ML19221A605
| ML19221A605 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/15/1979 |
| From: | Knighton G Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Grimes B, Purple R Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, NRC OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7905230326 | |
| Download: ML19221A605 (4) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
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WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
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I 5 7979 MEMORANDUM FOR:
B. Grimes, Assistant Director for Engineering and Projects, D0R,
R. Purple, Assistant Director for Radiological Health and Safeguards Standards, OSD FROM:
G. Knighton, Chief, Environmental Evaluation Branch, D0R
SUBJECT:
SITE VIM i TO 'dREL MILE ISLAND TO DISCUSS PLANS FOR MONITORING WORKER EXPOSURE On May 4,1979, the staff met with TMI personnel and their contractors at the Observation Center at Three Mile Island to discuss TMI's program for monitoring and recording worker exposure to radiation at the TMI plant.
The objective of the meeting was to establish a staff information base so that they could respond to the request of Mr. Califano (HEW) to Chairman Hendrie (see letter Califano to Hentie dated April 14,1979) with respect to providing information to NIOSH on worker exposures during the TMI clean-up.
Those present at the meeting were as follows:
NRC TMI George Knighton - D0R Don Ruppert - Met. Ed.
S. Block - DOR Tom Peterson - Electric Boat M. Parsont - OSD Ernie Murri - NUS J. Nehemias - DSE Dave Limroth - Met. Ed.
R. Bores - IE J. Stohr - IE G. Knighton opened the meeting and introduced the objectives of the staff visit.
It was suggested that the meeting format follow along the lines of questions from the staff to be answered by TMI personnel. The following is a summary of the exchange that followed.
- 1) With respect to the workers who are monitored for radiation exposure, all personnel working at TMI wear TLD-100 (reatural LiF) dosimeters supplied by Harshaw.
TMI processes these personnel dosimeters.
The Harshaw TLD read-out system they use provides dose equivalent exposures from low energy gammas (for skin dose) as welI as penetrating ganma radiation.
They stated that NRC personnel had checked out their system and found ii. to be satisfactory. At present the personnel monitors are read occ.
monthly with the dose being recorded on a computer tape based on NRC Form 5 information.
Read-out data includes name, social security number and job type.
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Contact:
S. Block, EEB/00R 28066 r-
B. Grimes m y y 3 ;g7g R. Purple 2)
In addition to the above, pocket chanbers (of various commercial mix) are worn by personnel entering radiation areas. The indicated dose from the pocket chanber is integrated so that the dose for each worker can be fol-lowed on a daily (or individual job) basis to assure that he does not ex-ceed plant specified exposure limits. After each use, the dose from the pocket chanter is recorded on tM individual's dose record card. These cards are discarded whenever the TLD's exposures are recorded.
If a pocket chanber (0 - 200 mR) goes off scale, or if the daily pocket cham-ber integrated dose exceeds 1000 mR, the individual's TLD is inmediately read out.
If the pocket chamber and TLD's do not reasonably agree, the exposure is investigated.
3)
Radiation Work Pern'its (RWP's) are also computerized with all names, jobs, places and exposures recorded.
There have been 4000 workers involved, 500 of which are TMI workers.
Each contractor b=s a code number assigned him to identify the exposure received by his p,le as a separate group.
- 4) All of the above informatio i could be available to NRC and be supplied, even on a daily basis, if requested.
5)
In our discussions on internal dosimetry, the licensee whole-body counts all RWP trained personnel (including contractors and visitors) prior to their initial entry into an RWP area to establish a base line count. Addi-tional whole body counts are taken whenever a rose swab shows any activity, or when exposure 2 40 MPC hours are received, or when people terminate their job. All personnel wear respiratory protection if any airborne radio-activity is detected. The licensee uses Scott air packs or hoods for many operations involving airborne radioactivity.
- 6) At present, and in accordance with the regulations, the licensee does not add internal and external doses.
- 7) The whole body count data, taken by Helgeson Nuclear Service and Radiation Management Corporation (RMC), have not been put on computer tape at present although the first report is in from these contractors. The licensee plans to have this data on tape as soon as possible. They can supply relevant in-formation on whole body counting techniques and procedures from both contrac-tors, if necessary, for staff review. They can also provide criteria for selection of personnel for counting and those who are counted.
- 8) Twenty TMI people were selected for a urinanalysis bioassay for tritium and Iodine soon after the accident. The analysis was performed by RMC.
Final assay results have not been officially releaseu by RMC although preliminary indications are that no significant burdens of these radionuclides have been fo und.
MS 307
B. Grimes MAy 3 1979 R. Purple 9) Although a discussion was held on the issue raised by the Califano letter,
" monitoring of general environmental radiation levels on site," at this time there is an element of doubt as to whether or not the " environmental" concern is monitoring worker exposure inside or outside the plant.
If the HEW concern is exposure outside the plant, then Teledyne and RMC provide TLD monitoring service to this end.
- 10) A discussion was held on the preparation of an ALARA program for occupa-tional exposure durirsg the TMI clean-up.
TMI personnel explained that a detailed report on their clean-up procedures would be very costly and they presently have no plans for providing an ALARA program report to NRC for NRC's review. All clean-up procedures are being reviewed by a TMI ALARA engineering group for approval. These are presently available to NRC for review on site.
11)
Some discussion was held on the Privacy Act with respect to supplying the names of occupaticnally exposed individuals to NIOSH. The licensee stated that he foresaw no difficuity in supplying this information to NRC but that NRC cannot release this information to any other person or government agency without permission of TMI and/or the individual involved. Getting individual data, by name, to NIOSH is a problem that legal staffs must resolve.
- 12) The licensee stated that Johns Hopkins is doing a study for DOE similar to that which NIOSH is planning on performing.
G. Knighton indicated that we appreciated the informal information exchange and that there would be a subsequent meeting with NIOSH to discuss their specific plans.
He also stated that we did not consider this informati3n exchange as con-taining eny licensee commitments to provide information to NRC.
Such commitments will only be considered when HEW (NIOSH) needs a e better defined.
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//l/fW(L G. Knighton, Chief Environmencal Evaluation Branch Division of Operating Reactors cc:
See page 4 165 308
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MAY 15 1979 B. Grimes R. Purple
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cc: Don Ruppert - f',et. Ed.
DISTRIBUTION:
Tom Peterson - Electric Boat Central Files Ernie ?!urri - fUS Dave Linmth - f'et. Ed.
EEB Reading G Knighton - D0R NRR Reading (P-428)
H. Denton
- . Block - DDR E. Case M. Parsont - OSD V. Stello J. Nebenias - DSE R. Borcs - IE R. Boyd R. Vollmer D. Stohr - IE J. Snfezck - IE Attorney, OELD f!RC PDR W. Kreger H. Silver Local PDR R. Arnold - flet. Ed.,
D. Mossburg TERA Vice President - Generation Region I - ISE EEB/Section B L. Barrett D. Vassallo 2
- [J fgo D. Eiser. hut R. Vollmer 1
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