ML20247Q200
| ML20247Q200 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/26/1989 |
| From: | Friedman L NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | AMERICAN MINERALS, INC. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20247Q178 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-QA-99990001-890530 99990001-89-05, 99990001-89-5, NUDOCS 8906060357 | |
| Download: ML20247Q200 (6) | |
Text
, .- .
6 i U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I l
Report No. 99990001/89-005 Docket No. 99990001 License No. none- Priority Category Program Code Licensee: American Minerals, Inc.
Hickory Hills Plaza #328 151-South Warner Road Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 Facility Name: American Minerals, Inc.
Inspection At: Foot of Jefferson Avenue, Camden City, New Jersey Inspection Conduc ed: February 7, 1989 Inspector: _ /44<u-c.e W M, -[u a, SI%dN
" Laurence F. Friedman, Ph.D., C.H.P. ' date Senior H lth Physicist Approved by: -1 =" ^ /f date 16 [
/J ohn D.~Kinneman, chief Q Nuclear Materials Safety Section B Inspection Summary: Special Safety Inspection Conducted February 7, 1989 (Report No. 99990001/B9-005)
Areas Inspected: Location and organization; facility operations; history of site; tour of f acility; licensee audits; analysis of samples.
Results: One violation was identified: Possession of source material without an NRC. license.
8906060357{g530 REG 1 QA999 PDC 9999000t
v .
2 DETAILS
- 1. Persons Contacted American Minerals, Inc.
- Ernie Tartaglia, Plant Manager
- Jim Murphy, Purchasing and Safety Manager State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection
- Karl W. Muessig, Geologist, N. J. Geological Survey, Division of Water Resources
- indicates those present at Exit Interview
- 2. Location and Organization The American Minerals facility is located in Camden City, New Jersey, an industrial area, and borders on the Delaware River. The Plant Managerz stated that American Minerals is a closely held cor) oration (stock not publicly traded), and is not a subsidiary of any otler corporation.
- 3. Facility Operations The Plant Manager stated that American Minerals buys various naturally-oc-curring sands from domestic and foreign sources, and sells them to customers. Some of the material is sold as received, except for sieving to remove unwanted material. Other sands are ground in either a ball mill or Williams roller mill air-swept into a mechanical separator which sorts the material by 3 article size, and then sold. The separator operates at pressures selow atmospheric. Fines from the separation process are collected in seven bag houses, and the fines are eventually recombined with the product. No waste is produced. The product is stored in bulk in bins in the facility until it is needed, and is moved with a front-end loader.
Product is sold in bulk, bags, or sling bins, depending on the customer's needs.
The Plant Manager stated that some material is stored at the South Jersey Port (Broadway Terminal), in a pier also located in Camden. The Jeffer-son Avenue facility occupies one story of approximately one city block, with offices in a second story.
The Plant Manager stated that the facility possessed a total of 4061 of which 3594 short tons was of short tons of Australian zircon on origin. January Using 18, 1989,s value of 0.045% source the consultant
f 1
3 see below), this would contain 3234 pounds of source material.
material The Plant(Manager stated that this inventory was typical.
The plant em)loyes 31 production employees and five supervisors. It operates 24 and three weekends a month. Only the production of zircon operates Tours aroun a day,d the clock; the other materials are processed-two shifts a day, five days a week.
The Plant Manager stated that surveys for dust in the facility showed that dust levels were well below OSHA regulatory limits. Some employees working with bulk materials were observed to be wearing disposable dust masks.
- 4. History of Site According to the Plant Manager the site was initially used by Southwork Manufacturing from the 1900's to the 1960's. From theto1960's process to the chalk, whiting present the (talc)lant has been used for the same type of operation currently conducted. pThe. plant was owned by Howmet from the 1960's to the 1970's, by the Frank Samuel Company for a time in-the 1970's, by Combustion Engineering from the 1970's to 1984, and by American Minerals, Inc., from 1984 to the present.
- 5. Tour of the Facility The inspector toured the facility and measured radiation levels next to some of the products with a Ludlum Measurements, Inc., micro-R meter, Model 19, calibrated against cesium-137. Radiation levels in the plant ranged from background [approximately 10 microroentgen per hour (uR/hr)]
to the following levels measured in contact with product. Radiation levels Levels in contact were measured with zirconin contact sandwith fromdomestic Australia ranged zircon up(to flour sand200 uR/hr.
ground in a ball mill) of 160 uR/hr. Levels of approximately 100 uR/hr were measured in contact with bags of bauxite.
- 6. Licensee Audits The inspector reviewed the report of a survey of the facility aerformed by a consultant on April 1, 1987. The consultant reported bac(ground radiation levels ranging from 10-20 uR/hr and up to 400 uR/hr in contact with some the of the imported zircon. The consultant's analysis of this material for uranium and thorium showed total source material content of 0.047%. The consultant's report stated that this concentration is close to the limit where an NRC license is required, and recommended that the company consider setting up a program to analyze all new sources of material, and to analyze samples of all incoming mateTTil periodically to assure that the company does not vioTiTe NRC licensing regulations. The Plant Manager stated that no action had been taken on this recommenda-tion.
a :." .
-4
- 7. Analysis of Samples Eight samples of incoming and finished material were collected. -The solid samples ranged in mass from 841'to 1628 grams. Each sample was .
analyzed by guma spectroscopy using an intrinsic germanium detector calibrated for the geometry of the sample (Marinelli beaker) with NBS-traceable standards. No attempt was made to dry the solid samples,.
which were of sandy consistency and already quite dry. The activity of actinium-228 was taken as the activity of thorium in the sample, and the activity of protactinium-234m was taken as the activity of uranium.
These nuclides were assumed to be in equilibrium with the thorium-232 and uranium-238 parents, respectively. Activities were converted to masses usin specific activities of 1.09E-1 uCi/g for thorium-232 and 3.33E-1 uCi/ for uranium-238. The weight-per cent of thorium, uranium, and tota source material is reported in Table 1.
The incoming Australian zircon had a source-material concentration of the finished Australian zircon product had a source-material 0.302%{
concen ration of 0.057%, and the Lakehurst zircon flour product had a source-material concentration of 0.088%.
" Source material" is defined [10 CFR 40.4(h ] as (1) uranium or thorium, or any combination thereof, in any physical)or chemical form, or (2) ores which contain b weight one-twentieth of one percent (0.05%) or more of (1 uranium, (1 ) thorium, or (iii any combination thereof. 10 CFR 40).13, "Unimpor ant quantities ofs )ource material," provides an exemption for any person who receives, possesses, uses, transfers, or delivers source material in any chemical mixture compound, solution, or alloy in whichthesourcematerialisbyweightlessthanone-twentiethofone percent (0.05%) of the mixture, compound, solution, or alloy. Except for this exemption,10 CFR 40.3 provides "that no person . . . shall receive title to, own, receive, possess, use, transfer, or deliver . . . any source material after removal from its place of deposit in nature, except as authorized in a specific or general license issued by the Commission pursuant to the regulations in [10 CFR Part 40)."
The finding that American Minerals, Inc., possessed and used zircon sand and flour in which the concentrations of source material were greater than or equal to 0.05% by weight without being authorized to do so by an NRC-license is an apparent violation of 10 CFR 40.3.
- 8. Exit Interview The inspector discussed the results of the inspection with the individu- ,
als indicated in Section 1. The inspector explained the provisions of 10 CFR Part 40, and that whether American Minerals, Inc., would have to apply for a license would depend of the results of the analysis of the samples. The inspector recommended that, if a NRC license were not required, the company establish a sampling program to assure that the
l' 1
I l
5 source material concentration of incomin where an NRC license would be required. g shipments is below the limitThe Plant M would be possible to obtain samples of sands in advance of shipment.
i l
1 I
1 i
l
,.3
[l"F,;l..
1 p1 o
t 6.
TABLE 1 SOURCE MATERIAL CONCENTRATION IN SAMPLES Sample No. Description % Th %U- -% Source Mat.
1 Australian zircon- 0.045 0.012 0.057.
finished product 2 Lakehurst zircon flour 0.078 '0.009 0.088 3 Australian zircon 0.285 0.017 0.302 raw material 4 Bauxite'- crushed and sized <0.018 0.01001 <0.028 5 Lakehurst zircon sand 0.029 0.008 0.037-6: Chromite l product <0.018- <0.001 <0.019 South Africa 7 Pyrite product - Greece ' <0.018 <0.001 <0.019 8- Magnesite product - Greece <0.018 <0.001 <0.019
- - - - - - - - - - - _ . _ - . _ _ - - - _ - . - _ _ _ _ _ . . _ _ - - - , _ - - _ - - _ _ . - - _ . -