NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 Office of Public Affairs Region IV 

 611 Ryan Plaza Drive - Suite 400

 Arlington, TX 76011-4005

No. IV-05-029 July 26, 2005

Contact: Victor Dricks E-Mail: opa4@nrc.gov

Phone: 817-860-8128

NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING ON LICENSE APPLICATION

FOR COMMERCIAL IRRADIATOR IN HONOLULU, HAWAII

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced the opportunity to request a

hearing on an application from Pa’ina Hawaii, LLC., a Hawaiian-owned company, to build and

operate an underwater pool-type commercial irradiator at a location near Honolulu International

Airport.

Pa’ina Hawaii stated in its application, submitted June 27, that the device would primarily

be used for the irradiation of fresh fruit and vegetables bound for the mainland from the

Hawaiian islands. During use, materials to be irradiated are loaded into a stainless steel

chamber, then lowered into a water-filled pool where they are exposed to radiation. The

company also plans to irradiate cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, conduct research and

development activities and irradiate a wide range of other materials as specifically approved by

the NRC.

The NRC staff has conducted an initial review of the application and determined that it

contains enough information for the required formal review. The NRC reviews irradiator

applications to determine whether the proposed facility’s design and operating procedures are

sufficient to protect the health and safety of workers and the public, the adequacy of emergency

plans and physical security for the facility. 

Other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and 

Drug Administration are responsible for determining which foods and products intended for

human consumption may be safely irradiated. In addition to satisfying NRC regulations, Pa’ini

Hawaii must also comply with all applicable federal, state and municipal regulations.

A notice of the NRC’s receipt of the application and the opportunity to request a hearing

will be published in the Federal Register. Petitions may be filed within 60 days of publication of
the Federal Register notice by anyone whose interest may be affected by the license application

and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding. A request for a hearing and a petition

for leave to intervene must be filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and

Adjudications Staff. 

A copy of the license application (with security-sensitive information redacted) will be

available through the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System

(ADAMS). Use ADAMS number ML052060372. Help in using ADAMS is available by

contacting the NRC Public Document Room staff at 1-800-397-4209, or by sending a message

to: pdr@nrc.gov.

In addition, copies of the application will be available for inspection at the Honolulu

Public Library and the library of the University of Hawaii. 

The NRC plans to hold a public meeting on the license application in Honolulu within the

next 60 days. Members of the NRC staff will be available to receive comments from interested

parties, describe the process that will be used to review the license application, and answer

questions from the public. Notices in advance of the meeting will be published in the Federal

Register, placed in newspapers, and announced on the NRC’s web site at: www.nrc.gov.

For more information contact Jack Whitten, Chief, Nuclear Materials Licensing Branch, 

Region IV, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington,

Texas, 76011, telephone (817) 860-8197, fax (817) 860-8263: or by email: jew1@nrc.gov. 

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