Memo – Unassigned PERs/Subtask 4 1 SC&A – February 20, 2015 

NOTICE: This report has been reviewed for Privacy Act information and has been cleared for distribution. 

However, this report is pre-decisional and has not been reviewed by the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker 

Health for factual accuracy or applicability within the requirements of 42 CFR 82. 

MEMO 

DATE: February 20, 2015

TO: Subcommittee on Procedures Review 

FROM: Kathleen Behling, SC&A 

SUBJECT: Program Evaluation Reports (PERs) Not Tasked for SC&A’s Review

During the February 18, 2015, Procedures Review Subcommittee meeting, SC&A discussed two 

memos that were sent to the Subcommittee in December 2014 regarding (1) the issuance of new 

PERs since the August 28, 2014, meeting (issued December 10, 2014), and (2) status of PER 

findings in the Board Review System (BRS) (issued December 8, 2014). In the December 8, 

2014, memo, SC&A identified 1 PER that has not been tasked for review and 2 PERs where the 

Subtask 4 case reviews have not been tasked. This memo consolidates the PER status 

information provided in the two December memos and presents a table listing the unassigned 

PER and Subtask 4 reviews for the Subcommittee’s consideration. The table provides SC&A’s 

recommendation regarding (1) whether a review of each PER is warranted, and (2) the number of 

cases that should be reviewed under Subtask 4. 
Memo – Unassigned PERs/Subtask 4 2 SC&A – February 20, 2015 

NOTICE: This report has been reviewed for Privacy Act information and has been cleared for distribution. 

However, this report is pre-decisional and has not been reviewed by the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker 

Health for factual accuracy or applicability within the requirements of 42 CFR 82. 

PERs Not Assigned for SC&A’s Review as of February 19, 2015 

PER Description Doses Changes Cases Impacted SC&A’s Recommendation

DCAS-PER-055: “TBD-6000 Revision”

Effective Date: 9/12/2014

TBD-6000 provides internal and external doses for 

several tasks with uranium metal that are typical in 

the weapons program. 

TBD Appendices are applicable to a particular site 

and provide analysis of site-specific information 

supplemented by TBD-6000. For some sites, 

TBD-6000 is used without an appendix, resulting 

in a standalone dose reconstruction. The cases 

from these sites are the primary focus of this PER.

(Sites that have an existing appendix or standalone 

TBD will first require a revision to those 

documents, followed by a PER to evaluate the 

effect of that revision.)

Uranium surface contamination conversion 

factors to determine the beta and gamma 

dose rates changed. Photon value was 

recalculated in Revision 1 causing a slight 

decrease. A beta dose rate value was 

added that did not exist in Revision 0.

External dose from surface contamination

was initially based on 365 days of settling 

and was reduced to 30 days. As a result, the 

photon values decreased for environmental 

doses in Revision 1. Beta dose was not 

accounted for in Revision 0, but is included 

in Revision 1 (increased).

Photon dose from contamination in metalworking processes increased since it was 

initially based on 7 days of settling; 

Revision 1 now bases it on 30 days. The 

beta dose is also higher because Revision 0 

did not account for beta dose from 

contamination.

809 potential cases impacted.

Due to numerous selection 

criteria, 30 cases were 

actually re-evaluated.

SC&A recommends that

PER be reviewed.

this 

DCAS-PER-056: “BWXT Virginia”

Effective Date: 9/12/2014

No TBD was written for the BWXT site. 

However, methods used in dose reconstruction

employed the ORAUT-OTIB-0070 depletion 

factor.

The revision to OTIB-0070 changed 

depletion factor so that the contamination 

level is assumed to decrease more slowly. 

This results in an increase in the dose 

estimate for most years of the residual 

period.

82 potential cases impacted.

 

Four cases removed because 

work not associated with 

residual period, leaving 78 

cases that were re-evaluated.

Since SC&A has reviewed 

OTIB-0070 and selection 

criteria are clear (all BWXT 

VA workers), we do not

recommend reviewing this 

PER.
Memo – Unassigned PERs/Subtask 4 3 SC&A – February 20, 2015 

NOTICE: This report has been reviewed for Privacy Act information and has been cleared for distribution. 

However, this report is pre-decisional and has not been reviewed by the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker 

Health for factual accuracy or applicability within the requirements of 42 CFR 82. 

PERs Not Assigned for SC&A’s Review as of February 19, 2015

PER Description Doses Changes Cases Impacted SC&A’s Recommendation

DCAS-PER-058: “Dow Chemical Co. (Madison 

Site)”

Effective Date: 11/21/2014

Battelle-TBD-6000, Appendix C, Dow Chemical 

Co. (Madison Site) was revised (4/3/2014) due to 

revision to Battelle-TBD-6000 and ORAUTOTIB-0070.

One revision to TBD-6000 was the 

deposition time used to calculate external 

dose from contamination, which was 

changed from 7 days to 30 days, causing an 

increase in the photon dose. Another 

change was the inclusion of beta dose from 

contamination that was not included in the 

previous revision.

ORAUT-OTIB-0070 provides a depletion 

rate for residual contamination. A revision 

to OTIB-0070 on 3/5/2012 reduced that 

depletion rate and thus increased doses in 

the residual period.

96 potential cases impacted.

16 cases were returned for 

other reasons and will be 

assessed using the most 

current TBD revision, 

leaving 80 cases that were 

actually re-evaluated.

Since SC&A has reviewed 

TBD-6000 and OTIB-0070 

and the selection criteria are

clear (all Dow Chemical 

workers), we do not

recommend reviewing this 

PER.

OCAS-PER-021: “Rocky Flats Plant Dose 

Reconstruction Method Modifications”

Effective Date: 9/20/2007

Several changes to dose reconstruction methods

were introduced into the Rocky Flats Plant TBD as 

well as the incorporation of numerous Technical 

Information Bulletins. These changes affected the 

Occupational Medical Dose (ORAUT-TKBS0011-3), Onsite Ambient Dose (ORAUT-TKBS0011-4), Occupational Internal Dose (ORAUTTKBS-0011-5), and Occupational External Dose

TBDs (ORAUT-TKBS-0011-6).

Increases in doses associated with 

occupational medical, onsite ambient,

internal and external doses not specified. 

590 cases re-evaluated. SC&A recommends that this 

PER be reviewed due to the 

numerous modifications that 

affected all exposure 

pathways and the number of 

cases impacted by these 

changes.
Memo – Unassigned PERs/Subtask 4 4 SC&A – February 20, 2015 

NOTICE: This report has been reviewed for Privacy Act information and has been cleared for distribution. 

However, this report is pre-decisional and has not been reviewed by the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker 

Health for factual accuracy or applicability within the requirements of 42 CFR 82. 

PER Subtask 4 Cases Not Assigned for SC&A’s Review as of February 19, 2015

PER Description Doses Changes Cases Impacted SC&A’s Recommendation

OCAS-PER-008: “Modification of NIOSH-IREP 

lung cancer risk model: effect of “combined” lung 

model on non-compensable lung cancer claims”

Effective Date: 04/12/07

The “combined” lung cancer risk model, which 

compares the NIOSH-IREP lung cancer risk model

to the risk model created by the National Cancer 

Institute (NIH-IRE). For lung, trachea, or 

bronchus cancers, NIOSH-IREP now separately 

calculates the probability of causation (POC) 

produced by each of the two risk models and 

reports the higher POC at the upper 99th percentile 

credibility. NIOSH-IREP v5.5 and v5.5.1 also 

incorporate a bias correction factor for random 

errors in dosimetry for “never smokers” exposed to 

radon.

Not applicable. 920 potential cases.

95 claims yielded higher 

POC values based on 

inclusion of NIH-IREP, and 

4 cases benefiting from 

inclusion of the bias 

correction factor for “never 

smokers” exposed to radon. 

Of the 99 claims with higher

POC values, 88 revised POC 

remained below the threshol

value of 45%. 

11 claims re-evaluated as 

“best estimates.”

d 

SC&A recommends 

reviewing 3 of the 11 cases 

with the highest re-evaluated 

POC, which include Claim 

#5 (49.15%), Claim #6 

(48.93%), and Claim #8 

(47.44%) from Table 2 of 

OCAS-PER-008.

OCAS-PER-011: “K-25 TBD and TIB 

Revisions”

Effective Date: 9/26/2007

On 11/24/2004, the external section of the Oak 

Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (K-25) TBD was 

issued (ORAUT-TKBS-0009-6). This TBD 

contained a tabulation of the dose received by 

K-25 monitored workers that was to be used as 

coworker dose for unmonitored workers. On 

5/31/2005, ORAUT-OTIB-0026 was issued, which 

increased the external coworker values to account 

for missed dose. On 11/15/2006, the K-25

External Dose TBD was revised to incorporate

provisions of ORAUT-OTIB-0052 for 

unmonitored construction trades workers (CTWs) 

potentially exposed to radiation.

Increase in external coworker doses. 432 potential cases.

71 cases re-evaluated.

(It should be noted that 

SC&A’s review of PER-011 

resulted in 5 findings. Two 

of these findings regarding 

appropriateness of case 

selection criteria are still in 

abeyance awaiting NIOSH’s 

submission of a PER 

associated with OTIB-0052. 

This should, however, not 

impact our review of cases 

under Subtask 4.)

SC&A recommends at least 

a total of 4 cases for review, 

with selection of (1) at least 

2 claims originally 

completed before May 31, 

2005, using an external 

coworker model and revised 

as a result of PER-011, and 

(2) at least 2 CTW claims

that were originally 

completed between May 21, 

2005, and August 31, 2006, 

using external coworker data 

and revised as a result of 

PER-011.