Re[2]: Radon Control During Remediation -Reply

[Bates.Estabrooks@rfets.gov (Bates Estabrooks)]

          Harold, et al.;
          
          No matter how benign you and/or I may find this stuff, when 
          the EPA and the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Envir. 
          tell DOE and their reps. in Congress that they want the place 
          remediated, it gets remediated.
          
          By the way, the plan IS to turn over this site to the public 
          for industrial development some time in the future.
          
          Bates Estabrooks


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Radon Control During Remediation -Reply
Author:  Harold Chaney <HDC%nrc.gov@inet.rfets.gov> at inet
Date:    1/8/98 1:05 PM


Chris, you beat me to it.  I have the same concern as to the Radon risk.  But 
then
again who knows how well the process separated the U-238 from everything else. 
Maybe the packaged debris contains some of the other components of natural 
uranium.
          
Far as that goes, why are they digging up something so benign (depleted uranium 
is
all over the place)?  I can't remember the exact dose pathway for buried 
machined
turnings of DU (in an oil bath no less) but it would appear to be less than 
natural
uranium in soil.  It seems that a comprehensive ALARA  review (industrial as 
well
as radiological safety aspects) would point in the direction of leaving the 
stuff in
place.  It appears the stuff is not going anywhere and the site will probably 
never be
turned over to the public, so this seems to be an unnecessary endeavor and 
probably an Economic Flywheel affect.  
          
H.  Dean Chaney, CHP -  USNRC, Region IV/WCFO 
hdc@nrc.gov
ddchaney@castles.com
          
The views put forth above are my own and do not necessarily 
reflect the beliefs or policies of the USNRC or any other 
governmental entity.