2011 General Activities on Atomic Weapons Employer (AWE) Cases

DCAS will reconstruct radiation doses by evaluating all appropriate data relevant to which an individual worker or group of workers have been exposed, particularly when radiation monitoring data are unavailable, incomplete, or of poor quality. The data used for the dose reconstructions will be obtained through requests sent to DOE and data search and capture efforts.

DCAS along with Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), the contractor hired to support NIOSH’s responsibilities under the Act, have been involved in data search and capture efforts. These efforts are being conducted at various DOE sites and federal and private records storage locations throughout the United States to retrieve radiation monitoring data needed to conduct dose reconstructions.

2011 Data Search and Capture

Battelle Laboratories
Columbus, OH

During this data reconnaissance trip, documents located in the records holding area and in file cabinets in several offices were reviewed. No documents were retrieved during this trip.

The documents reviewed related to the following AWE work sites:

Work Sites
Work Sites

Battelle Laboratories (King Avenue)

Battelle Laboratories (West Jefferson)

Hanford
Richland, WA

Seventy-nine documents that were reviewed during a previous data capture trip were retrieved.

Information was retrieved on the following AWE work sites:

Work site and information retrieved
Work Site Information Retrieved
Norton Co. Trip reports
Wah Chang Periodic security surveys and postings

Hanford
Richland, WA

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory classified documents and one box of records relating to US Testing were reviewed. Interviews were also conducted with former Hanford employees. Several documents that were retrieved were sent to the Hanford Classification Officer for review.

Information was retrieved on the following AWE work sites:

Work sites
Work Sites

Norton Co.

Wah Chang

Hanford
Richland, WA

Seventy-one documents from the Records Holding Task Group (RHTG) collection and one query result from the Hanford Radiological Exposure System (REX) were reviewed. Seventy-two documents were retrieved. In addition, a data query result on the REX system was collected.

Information was retrieved on the following AWE work site:

Work sites and information retrieved
Work Sites Information Retrieved

Vitro Manufacturing (Canonsburg)

Monthly accountability reports
 

Battelle Laboratories
Columbus, OH

Documents were reviewed in various rooms and holding areas at Battelle Laboratories and 243 documents were retrieved.

The documents apply to the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information retrieved
Work Sites Information Retrieved

Battelle Laboratories (King Avenue)

Summary of technical reports, neutron flux readings, Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspection report, procedures including: accounting and processing enriched uranium, thorium metal procurement, product inventory (normal uranium , enriched uranium, deplete thorium), monthly/quarterly progress reports, quarterly inspection of criticality units, radiological incidents, radiological surveys including: air, water, external, and smear surveys neutron/gamma dose rates fluorimetric air and dust sample analysis, reactor subcommittee reviews, shielding calculations, studies of fission-gas release, thorium rod rolling, and x-ray generating devices

Battelle Laboratories (West Jefferson)

No data search and capture activities have been found for this month.

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Document Room
Rockville, MD

Reels of microfiche were reviewed and 141 documents were retrieved.

The documents retrieved apply to the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed
Battelle Laboratories (King Avenue and West Jefferson) License authorization, safety evaluation report, amendments to licenses
United Nuclear Corp. Licenses and license amendments, radiological surveys, safety evaluation reports

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Document Room
Rockville, MD

Reels of microfiche were reviewed and 88 documents were retrieved during this data capture effort.

The documents apply to the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information retrieved
Work Site Information Retrieved

Battelle Laboratories (King Avenue & West Jefferson)

License amendments, annual environmental reports

BWX Technologies, Inc.

Licenses revision, radiological contingency plan, material accountability, pool dismantling, environmental report

General Atomics

Semi-annual effluent report

Lindsay Light and Chemical Co.

Procedure for natural thorium contamination, thorium contamination, building contamination levels

United Nuclear Corp.

License revision and inspection, environmental release, site visit and survey plan, safety evaluation report, pond decommissioning plan

Vitro Manufacturing (Canonsburg)

Assessment of inactive uranium mill tailings, radiological assessment/survey, vicinity properties data management system, radium content in soil

W.R. Grace and Company (Maryland)

Shipment and license material

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Document Room
Rockville, MD

Reels of microfiche were reviewed and 107 documents were retrieved during this data capture trip.

The documents retrieved apply to the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed

Battelle Laboratories (King Avenue and West Jefferson)

License documents, annual environmental reports

BWX Technologies, Inc.

Effluent monitoring report, license documents, non-proprietary meeting notes

United Nuclear Corp.

Shipment of UR6 to Sweden, radiological program audit, license material, decommissioning plan, burial site evaluation, pellet enrichment variation, trip report

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Document Room
Rockville, MD

Reels of microfiche were reviewed and 83 documents were retrieved.

Information was retrieved for the following AWE work site:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed
Blockson Chemical Company Evacuation routes, license material

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Document Room
Rockville, MD

Reels of microfiche were reviewed and 186 documents were retrieved during this data capture effort.

Information was received for the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed

Battelle Laboratories (King Avenue and West Jefferson)

License material, material balance report, radiological status

United Nuclear Corporation

License information, request for allocation of radioactive material, chemical reaction event, ownership transfer, shipment information, decommissioning plan material

Battelle Laboratories
Columbus, Ohio

Information located in various rooms and holing areas were reviewed and 45 documents were retrieved during this data capture effort. The following information was retrieved for the Battelle Laboratories sites (Kings Ave. and West Jefferson): hazard reports for different experiments, assigned personnel listings for different locations, radiological incidents, reactor irradiation requests, brief (non-technical) discussion of thorium precautions, radiological surveys with a couple paired neutron/photon readings, general bioassay program information, and special environmental survey around JN-1 building perimeter.

University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN

During this data capture trip, 27 boxes of information were reviewed and 45 documents were retrieved.

Information was retrieved for the following AWE work site:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed

Metallurgical Laboratory

Metabolism of fission products, radiation hazards from X-metal

No data search and capture activities have been found for this month.

New York State Archives
Albany, NY

During this data capture trip, 19 boxes of information were reviewed and 8 documents were retrieved.

The documents retrieved apply to the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed
Bethlehem Steel Reports comprising all references found concerning radiation at Bethlehem Steel, including 1953, 1955, and 1958 inspections of x-ray thickness gauges in the rolling mill and a 1960 exposure and skin burns from an x-ray spectrograph
Crucible Steel 1969 report of a potential exposure from an x-ray diffractometer
International Rare Metals Refinery, Inc. Reports which present survey and air sample data, dosimetry results, and a case study of radium contamination and uptake

Atlanta National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Morrow, GA

Eighty-one boxes of information were reviewed and 17 documents were retrieved during this data capture effort. In addition to site-specific information, general information on an eyewitness account of the Hiroshima blast was retrieved.

The documents retrieved apply to the following AWE work sites:

Work sites and information reviewed
Work Site Information Reviewed

Joslyn Manufacturing and Supply Co.

Material code information

Radium Chemical Co.

Radium purchase orders

Memorandum of Understanding Between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Energy

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and DOE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Fiscal Year 2019. The MOU describes how the Agencies will work together to carry out their responsibilities under The Act and Executive Order 13179. Part of the agreement covers how HHS and DOE will coordinate data search and capture activities.