Radiation exposure at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant
The Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) is one of the few facilities which reprocesses nuclear fuel and solidifies liquid wastes. The radiation exposure experience, dose trends, average doses received by workers, work groups receiving the highest doses, and activities which routinely give the highest doses are summarized. The ICPP was designed to be a direct maintenance facility. Because ICPP is a direct maintenance facility, entry is required into process cells for decontamination and repair of equipment by hands-on maintenance. This type of operation generally results in higher personnel dose than does a remote maintenance plant. New buildings and associated processes at ICPP are being designed and built to provide remote maintenance capabilities. The work groups receiving the highest external doses are the maintenance, production, and health physics personnel. An administrative guideline of 3 rem/yr (60% of the DOE 5 rem/year limit) has been established and special management approval is required to exceed this level. In addition, the total personnel dose resulting from plant operation is carefully monitored and total exposure minimization/reduction goals set. While penetrating doses are limiting on an annual basis, the non-penetrating doses are limiting on many jobs. Internal doses are normally below a few percent of the limits; however, several workers have received internal doses approaching 50% of the limit. The critical organ is often the lung from the inhalation of insoluble particulate activity. (ERB)
- Research Organization:
- Allied Chemical Corp., Idaho Falls, ID (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-07-1540
- OSTI ID:
- 5992985
- Report Number(s):
- IAEA-SM-242/35; CONF-790654-1; TRN: 79-016105
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: IAEA international symposium on occupational radiation exposure in nuclear fuel cycle facilities, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 18 Jun 1979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Occupational dose estimates for a monitored retrievable storage facility
Industrial safety and applied health physics. Annual report, 1979
Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
PERSONNEL DOSIMETRY
IDAHO CHEMICAL PROCESSING PLANT
PERSONNEL
RADIATION DOSES
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GRAPHS
ISOLATED VALUES
PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM DOSEMETERS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DOSEMETERS
DOSES
DOSIMETRY
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUMERICAL DATA
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
560171* - Radiation Effects- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)
560151 - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man
560161 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety