ML19319A618
| ML19319A618 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 09/07/1979 |
| From: | Liza Cunningham, Higginbotham L NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PNO-79-401, NUDOCS 7910110663 | |
| Download: ML19319A618 (2) | |
Text
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PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION Septembei 7,1979 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-79-401 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of an event of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance.
The information presented is as initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff on this date.
Facility:
Metropolitan Edison Company Three Mile Island, Units 1 and 2 Middletown, Pennsylvania Docket Numbers 50-289/320
Subject:
RADI0 ACTIVE CONTAMINATION OF CONTRACTOR LABORATORY PERSONNEL On September 5,1979, at approximately 3:00 p.m., six individuals working in. a contractor laboratory trailer near the South gate were found to have contamination on their clothing after performing measurements on a filter pad containing a small quantity of primary coolant.
The maximum contamination was 50,000 dpm on the shirts of two individuals.
Three of the individuals were also found to have skin contamination on the hands, with a maximum of 6,000 dpm on the right hand of one individual. A contaminatiog survey of the laboratory showed contamination levels of up to 60,000 dpm/100 cm on one table top.
All individuals were prcmptly decontaminated by washing their hands and the contaminated clothing collected for cleaning.
The laboratory and analytical equipment have also been decontaminated.
In addition to the six individuals above, five other persons were present in the laboratory but did not show evidence of contamination of the skin or clothing.
However, at approximately 10:30 a.m. on September 6,1979, one of the five indiv-iduals was resurveyed by a member of the TMI Health Physics staff and was found to have maximum contamination of 11,000 dpm on his trousers and 1100 dpm on his shirt.
A survey of his automobile and motel room showed no evidence of contam-ination.
All eleven individuals are to receive whole body counts and submit urine specimens for bioassay.
The NRC Resident Office staff is following up on the decontamina-tion of the laboratory and evaluation of these individuals.
An NRC Resident Office on-site inspector became aware of this event at approx-imately 6:15 p.m. on September 5,1979.
Media interest is expected because of the public sensitivity to activities at Three Mile Island.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was informed at 9:15 a.m.
on September 7,1979.
A press release is planned by the licensee.
s NRC, Region I, (Philadelphia) received notification of this occurrence by tele-phone from the NRC Resident Office at 4:00 p.m. on September 6,1979.
PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION CONTINUE 0 7910110 6 6 3 g
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J PNO-79-401 (Centinued)
, September 7, 1979 Page 2 of 2
Contact:
L. J. Cunningham, IE x28188; L. B. Higginbotham, IE x28454 Distribution:
Transmitted H St Chairman Hendrie Commissioner Bradford S. J. Chilk, SECY Commissioner Kennedy Commissioner Ahearne C. C. Kammerer, CA Commissioner Gilinsky ACRS (For Distribution)
Transmitted:
HNBB P. Bldg 1 t*.0:5' V. Stello, IE L. V. Gossick, ED0 H. R. Denton, NRR Region ;2;_
H. L. Ornstein, EDO R. C. DeYoung, NRR J. J. Fouchard, PA R. J. Mattson, NRR Landow N. M. Haller, MPA D. Vassallo, NRR J. J. Cummings, OIA R. G. Ryan, OSP D. Eisenhut, NRR H. K. Shepar, ELD SS Bldg (MAIL)
W. J. Di'rcks, NMSS R. Minogue, SD S. Levine, RES PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION
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