Pennsylvania DEP Investigates Radiation Release at Quehanna

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Tuesday October 13, 4:02 pm Eastern Time

SOURCE: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania 
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it 
is investigating a radiation incident which occurred during 
decontamination of buildings at the Quehanna Wild Area in 
Clearfield County, according to DEP Environmental Surveillance 
Chief William P. Kirk. 

The incident occurred on state forest land operated by the 
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), in a
building which houses PermaGrain Products Inc. 

``The Commonwealth's contractor was removing a piece of 
contaminated equipment to a shielded storage area when the
radiation was released inside one part of the building,'' Kirk said. 
``There was no release of radioactive material outside the
building.'' 

Kirk said that one PermaGrain employee received surface 
contamination and was required to change clothes and shower
before leaving the plant. Several employees of NES Inc., the 
Commonwealth's contractor, were slightly contaminated. As a
precaution, two NES employees are being monitored for internal 
contamination. 

All employee exposures were well below Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC) and state exposure limits. 

``DEP is investigating the incident to pinpoint why it occurred, the 
extent of any contamination and cleanup measures needed,'' Kirk 
said. 

When the release occurred, NES employees were following an 
NRC-approved decontamination plan for the removal of
residual radioactivity -- primarily strontium and cobalt -- left over 
from industry operations decades ago. Decontamination of
the site began July 10 and was expected to be completed by the 
end of 1998. 

In 1955, 50,000 acres of state forest land were sold to the Curtiss 
Wright Corporation, which developed nuclear jet engines
and conducted research in nucleonics, metallurgy, electronics, 
chemicals and plastics. In addition to Curtiss Wright, various
other industries using radiation in their manufacturing processes 
occupied the facility over several years. 

The land was returned to the state in 1966 and now is managed as 
the Quehanna Wild Area in DCNR's Moshannon and Elk forest 
districts. Several buildings from the former industrial operations 
now are occupied by PermaGrain, a manufacturer of specialty 
wood and tile flooring. 

Project management of the cleanup is a cooperative effort among 
the Department of General Services, DCNR, NRC and DEP, which 
serves in an oversight role. The cleanup is removing or stabilizing 
all residual low-level radioactive materials from laboratories, small 
pool-type research reactors, offices, decontamination areas, and 
waste-processing and storage areas. Removed contaminated 
material will be disposed of at NRC-approved sites in South 
Carolina and Utah. 

For more information about the Quehanna cleanup, visit DEP 
through the Pennsylvania homepage at www.state.pa.us, or
directly at www.dep.state.pa.us (search UPDATE). 


------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
ICN Plaza
3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
sandyfl@earthlink.net
sperle@icnpharm.com

ICN Dosimetry Website:
http://www.dosimetry.com

Personal Website:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205

"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
              - G. K. Chesterton -

The opinions expressed are solely, absolutely, positively, definitely those of the author, and NOT my employer
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