ML20037B498
| ML20037B498 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000371, Wood River Junction |
| Issue date: | 09/19/1980 |
| From: | Crow W NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Jordan W SHELDON, HARMON & WEISS |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20037B499 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8010140198 | |
| Download: ML20037B498 (2) | |
Text
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION E
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SEP 191939 Mr. William S. Jordan, III Harmon & Weiss 1725 I Street, N.W.
Suite 506 Washington, D.C.
20006
Dear Mr. Jordan:
As we discussed in our recent telephone conversation, I am now in a position to respond to your questions conc 3 ming strontium-90 contamination at United Nuclear's Wood River Junction, Rhode Island, facility.
Listed i
below ne the responses to questions 1 through 5 listed in your letter dated July 23, 1980:
1.
Our investigations to date fail to reveal any indication'that UNC has ever had permission to have materials containing strontium-90 or other fission products on the Wood River Junction site. Has the NRC ever allowed UNC to handle or store such materials on the site or to take any actions that would result in the production of such materials on the site?
Response - Amendments No.19, 33 and 43 (copies enclosed) authorized the possession and use of slightly irradiated fuel which met the requirements of 10 CFR 50.2(a)(3); however, NRC has never authorized any j
actions on site that would result in the production of fission products.
l 2.
UNC has stated that the strontium-90 may have come from some spent fuel that was sent to UNC from a "zero power reactor." What reactor did this fuel come from, when, and under what circumstances? Did UNC have any form of permission from the NRC to receive this sort of material?
If, in fact, UNC received spent fuel of any sort, wasn't it involved in spent fuel reprocessing, for which it clearly is not licensed?
How much fuel was involved, and exactly what became of it?
Respong - The slightly irradiated fuel came from the Atomic Energy Commission.
It is difficult, at this late date, to determine the exact source of the fuel but it is my understanding that most of.the fuel came from research performed in conjunction with the Naval Reactor program. We do not know the total quantity of fuel processed, but the fuel elements were dissolved and the enriched uranium was extracted for future use. The other portions of questions No. 2 are answered in our response to No. 1.
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Mr. William S. Jordan, III 2
s 3.
UNC has also speculated that the strontium-90 may have come from the fatal chain reaction accident that occurred in 1964.
Exactly what happened to the materials that were involved in that accident and to any materials that might have been contaminated by the accident? Where and how were they stcred? When, if ever, were they moved off the site?
Response - It is my understanding that the solution from the nuclear excursion was processed to recover the enriched uranium and the residual fission products created by the accident were discharged in the liquid waste stream to the holding lagoons.
4 Could the strontium-90 have come from any other source? Apparently, the Chinese nuclear tests have been suggested.
Surely you realize that this sort of claim is nothing short of laughable and is the type of thing that does serious damage to the credibility of the nuc1 car establishment in the absence of convincing evidence.
The claim obviously has no validity unless it can be shown that strontium-90 exists elsewhere in the state at concentrations similar to those found at UhC.
Response - It is my opirien that all of the Sr-90 came from processing the uranium from the nuclear excursion and from processing fuel from low power experiments as indicated in the response to No. 1.
5.
What is the NRC going to do to determine the full extent of strontium-90 at the site, whether as a soil or water contaminant, or in storage.
Response - Criteria for Sr-90 contamination in the soil, water and in the facility will be established as will criteria for other radionuclides present. UNC will be required to decontaminate the facility and grounds to these criteria.
If there are any questions concerning these responses, please call me.
As I indicated durir3 our telephone conversation, I will respond to your questions concerning the burial of waste as soe; as the informaticn is available.
l Sincerely,
{%l r
W. T. Crow, Section Leader Uranium Process Licensing Section Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch
Enclosures:
1.
Amendment No. 19 dtd 5/5/66 2.
Amendment No. 33 dtd 6/15/67 3.
Amendment No. 43 dtd 6/17/68