Re: Tritium and Arizona Atomics -Reply

[Jim Hardeman <Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us>]

I think you're right Bob -- if you look at the "old" MPC's in
Appendix B. to 10 CFR 20, and compare them to the "new"
effluent concentrations in 10 CFR 20, you'll note that the
"old" unrestricted area limit for H-3 was 3E-3 uCi/ml
(3,000,000 pCi/l for us environmental types) vs. the "new"
limit of 1E-3 uCi/ml (1,000,000 pCi/l). 

Where I think the confusion may be coming in is the "new" 
"release to sewer" limit of 1E-2 uCi/ml (10,000,000 pCi/l)
monthly average. I should note here, however, that the "old"
sewer limit was 10 CFR 20, Table I, Column 2 -- 1E-1 uCi/ml
(100,000,000 pCi/l), and the "new" table doesn't contain
corresponding values to Table I -- at least not directly. So it
appears at first blush that the limiting concentrations (with
the exception of H-3 in liquid in unrestricted areas) have in
fact been REDUCED.

Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4244 International Parkway, Suite 114
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675   fax: (404) 362-2653
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us

>>> Bob Flood <bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU> 02/14/96
 
It was probably a beloved document with the catchy name
"Title 3, The President" which was an executive order signed
by Reagan directing Federal agencies with regulatory
authority to replace the ICRP2/10 approach to radiation
protection with the ICRP 26/30 methods. Some can claim
that it set **lower** occupational dose limits (5 rem/y
compared to 3 rem/quarter), but actual personnel doses were
below 5 rem/y anyway. In the transition from
MPCs to DACs/ALIs, some DAC values came out higher
than the preceding MPC values and others came out lower,
due to changes in modeling, assumptions, and end-point
expectations. Overall, the regulatory changes really just
modernized the bookkeeping. The result of the order was the
revised 10CFR20 and DOE's 10CFR835.