Uranium Uptake Above 10 CFR 20 Limit

[William V Lipton <liptonw@dteenergy.com>]

See the attached "Preliminary Notification."  I hope that more
information about this becomes available.  The major question for me
involves the stated cause of this incident, a loosely fitting
respirator.  The work involved seems to be routine, so I question the
licensee's apparent reliance on respirators to control internal
exposures.  See 10 CFR 20.1701: "The licensee shall use, to the extent
practical, process or other engineering controls (e.g., containment,
decontamination or ventilation) to control the concentration of
radioactive material in air."  I wonder why containment or ventilation
is not "practical," here.

The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com


Facility
                                               Licensee Emergency
Classification
 Honeywell Speciality Chemicals
                                               Notification of Unusual
Event
 Honeywell Speciality Chemicals
                                               Alert
 Metropolis, Illinois
                                               Site Area Emergency
 License No: SUB-526
                                               General Emergency
                                            X
                                               Not Applicable


Subject: Uranium Intake in Excess of Regulatory Limits

At 10 a.m. on August 11, 2000, Region III (Chicago) was informed by the
licensee that an individual received greater than the
allowed intake of uranium at its uranium conversion facility in
Metropolis Illinois. An individual working on the U3O8 feed
hopper to the reductor on Monday apparently had a loosely fitting
respirator and was exposed to airborne uranium. The
licensee routinely obtains urine samples from individuals who perform
work on open systems, and one of these individuals
showed an uptake of uranium as a result of the exposure.

Based on the evaluations of the samples made throughout this week the
licensee has determined that the individual received an
uptake of approximately 29 milligrams (mg) of uranium.

The limit in Part 20 of the NRC Rules and Regulations is10 mg. of
soluble uranium uptake in a week. This limit is more
restrictive than the annual radiation exposure limit because of the
chemical toxicity of uranium.

The licensee is required to submit a written report of the uptake in
excess of regulatory limits within 30 days, but provided a
courtesy notification by telephone.

Region III will monitor the licensee's investigation and review the
incident during its next inspection, scheduled for mid-
September.

The State of Illinois will be notified. The information in this
preliminary notification has been reviewed with licensee
management. Region III received notification of this incident at 10 a.m.
on August 11, 2000. This information is current as of 2
p.m. on August 11, 2000.

 Contact:
                     Monte Phillips
                                                           Pat Hiland
                     (630)829-9806
                                                           (630)829-960

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