Krypton-85 health risk assessment for a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant

Conference · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6341827

Mellinger, P J; Tanner, J E; Brackenbush, L W; Gilbert, E S

A health risk assessment was conducted to investigate the impact of implementing regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency's Final Environmental Statement - 40 CFR 190 - Environmental Protection Requirements for Normal Operation of Activities in the Uranium Fuel Cycle. Potential risks involved in the routine release of /sup 85/Kr from nuclear fuel reprocessing operations to the environment were compared to those resulting from the capture and storage of /sup 85/Kr. The average occupationally exposed worker was estimated to receive about 400 to 600 mrem/y from /sup 85/Kr recovery and immobilization activities. This dose is a factor of 20,000 to 30,000 higher than the estimated dose to the maximum offsite individual (0.02 mrem/y), and a factor of 130,000 to 200,000 higher than the dose received by the average member of the 50-mile population (0.003 mrem/y) from routine release of all /sup 85/Kr. Given the uncertainties in the models used to generate lifetime risk numbers (0.02-0.027 radiation induced fatal cancers expected in the occupational workforce and 0.017 fatal cancers in the general population), the differences in total risks cannot be considered meaningful. There is certainly no reason to conclude that risks from /sup 85/Kr routinely released to the environment are greater than those that would result from recovery, immobilization and storage of the noble gas. 22 references, 1 figure, 3 tables.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6341827
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-12187; CONF-840806-13; ON: DE85000838
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
560161 -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology-- Man
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DATA
DOSES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
GASEOUS WASTES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
KRYPTON 85
KRYPTON ISOTOPES
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
PERSONNEL
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOISOTOPES
SAFETY
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES