Re[2]: Comments on NRC Soil Limits

[steve.rima@DOEGJPO.COM (Steven Rima)]

     As Eric points out here, and as Duane Schmidt from the NRC pointed 
     out, the values given in this document are "screening levels." 
     However, my fear is that they will rapidly become defacto limits due 
     to the wording in the notice. Several places in the notice, the NRC 
     states that these calculated screening values correspond to 25 mrem/y. 
     For example, "...NRC staff has calculated surface soil concentrations 
     for a number of common radionuclides that correspond to an annual dose 
     of 0.25 mSv (25 mrem)..."
     
     To its credit, the NRC does discuss the excessive conservatism 
     inherent in version 1 of the D&D code, but still used it to calculate 
     these values. Maybe the NRC should wait until version 2 is ready and 
     then calculate more reasonable (more accurate) values? As Duane 
     suggested, I will be providing comments to the NRC on this notice. 
     Others with concerns should do the same.
     
     Steven D. Rima, CHP, CSP
     Manager, Health Physics and Industrial Hygiene
     MACTEC-ERS, LLC
     steven.rima@doegjpo.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: RE: Comments on NRC Soil Limits
Author:  "Abelquist; Eric" <AbelquiE@orau.gov> at Internet
Date:    12/8/99 12:26 PM


Otto-
     
This may be reconciled, at least to some degree, by recognizing that the 
behavioral and physical parameters used in the modeling code are 
conservative compared to our understanding of "real" dose from natural 
Ra-226.  But again, this is consistent with how the NRC is billing these 
values - as screening values, not as the values that give you the best 
estimate of the true dose.
     
Regards
Eric Abelquist
abelquie@orau.gov
     
-----Original Message-----
From: Otto G. Raabe [mailto:ograabe@ucdavis.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 1999 12:46 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Comments on NRC Soil Limits
     
     
December 8, 1999
Davis, CA
     
The NRC DCGL for Ra-226 is given as:
     
Ra-226....................................  7.0 E-01 pCi/g
     
This is equal to the average natural soil concentration of Ra-226. But, we 
know that we don't get 25 mrem/year from the natural Ra-226. How can this 
be reconciled?
     
Otto
     
                ***************************************************** 
                Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
              Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
                   (Street address: Building 3792, Old Davis Road)
                University of California, Davis, CA 95616 
                Phone: 530-752-7754  FAX: 530-758-6140 
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