received and handled in an expeditious manner. Hutzel Hospital had terminated its license recently without realizing that its oncology staff required a license to perform therapy treatments. The treatments are now being performed at an affiliate licensed hospital.

• VA MML - The Commission approved our recommendation to issue the MML license in one phase with increased oversight for 2 years post-licensing. Region III will coordinate these activities.

State of the States

• Wisconsin is right on target to become an Agreement State in July 2003.

• Minnesota is not on track. The review of their draft Agreement State application identified significant issues with State statutes needed for the Agreement. The State feels confident that their August 2003 drop-dead date for the Agreement will be waived, allowing them to delay the process by a few months.

DOCUMENT NAME: October 24.wpd To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box: "C" = Copy without attachment/enclosure "E" = Copy with attachment/enclosure "N" = No copy OFFICE RIII RIII RIII RIII NAME Hiland

• Lynch (jsc)

• Dapas DATE 11/19/02 11/19/02 11/19/02 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY