Development of Occupational Exposure Limits for the Hanford Tank Farms
Production of plutonium for the United States’ nuclear weapons program from the 1940’s to the 1980’s generated 53 million gallons of radioactive chemical waste, which is storedin 177 underground tanks at the Hanford Site in southeastern W 18 ashington State. Recent 19 attempts to begin the retrieval and treatment of these wastes require moving the waste to 20 more modern tanks results in potential exposure of the workers to unfamiliar odors 21 emanating from headspace in the tanks. Given the unknown risks involved, workers 22 were placed on supplied air respiratory protection. CH2M HILL, the managers of the 23 Hanford Site Tank Farms, asked an Independent Toxicology Panel (ITP) to assist them in issues relating to an Industrial Hygiene and risk assessment problem. The ITP was called upon to help determine the risk of exposure to vapors from the tanks, and in general develop a strategy for solution of the problem. This paper presents the methods used to determine the chemicals of potential concern (COPC) and the resultant development of screening values and Acceptable Occupational Exposure Limits (AOELs) for these COPCs. A total of 1,826 chemicals were inventoried and evaluated. Over 1,500 chemicals were identified in the waste tanks headspaces and more than 600 of these were assigned screening values; 72 of these compounds were recommended for AOEL development. Included in this list of 72 were 57 COPCs identified by the ITP and of these 47 were subsequently assigned AOELs. An exhaustive exposure assessment strategy was developed by the CH2M HILL industrial hygiene department to evaluate these COPCs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 982004
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-68718; INHTE5; 400412000; TRN: US201012%%1439
- Journal Information:
- Inhalation Toxicology, 22(5):427-444, Vol. 22, Issue 5; ISSN 0895-8378
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
AIR
CHARGES
CHEMICAL WASTES
HAZARDS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PANELS
PERSONNEL
PLUTONIUM
POTENTIALS
PRODUCTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
SCREENING
SOLUTIONS
STORAGE FACILITIES
TANKS
UNDERGROUND
VAPORS
WASTES