Kansas City Plant 

Work Group Report

Josie Beach, Chair

KCP Work Group

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

Oakland, CA.

Nov. 19, 2015
Work Group Members

Josie Beach, Chair

Brad Clawson

Jim Lockey

John Poston

Loretta Valerio
Work Group activities to date

 Work Group meetings held: 

June 2014; January, July and October 2015

 Three technical calls

 Four site visits with worker interviews and data capture 

 Review of classified records at DOE/Germantown
Closed SEC Matrix Issues previously reported 

4 - Super S uranium

5 - Recycled uranium

6 - DU after 1971, and during and after 1997

8 - Metal tritides

12 - Fading of NTA -

14 - Post-1993 monitoring

19 - Potentially unmonitored exposures
Summary of SEC Issues Newly Closed

7 - Radioactive Waste -WG accepted NIOSH’s proposal to apply DU coworker model to all 

unmonitored radwaste and D&D workers. Becomes site profile issue pending inclusion in 

TBD.

11- N/P - Upon SC&A’s review of 35 available positive neutron measurements, WG and 

SC&A satisfied with NIOSH’s proposed bounding methodology making use of three highest 

values. 

13 - Mg-Th Alloy Operations - WG accepted the example DR methodology for Mg-Th, 

pending inclusion of the recalculated organ dose using the 0.19 triple separation factor for 

thorium. With that recalculation, this issue is closed by the WG, albeit the question of MgTh operations during 1963-1970 remains a TBD issue for continued NIOSH followup. 

15 - Thorium Oxide Operations - Based on DOE inventory review, listing of “unalloyed” 

thorium did not refer to thorium, but was duplicative of Mg-Th. Other than Mg-Th, 

thorium at KCP was laboratory scale and involved gram quantities with negligible exposure 

potential.
SEC Issues Closed (cont.)

16 - Natural Uranium, 1950-1958: application of TBD-6000 - WG’s review of application 

of TBD-6000 for exposure to natural uranium for 1950–1955, and for 1955-1958 residual 

period at KCP found it acceptable based on existing Board and NIOSH guidance. 

17 - D&D activities - WG accepted NIOSH’s proposal to apply DU coworker model to all 

unmonitored radwaste and D&D workers. Becomes site profile issue pending inclusion in 

TBD.

18 - Accidents, Incidents, & Fires, in workers records - A review of classified records 

containing incident data did not uncover any additional reports. None of the incidents 

reviewed to date indicate exposures that were not adequately addressed by the site or 

potential exposures that would not be feasible to dose reconstruct. 

20 – Tritium - WG accepted the example DR methodology for Tritium and Ni-63, and was 

satisfied with NIOSH’s proposal to apply the dose to all KCP workers. 
Open SEC Issues 

Issues 1 and 9 (consolidated):

Data Completeness, legibility, and Accuracy, Internal and 

External Database – With WG acceptance of proposed sampling 

approach, NIOSH provided preliminary results of validation review 

to SC&A during technical call (Nov 12, 2015); report to be issued and 

reviewed by SC&A. 
2 - Worker Location, job category and coworker model –Remaining 

issue revolved around implementation of coworker model (but not 

feasibility). Additional information regarding the adequacy and 

completeness of data used for a coworker model and its applicability to 

various job categories will be incorporated in next TBD revision. 

3 - Chronic vs. Acute – Work group agreed that question regarding 

chronic versus acute intake patterns not an SEC issue and can be 

accommodated by TBD 6000 model. 

7 – Radioactive Waste and 17 - D&D activities: WG agrees with 

NIOSH proposal to apply DU coworker model to all unmonitored 

radwaste and D&D workers. 

Summary of TBD Issues 
TBD Issues (cont.)

10 - Non-penetrating Dose - Clarification was needed on how nonpenetrating dose calculated from recorded data to determine if 

appropriate data was recorded for DR purposes. WG agreed that these 

external dose record terms can be clarified and included in an update of 

the TBD.

13 - Mg-Th - Operations during 1963-1970 remain a TBD issue for 

continued NIOSH followup to ascertain whether any records exist that 

can definitively address whether such operations occurred.
Sample Dose reconstructions

WG requested “example DRs” be performed to validate proposed 

methodologies:

• Mg-Th operations, 1961–1963, and 1970–1977 

• Manufacturing of switch plates containing tritium, 1963–1968 

• Manufacturing of tritium monitors, 1959–1975 

• Manufacturing of Ni-63 check sources for tritium monitors 

Based on SC&A review of the example DRs, WG accepted the proposed 

methodologies for Mg-Th (pending inclusion of the recalculated organ 

dose using the 0.19 triple separation factor for thorium), tritium and Ni63. 
Petitioner Issues

 Included whether special nuclear materials used, and nuclear reactor 

tested and operated, at KCP; radiological significance of Pm-147 

contamination incident and other known (or alleged) incidents; 

tritium, DU, and radiography monitoring; HP historic monitoring 

practices at KCP and their adequacy; movement of potentially 

contaminated workers to clean areas; and contribution of “nuclear 

fleas” (hot particles) to worker dose. 

 Interviews conducted with petitioners, with followup information 

submitted to NIOSH for review. Specific responses provided by 

NIOSH.

 WG followed up with petitioners on issues and provided discussion 

periods during WG meetings (a half day session on July 16, 2015). On 

technical concerns, specific responses prepared.
Petitioner Issues (cont’d)

 WG conducted followup interviews on October 12, 2015, 

with those workers identified by petitioners who could be 

located, regarding specific allegations concerning radiation 

exposure incidents at KCP. No corroboration was found.

 WG concluded that all petitioner issues raised were either 

already addressed within the 20 SEC matrix items, were not 

SEC relevant, or could not be corroborated through the 

extensive interviews or records review to date. 
Work Group Recommendations

• SC&A has reviewed NIOSH’s report on validation of internal and 

external dose databases (Issues 1 and 9) and finds those results 

acceptable. Upon WG acceptance of those conclusions, all SEC issues 

identified for Kansas City Plant will have been resolved to its 

satisfaction.

• One remaining concern that needs resolution is thorium dose 

reconstruction method; comments provided for example DR. 

(ultimately site profile issue).

• With completion of these actions, WG recommends full Board closure 

with conclusion that dose reconstruction feasible as specified in 

NIOSH evaluation report.