$/person-rem

[goldinem@songs.sce.com]

     Since I had to justify a $/person-rem value many moons ago, I've 
     tried to follow this subject and have accumulated a few useful 
     references:
     
     The NRC suggested revising the $1000/person-rem (originally in 
     10CFR50, Appendix I as applied to justifying the technology to 
     minimize effluent releases) to $2000/person-rem.  See the 
     discussion in Federal Register Vol. 60, No. 244, pages 
     65694-65695 (Dec. 20, 1995).
     
     A couple of good reviews of the subject have appeared in Nuclear 
     Plant Journal.
     ALARA - An Historical and Global Perspective, by Lynn Wallis, 
     NPJ, Mar-Apr, 1992.
     Valuation of Dose Avoided at U.S. Nuclear Plants, by John Baum, 
     NPJ, Mar-Apr, 1991.
     
     From our experience, the "societal" costs (medical/health/death) 
     associated with radiation exposure are very small.  The basis for 
     most of our $10,000/person-rem figure were the extra resources 
     required to bring in a contract employee, train him/her, equip 
     with dosimeters, provide protective clothing, waste disposal, 
     technician job coverage/surveys, etc.  Take all that into 
     account, make some assumptions for how much work somebody can do 
     and what their salaries/benefit costs are, and presto: you arrive 
     at a figure around $10,000/person-rem.  This was acceptable to 
     the bean-counters (at least it was nine years ago).
     
     Eric Goldin  ("any question is worth asking")
     Southern California Edison
     <goldinem@songs.sce.com>

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