Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Carborundum EEOICPA Facility 

Listing

 Listing as revised by DOL in July 2015 

• State: New York Location: Niagara Falls 

• Atomic Weapons Employer (AWE)

June – September 1943, 1959-1967 

• Residual Radiation

1943-1958, 1968-1992
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

EEOICPA Facility Listing

 Carborundum Facility Description: 

In June 1943 the Carborundum Company did 

experimental centerless grinding of uranium slugs.

From 1959 through 1967 the company 

manufactured uranium and plutonium carbide 

pellets for an AEC research program.
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

SEC Petition Overview

 Petition received November 19, 2014

 Petitioner requested class definition:

All employees who worked in any area of the 

Carborundum Company facility on Buffalo Avenue, 

Niagara Falls, NY from January 1, 1943 through 

December 31, 1976
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

1st AWE Period - 1943

 Location of 1943 AEC work unknown

 Work limited to experimental grinding of 

uranium metal using a centerless grinder

 Total quantity of uranium at Carborundum: 

10 uranium slugs totaling 30 pounds

 Uranium slugs on site from June through September

 Internal and external doses estimated using TBD-6000
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Centerless Grinding 

Residual Contamination 1943-1958

 Residual contamination based on estimates of 

airborne radioactivity using methods described in 

ORAUT-OTIB-070

 Internal dose based on resuspension of 

contamination

 External dose from residual contamination based 

on derived contamination levels and dose 

coefficients in Federal Guidance Report No. 12
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

2nd AWE Period 1959 - 1967

 Carborundum was an AEC contractor and a 

subcontractor (United Nuclear) in the fuel 

development program

 Did work with uranium and plutonium in 

modern Research and Development Building 

(Building 1) that opened in 1953
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second AWE Period, 1959-1967 

 Developed methods to synthesize fuels for 

breeder reactors

 Work in 1959 - 1961 involved synthesis of 

uranium refractory compounds 

 Plutonium laboratory opened in 1961 to 

synthesize mixed carbide fuel pellets

 Plutonium Laboratory comprised a 555 ft2 area 

fully contained and ventilated
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second AWE Period, 1959-1967 

 Uranium laboratory produced small batches of 

monocarbide, mononitride, and uranium silicide, 

experimenting with methods to form pellets

 Plutonium laboratory was a small facility that 

developed methods and produced (UPu)C fuel 

pellets for use in Fermi Fast Breeder Reactor

 Work including studying physical properties of 

synthesized pellets, including use of X-ray 

diffraction techniques (XRD)
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second AWE Period, 1959-1967 

Monitoring Data

 Internal dose

• Air samples results are available from uranium 

work in 1959 and 1961

• Air samples from plutonium work in 1961 are 

available

 External dose

• NIOSH has not identified any dosimetry data 

or external dose rate measurements
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second AWE Period, 1959-1967 

Air Sampling Data

 Uranium: general area air dust samples were 

taken in November 1959 and April 1961

• Nine are legible in the documentation

• All nine air sample results were positive

 Plutonium: sixteen air samples taken in June and 

April 1961

• Includes general area and breathing zone samples

• Nine of the sixteen samples were positive
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second AWE Period, 1959-1967 

Internal Dose Estimates

 Air sample data used to estimate intakes from uranium 

work and from plutonium work

 For uranium, the 95th percentile of the general area air 

samples used to estimate intakes by support workers, with 

operator intakes assumed to be double

 For plutonium, both general area and breathing zone 

sample results are available to estimate intakes

 Plutonium work involved a mixture of uranium and 

plutonium
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second AWE Period, 1959-1967 

External Dose Estimates

 For uranium work, TBD-6000 doses for machining uranium 

will be used to bound external dose

 For plutonium work in the gloveboxes, external photon 

and neutron doses modeled with MCNP

 Dose from XRD estimated based on measurements of 

dose rates from scatter reported from a survey of XRD 

units in Pennsylvania in 1966
Division of Compensation Analysis and Support

Second Residual Period, 1959 - 1976 

Dose Estimates

 Residual contamination based on airborne 

radioactivity and estimates of surface 

contamination using methods described in 

ORAUT-OTIB-070

 Internal dose based on resuspension of 

contamination

 External dose from residual contamination based 

on dose coefficients in Federal Guidance Report 

No. 12