ML20237D622
| ML20237D622 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/18/1998 |
| From: | Congel F NRC OFFICE FOR ANALYSIS & EVALUATION OF OPERATIONAL DATA (AEOD) |
| To: | Elle D ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9808270077 | |
| Download: ML20237D622 (2) | |
Text
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August 18, 1998 Dr. Donald Elle, Dircctor DISTRIBUTION:
Fed:ral Radiological Monitoring File Canter /NUDOCS AEOD R/F and Assessment Center IRD R/F ER R/F U.S. Department of Energy Public WTravers P.O. Box 9BC i8 TMartin SRubin Las Vegas, Nevada 89193 FKantor RLickus, Rlli
Dear Dr. Elle:
This is to request your assistance in addressing the measurement of radiciodines in the environment following an accidental release of radioactive material from a nuclear power plant.
Radiciodines released from a reactor accident may undergo a chemical transformation while airborne and after deposition. The chemical transformation of radiciodines may affect the accuracy of field measurements.
In his letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission dated July 7,1998, Mr. David W.
Minnaar, Chief of Radiological Protection Section in the State of Michigan, has expressed his concern regarding the potential underestimation of radiciodines using the current method of counting the activity contained in a silver-zeolite cartridge (copy enclosed). The States and licensees routinely use this method in emergency planning drills and exercises to demonstrate that they meet the FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness Exercise Manual (REP-14),
Objective 8, Criterion 4, which states that " field teams should demonstrate as a minimum the capability to sample and measure airborne radiciodine as low as 10E-7 uCi/cc."
Ultimately the objectives are to determine if the emergency worker turn-back guidance (FRMAC Assessment Manual, Method M.2.2) should be revised or if additional protective actions are needed for the public (Method M.3.0). Therefore, the environmental monitoring methods must allow the iodine airborne concentration to be measured promptly, in the presence of noble gases and other fission products, and be related to the gamma dose rate. We believe that consistency between the Federal and State responders in environmental monitoring procedures is important. I am, therefore, requesting that the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Monitoring working group address this issue and provide your response to us by October 30,1998. We intend to provide our response to Mr. Minnaar using your assessment of the issue. We also intend to provide the results of your assessment to the Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee (FRPCC) for distribution to other
- States, if you have any questions, please contact Mr. Aby Mohseni of my staff at (301) 415-6409.
Sincerely,
/s/ Frank J. Congel Frank J. Congel, Director 9808270077 980818 Incident Response Division PDR ORG EUSDOE Office for Analysis and Evaluation PDR of Operational Data
Enclosure:
As stated y
cc w/ encl: See next page g
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DISK / DOCUMENT NAME: A:\\MOHSENi\\ MICHIGAN.WPD
- See previous concurrences To rrceive a copy. Indicate "C" = Copy w/o attachment / enclosure:'A's Co3 with attachment / enclosure: *N* = No copy. NO MARK = NO COPYI J
OFC IRD:AEOD A
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NAME AMohseni RTHogan FJCongel DATE 08/18/98*
08/18/98*
08/k/98 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY a s. a :s
t-D. Elle - cc w/ encl:
David W. Minnaar, Chief
. Radiological Protection Section Drinking Water and Radiological Protection Division Department of Environmental Quality 3423 N. Martin L. King Jr. Blvd.
P.O. Box 30630 Lansing, MI 48909 Russell Salter Federal Emergency Management Agency 500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.' 20472 l
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STATE OF MICHIGAN CSuzd Ok/W REPLY TQ.
JOHN ENGLER, Govemor D**G WER & RAolo(OclCg DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY E T A TE E o*sR avo I
- Better Service for a BetterEnvironment~
$s*lcymm HOLusTeR BUfLDING, PQ Bo130473. LANstNo a 4ee09-1973 INTERNET; www.dessistemtus RUsasLt.J. MARDING, Dhatar July 7,1998 Mr. Timothy Martin, Director Office of Analysis and Evaluation ofOperational Data U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852 2738
Dear Mr. Mardn:
The purpose of this letter is to request technical assistance from your office for an improved tmderstanding of the behavior of airborne radiolodines potentially released from U.S. commercial nuclear power reactors during a severe reactor accident, including the associated dose consequences to impacted members of the public. After a preliminary discussion of this issue with Mr. Roland Lickus, State Liaison Officer, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory j
Commission (NRC), Region III, Mr. Lickus recommended we direct our concems to your office.
I Existing guidance for off-site field measurement of airbome radioiodines (FEMA REP-2, REV.2/ June 1990) suggests the use of an air sampler equipped with a pardculate prerdter and an efficient radiolodine absorber, such as a silver-teolite cartridge. The guidance presumes that airbome radiofodine concent ations can be characterized by presuming essentially total representation as inorganic iodine vapors, which would then be collected by and measured from the silver-reolite cartridge.
We are aware, however, that evidence exists that mdioiodines (once released into an airborne plume) may undergo chemical form changes during atmospheric transport such that radiciodines will likely be found in the form of particulate and as Iodine vapor (both organic and inorganic fonus) after some nominal transport time, regardless of the chemical form at the point of release (see enclosure). Obviously, this would lead to a potential for only partial detection of total inhalable radiolodines when field measurements for radioiodines are confined to a silver-zeolite cartridge reading only. Radioiodine does 'ssessments based on field measurements cocid then be significantly a
underestimated.
In order to be prudently conservative in promptly estimating off site radiolodine dose consequences fkom field measurements during a nuclear reactor accident, we believe that the potential for chemical form partitioning needs to l
be resolved so that public thyroid doses are not significantly underestimated as may occur when following the existing FEMA guidance. If NRC can provide an assessment of this issue and recommend a technically sound field airbome mdiolodine sampling and analysis procedure, it would greatly benefit our emergency response program for off-site nuclear plant accident dose assessment.,
Your prompt attention to this request will be greatly appreciated.
l Sincerely.
l j
e M ~~c=$t s
avid mnaar, Chief Radiological Pmtection Section
)
DWM:RT Enclosure ec: Mr. Roland Lickus, NRC, Region III l
Mr. Daniel $1bo, MDSP/EMD I
cc/cac: Mr. Dennis Hahn, MDEQ/RPS ENCLOSURE e= veen N/hdbn M
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