ML20205R818
| ML20205R818 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/31/1999 |
| From: | Dicus G NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Vietticook A NRC OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (SECY) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20205R797 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-10CFR9.7 SECY-99-079-C, SECY-99-79-C, NUDOCS 9904230332 | |
| Download: ML20205R818 (2) | |
Text
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NOTATION VOTE ._
RESPONSE SHEET TO:. . ; Annette Vietti-Cook, Secretary FROM: ~ COMMISSIONER DICUS
SUBJECT:
- SECY-99-079 - REPORT TO CONGRESS ON ABNORMAL OCCURRENCES FOR FISCAL YEAR 1998 -
Approved . ;f Disapproved Abstain Not Participating ,
COMMENTS:
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_ Commissioner Dicus' comments on SECY-99-079: .
l 1 approve the Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurences for FY 98 including the items proposed for Appendix C subject to the following comment:
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Staff's proposed text in Appe'ndix C for NRC and Agreement State materials licensees contains
, the statement thatthere were no reports of contamination in FY 98 resultlag from loss of control of licensed materials. However, on September 18,1998, NRC issued PNO-il-98-041 concoming the finding of thorium contamination at a castings plant in Alabama (attached). The text should be revised to take this event into account. In doing so, comment should be made that this is the 29 radioactive contamination event at a U.S. metal making mill since 1983. ;
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I Gfn:limtsary Notification
.,, , http//www.ntc. gov /OPA/pn/pn29841.hu
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PNO-II-98-041 Southern Aluminum Castings
' Preliminary Notification index i New:, and Information l Main NRC Home Pace i E-mail.
September 18,'1998 RELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-II,-98-041 ,
This preliminary. notification constitutes.EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE cofety.orcpublic. interest significance. The information is-as initially.
received.without' verification or evaluation, and is basically all.that is known by Region II staff in Atlanta, Georgia on this date.
FCcility~ Licensee Emergency Classification
'S;uthern Aluminum. Castings Notification of Unusual Event Bay Minette, Alabama Alert Site Area Emergency ~
General Emergency X Not Applicable
Subject:
' CONTAMINATED MAGNESIUM SCRAP '
On Thursday, September 17, 1998, Alabama Office of Radiation. Control informed the NRC that on September 14, 1998, Southern Aluminum Castings in Bay Minette,. Alabama had discovered contaminated. magnesium. scrap, smelter dross and finished products at their site. It was determined that the magnesium thorium scrap had been purchased from Powercon S:rvices, Inc. (a scrap b oker).' All but approximately 500 of the criginal 6900 pounds of the scrap had been smelted before the discovery of.the contamination. Additionally, Southern Aluminum Casting identified 3,000 pound castings that were contaminated. This material had criginally been shipped as dross to Smelter Service Corporation in Mt. Pleasant, TN, processed, and returned.
Representatives from the State of Alabama. visited the site on September 15, 1998, and described the scrap as large metal concave disks. The i material was analyzed by the State of Alabama personnel who found gamma '
exposure levels of~up to 1.0 to 1.5 mr/hr max on contact with no .
detectable removable contamination. The castings were also surveyed and fcund to have levels of 22 microR/hr. The material is currently'being controlled at the facility.
Tha State of Alabama continues to follow up on the origin of the material. Alabama contacted the State'of Tennessee who sent,two representatives to Smelter Service Corporation in Mt. Pleasant. TN for investigation and surveys. ' '
Th3 State of Georgia and EPA were informed.
Tha NRC received initial notification of this event by Thursday from the Sttte of Alabama at 1:00 p.m.
This.information is current as of 2:00 p.m. on' September 18, 1998. '
Contact:
R. Gibson, Jr.
(4041562-4745 g
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10/5/98 8.07 A