Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Idaho National Laboratory

Update to SEC Evaluation Report

SEC-00219, Rev. 2

Timothy D. Taulbee, PhD, CHP

Research Health Scientist

Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, 116th meeting

Naperville, Illinois

March 22, 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Why a revision?

• Normally NIOSH will issue an addendum to cover a reserved 

topic not initially included in the SEC Evaluation Report (ER)

• The INL evaluation report had three different reserved topics 

that needed follow-up

• The ER addendum became cumbersome and difficult to follow 

as a stand alone document 

• Incorporating into the initial ER provided proper context 

without duplication of effort 
Department of Health and Human Services

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Petition History

• Petition received on July 8, 2014

• July 21, 2015 revision to NIOSH evaluation report issued 

recommending a single class of workers be added to the SEC

• Three areas reserved for follow-up evaluation

• Test Area North (TAN-615) – Uranium w/o fission products

• Auxiliary Reactor Area (ARA-1) – Protactinium separation

• Burial Ground – November 1969 Drum retrieval 

• Evaluation Report Rev. 2 issued February 22, 2017
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Proposed Class Definition

All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, 

and their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Idaho 

National Laboratory (INL) in Scoville, Idaho, and (a) who were 

monitored for external radiation at the Idaho Chemical Processing 

Plant (CPP) (e.g., at least one film badge or TLD dosimeter from CPP) 

between January 1, 1963 and February 28, 1970; or (b) who were 

monitored for external radiation at INL (e.g., at least one film badge 

or TLD dosimeter) between March 1, 1970 and December 31, 1974 

for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, 

occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination 

with work days within the parameters established for one or more 

other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.
Department of Health and Human Services

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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Test Area North (TAN-615)

 August 1962 uranium work with 

reactor fuel foils in TAN-615 for the 

630A Critical Experiment (CE) 

reactor at Low Power Test Facility 

(LPTF)

 Removal of plastic coating

 Electro-polishing

 Recoating with fluorocarbon plastic INL Photo: 62-7499
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Low Power Test Facility (LPTF)

 Work with uranium fuel 

continued at the LPTF and 

ended in 1964

 This was a General Electric (GE) 

program

General Electric, 1963c 
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Exposure Monitoring

 Limited time period 

 August 1962 – January 1964

 Intermittent work

 TAN-615 not used continuously during 

this time period

 Involved GE workers were on routine 

uranium bioassay, thus Dose 

Reconstruction is feasible 

INL Photo: 62-7498
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Auxiliary Reactor Area - I

 Original Hot Cell facility for ARA 

to support SL-1 and ML-1

 1968 ventilation and isolation 

boxes were modified for work 

separating Pa-233

 Potential for iodine exposure 

from dissolving fresh fuel/target 

material

www.loc.gov HAER No. ID-33-D-47
Department of Health and Human Services

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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Pa-233 Separations

 816 grams of thorium metal 

were irradiated in three MTR 

cycles to produce the Pa-233

 Separation conducted on 

March 13, 1968

 Iodine was detected during 

operation, personnel wore 

charcoal filtered respirators

INL Photo: 68-1001
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ARA-I Exposure Monitoring

 All personnel involved with the Pa-233 work were counted 

using the MTR thyroid counter and all results were 

reported as “negative”

 In addition, Pa-233 and I-131 are easily detected via in-vivo

(whole body) counting. In-vivo counts for the personnel 

involved did not detect any internal exposures 

 Workers were monitored and there is no indication of an 

exposure from this operation 
Department of Health and Human Services

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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Burial Ground – Drum Retrieval

 November 1969 dedicated effort to retrieve a specific 55 gallon 

drum

 First time buried waste was deliberately exhumed

 Retrieval was from a drum buried in Pit 1 which was opened in 

November 1957 and closed in October 1959 

 Two locations were searched 
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Burial Ground – Drum Retrieval

1958-2900516 INL Photo: 69-7004
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Burial Ground – Drum Retrieval

INL Photo: 69-6982 INL Photo: 69-6998
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Burial Ground – Drum Retrieval

 During the drum retrieval, there was continuous health 

physics coverage with contamination checks throughout 

the work

 No apparent issue with contamination

 Bioassay records were checked for personnel involved and 

no workers were placed on special bioassay
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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Future Burial Ground Evaluation

 Will continue to evaluate Burial Ground exposures outside 

current SEC evaluation period (post 1970) 

 Why?

 Large scale drum retrieval operations in the later 1970s 

through present 

 If needed we will pursue expanding the class under the 

83.14 process
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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Future BG Evaluation (1977)
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Feasibility Conclusion

 NIOSH believes that it has sufficient data to reconstruct 

both internal and external doses to all workers at the three 

reserved areas

 Therefore NIOSH is not recommending expanding the 

current class due to exposures at:

 Test Area North

 Auxiliary Reactor Area – I

 Burial Grounds
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Proposed Class Definition

All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and 

their contractors and subcontractors who worked at the Idaho National 

Laboratory (INL) in Scoville, Idaho, and (a) who were monitored for external 

radiation at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (CPP) (e.g., at least one 

film badge or TLD dosimeter from CPP) between January 1, 1963 and 

February 28, 1970; or (b) who were monitored for external radiation at INL 

(e.g., at least one film badge or TLD dosimeter) between March 1, 1970 and 

December 31, 1974 for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 

work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in 

combination with work days within the parameters established for one or 

more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.
Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Current INL Activities

 83.14 underway expanding the Chemical Processing Plant (CPP) 

Special Exposure Cohort (SEC)

 Basis: Site did not implement recommendations from 1974 evaluation for 

several years 

 Expect to complete and present (83.14) at the July ABRWH meeting

 Evaluate the Burial Grounds during large retrieval operations in the 

1970s (If needed, expand the class under the 83.14 process)

 Respond to ABRWH/SCA Observations and Findings on SEC-00219 

(INL) and SEC-00224 (ANL-W)
Department of Health and Human Services

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Questions?