ML19326D914
| ML19326D914 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/11/1980 |
| From: | Hurst J AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| To: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19326D911 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8007250174 | |
| Download: ML19326D914 (4) | |
Text
..
I 617 Briarclif f Road tilddleto'a, PA 17057 April 11, 1980 Chitt.aan Jehn Aheatna (f. S. ti. 1:. C.
U n.hi.nytan, D. C.
20335 Ce ut u ton-r Ahearrm:
I h av., trad r;U*CG-0562 and analyced it as carefully as nef cap tbLli. ties pe-tit.
I ninot t.-chalcally oriental and, therafore, may fail to comprehend some of the matectat presented.
IIcwever, I am sure raost of the other residents of this area wha renpan.1 to this assessment wl.11 find the.,selves in the same uncomfortable po d tlon.
Threefar, the c,uestions I pose may seem trivial to the scientist, but they
- r. pc seat ny beat ef tert to b-tter und rstand the deconta tination of the reactor butIdtn.; atra.pher3 at TE Unit 02.
I wi.ll begin with sev-ral ccanents and follcw with my questions.
I hav-attended nererou ; r.eetings held by the IEC, Mzt Fd and the PA Department of t:nyt ren.2,ratal Resources to discuna the cleanup. Continuoua essuranc s that the proro,<d venting of the Kr-35 will hwe no adverse he >1th imp 3ct on th people hav-be-n made.
I asked Mr. Robert Arnold, senior vice-president of GEU, if 57,000 C L of Kc-dS had ever been vent 2d frca a facili.ty of any type that has in excess of 150,000 p. ople residing in e ten-:: tile radius? His answr vaa"no."
!!r. John Collins of the ?;EC has stated that a nuclo se plent routinely rele ssea 1.000 CL ot' radioactive gases per acnth. Hin point s2>ms to be that "we've b~n doloq Lt all alonc;, so why be so upset now?" trnen questioned furth-r about the rou t t n-r: Ir e.-s under normal operating conditions, Collinn st sted that Kr-S5 con-;tL tutt s approximatelv 50 Ci. of the 1,000 Ci/mcath. Therefore, normal oper,ticus re t c a:sc approntmately 6LJ Ci of Kr-3S/yaer, and th 57,000 Ci in the centainment hullding would equate to 95 years of routine rele-ises.
Depending upon the tic--
period chown for the venting - if venting is chos n - the people of this are t unutd be subjected to 95 years of Kr-85 exposure in eny.,here froa 5 to 60 days, or th:-reabout a.
Is this acceptable? What assurances can you gLva tae, based on caliceted h: ilth data over a peric41 of years, that even the routine releases froat nuclear om-r plants are safe? It see.ns to me that assumations are made about h ilth et fects b up-d on calculaticnu and mc*!els that very well may have no proven x preference in dete:-tininc.-
ba :.c 4 al acerntable rneasur-rents of health. impact.
F.v t
1 h.,- i l t h im.a ic t, o_f_ o..nera t._i.n_g nuc1m r po' ar plants is to deal in objec m t. Indecen-den t da t a..c.o l l ec.t..ed a n.1 an..a..l
.~d..ev. er.. a sub e t.a. n ti al ne rio.d o F. LTr5.~C....
a.se d. irec t 1
.-to t hi s typ. o f infacuativa no. that I c m :2-wh a t you u s in nf ur evaluatluns.,
!!y suspletons about the lack of hard data that should be the basi: Joe making a dee t :.t on of th t:. maga ttude are further ht.ighten ?d by the following statement everpt.-d f roai page 7-4 of ?;tr.CG-066?. It states, "/ mother objective of the p ea.J r.i:1 ullt he the dev loement of infor ution on the atmospheric transport of radlonuc t ld ". under well documented meteorological conditions in order to test anJ/ar villdate transnort models; and to deternine the adenuncv of models and--
a ::.u. int-Lo:e. used in current regulatory guides,- - -including an assessment of their marq tn oc con:,ervatism." Cmphants added) That statement means the nuclear industry han been operating on a lot of assumptions for a long time and now is an excellent opportuntty to see L f those assumptions have any relationship to reality.
/7 8007250
page 2
- nu eu.;hout t he long ci-anup of Three Itile Island, there will undoubtedly be inau.w rahle-occastons to carry.out unprecedented experir.entation. The temptation t. t ur-de tentist wllt be oven.heinting. Some of those experiments can probably be perfor ac.! wLth ilttle or no risk to the health and safety of area residents.
In the Kr-OS venting exp rtr t worth the riska? I think not!
An a rentd-nt of the ntr area, I continue to e:cperience, as do ry f'antLly, trlends and nelghbors, the psychological stress of the continuing accident.
~
Although this Ls generally perceived as intangible, and by come unmeasurchle, the prea<nce cannot be denied. I enclose a copy of an arLLcle from the Catholic u l,t ry n a, a wrckly paper in this area. The article was wri.tten by Pr. Tho.zas
_M. ILucy, Pastor of a Catholic Parish in Palmyra, PA, approrinately 15 ctiles f rw.i T:t r.
I tt-states, ".... the psycholcgical and c: ottonal state of many of us Ln at th, breaking point. This state is aggravat2d by the di.stlnct possibility th,t no one in charge really cares." He concludes by asking a questica, that I will a n_k o f you, "Who is mora.l._ly resconstble?"
a-My queattona with pag. references to the NU?ZG-0662.
- p. 1-4 In r-ference to f Lssica proJucts and particulatea.
How sure can ycu be that t h es e-othe: products will not be released? I reallne filtering will be den.,
- s '
but no f Llter is 10Cf. effective. Som of these particulates are apt to be v.ry dangerous isotopes,
- p. 4-2 In reactor coolant sampling considerably less effective than neutrcn flu:c twntters in provi. ding assurance that the core is not going critical? If this sampling provides adequate informati.on, does the licensee have a real necessity to repair or replace any of the damaged nuclear instruments?
I t: fans that maintain containment at negative pressur - stop operatlng, what 1Lk:lihcad is there of Kr-85 le &ing? Is it greatly increased since the pr-ssure wLthin containment will not increase that much?
- p. 4-?
The Kr-85 contributes appro:dmtely 755 of the total body ga:=a field on the operating floor. The Governor's Comission Report done by the state of PA states that the level of radiation above the water was 200 R per hour in October. How much work can be done inside containment even i f the Kr-85 is removed? Won' t maintenance and any further cleanup be serlously hampered by the 7 feet of water?
- p. 6-2
".... good dispersion due to high winds." What are high winds? How predLctable are winds?
- p. 6-3
.... the filters will be changed only once at the end of the purge opera-tLons."
Only once for the entire oporation?
- p. 6-4
" t h c-primary isotope.... teleased during a pug; operation would be Kr-85."
Whit. would the secondarv isotones be?
- p. 6-6
.... w.
assumed that 30 ttinutes were reqaired for the operator to d 2tect the leak and isolate the sys'
." In early Febnoty during sampli.ng of the containment alaosphere, the system ran for 18 hours2.083333e-4 days <br />0.005 hours <br />2.97619e-5 weeks <br />6.849e-6 months <br /> desptte radi.ation readtngs three ti. men hi.gher the.n permit. Lad.
Why da you assuma operators will be no much efficient during purging?
- p. 6-7
" controlled releases can be maintained wi. thin applicable federal regulations."
In this for cach purge seperately, or for the entire 57,000 Cl?
- p. 6-14 "..... that does not ordLn trily react cheatically." (referring to Kr-SS)
When does it react ch-::tically?
- p. 6-18 Uho is !! pit Associates?
- p. 6-18 ".... 20/. of the piping and would contain 90!. of the Kr-85."
Does that imply (the first 4,600,000 th.jt ulth purging during the first 207, of the Purge tt ) that 907. of the Kr-85 (51,300 Ci) will be released?
t-
page 3 II.w: y.ni e.s.1 the re; met on alternative r.ethols for retoving Kr-85 prepr.ed l>y Cr c.iLil L. Pallack, Profes;or of Physics at Richigan State U:tiversity, for Co.:.nts-slonmr Gllins'sy on :tarch 24, 1930? Plc.sse corr.ent on his ccaclusiens.
Res >ectfully submitted,.
/
-- lf ',LL 9 0 LLrc,.
/
Jhmes B. IIurst O
4 a
pa s g
e e
O o
0 l
r m
. _,.v m. _..
a=_--
- 1_:
..- ~.--.
.=
5..,
2,
y s.,.'..
~.f..
i. -l
..a,.. ; :r: r..**c wr..
l
~;..n.
- ~. -..
.e
's<
t
,.. w
.l
- s..
...y
- .s
.-- Y.
~
' * *].
.s j
r.
j
........_........,............:.,.7,~.(;..;.
.:.. m
-s a;..
_g J. u,,
Ma b3,19h0 3-L.
,s
,g
,z.
.?
.. i.,
W. s.:.*.e-wa...
..' W. +:'.%.s.3.+ ~. w.-:. '..m % :?..S.:..^. ~ : s ; m n. m. e
\\
t a
..s,
- s..,
s'
~f. -. f -
t 8
9
)
's
- C
. c'dpg f g
A"*
N,,.
1 ai y'1
.,. ( 2
.;x
,p3
..- 4.v;.
p
'k. f
'Y s
4.y m.
. l,
,?
' e
. 4 a:
s.
N' p.t c.i a :r f
" il
.-;; j. di * $
e. - *. d,- ; a
. q ; i...--
... r.,,.. - J.,, %
F!!!'T110 MAS R. IIANEYT'.
, u.-
Even,.if every thi.g., f
, lie rs. lt is exac' tly one Y.
/87/pO//)y V.' we re '. sec'u r'e ' 'a nd 's. 'e,.
I.
year, later and we who.: ' e
.y
- that, does not a lle v e,.i ti-i
- ndured the agony;of the.
the disintegrating psy y
- i..
TMI accident, the confus-'. doubt,' disbelief and dis-chological state off the.
lon e' the. reassurances trust of those in charge. people. A little child in a ;
s and the heartbreak o(ig,.- As a result, the psy-dark room may go.into.i.
norance are now being chological and emotional convulstons out.of fear. g subjected to the dread of ' state of many of.us is We know there's no -
venting! ' th e fear.of its at. the breaking point. This danger, but the chi!d*saj ramifications andthe ten. state..is aggravated fear is as real as, if-by there were.
slon of knowing there are the distinct possibility other ways to clean up that no one in charge "The point here.how '.
. 7.g the plant.
7..
really cares.
We're told that thedo- -
The whole.TMI. ordeal room,.is that in the dark j
- ever of venting there is:
, ses of ' released krypton '..'has be' n like a dull knife indeed a realdanger. Who.
e will not harm us because. cutting.a rope,. and is morally responsible?.l they'll be so small.
. -.. : 'w e're looking at what
,;{
llut a little plus a lit.: might now be the last
..*. a I ilo plus..a little equals '. strand of that rope!..'.
a lot.'The effects'of the
. The cleanupis needed, venting.".: are. cumulative. but is.the-terror that's Just as. cumulative is our caused by venting?
~.
e 9
l l
1 L h 'C I
4 i d n a. = ri i e t.
....u,.<...
,,.o......r.._......
,,......,o,,m P svs
$,.s.y
,,,n
.. -..... n.......
,m.....g,...m...
......i.c (L~ollgrCS,6 0[ l,jC MilitCD Mg.aiCd i
7..
o,,3 u.....,
om n - n.
m r.... a n...
7.,riouse of Mcprescittatibed u................._,
--~-r.-"'--
. ~... -......... -
o,133, :.i.
Chs'J ngf 0M, D.C'.
2M16 i
- m..... e o ~. e. i s
"'+:'""<'e--
s.,<. m. r o..'.. u...
..> i. e.. ~ow,
tren (m) :,s. na April 21, 1980
/
llOn. John F. Ahearne Chairman t;oiIrar Regulatory Commission 1711 H "treet, fl. W.
Wa-th i ng t on, D.C.
20S55
Dear Ch..irman Ahearne:
Having had the opportunity to review the various cleanup optiom pret.cnted to the ?Juclear Regulatory Commission and having studied the reports on the Celective Absorbtion System prepar ed by Dr. G-rald Pollack at the requent of Commissioner Gilinsky, I felt the Selective Absorbtion System required rnore considera tion.
On Saturday, April 19, ?;RC Cor.missioner Victor Gilinsky and I flew to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Dif fusion Plant, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to examine the pilot plant designed to rem 6ve Krypton-85 (Kr-65) from a contained atmosphere through the Selective Absorbtion process.
This procc:s is described on pages 6-32 through 6-38 of the fiRC Environmental Assessment for Decontamination of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 Reactor Buildinq Atrosphere (tmREG-0662 ). Con.missioner Gilinsky and I al o had the opportunity to discuss this process with the engineers who have designed and operated this pilot plant, and of ficials frora Union Carbide which has conducted the progran under contr.<t with the Department of Energy.
Thc Selective Absorbtion System has been worked on at.the OA Ridge Ga.cou i Di f fusion Plant since 1967.
The system today is a third-generation process which has been operating successfully for pne and one -hal f years.
Its flow rate is 15 cubic feet per minute.
With the obvious exception of venting, the Selective Absorblion proces-i in the least expensive of the opt ions presented in I'UREG-0662 anil could be placed in operation at TM1 2 in less time than the o ther optidui.
According to the engineers at Oak Ridge, ase.uming the availability of m.2terials and the necersary approvals, this system can be buil This contrasts cmWDR$TK@h(an4teMed iwh r:typree months.
m sNE OV"HP%fAtEG-066'2 7 Of 4)
DUPLICATE DOCUMENT
- ]fjoryCommission, and all jproving the venting of y
Entire document previously 4or, I am concerned that entered into system under*
jto the Selective Absorblion tas already been proven d
C ce quickly.
Passing ANO
/_
a only once would reduce N o.
of Pages:
E7 fo to 1000 times.
Scaling ute flow rate to a rate of
_,,n_.,
_