Radiological Assessment of General Steel Industries (GSI)—Granite City, Illinois 

Robert Anigstein 

S. Cohen & Associates 

1608 Spring Hill Road 

Suite 400 

Vienna, Virginia 22182 

June 20, 2012 
HISTORY OF SITE OPERATIONS 

• 1940: General Steel begins casting tank armor for U.S. Army 

• U.S. Army Corp of Engineers builds betatron facilities at two General Steel foundries: 

o November 1951: Eddystone, PA 

o January 1952: Granite City, IL 

•	 ca. 1953: Mallinckrodt Chemical Works (MCW), St. Louis, under AEC contract, starts shipping uranium 

to General Steel-Granite City for betatron radiography 

• January 1, 1953: Start of covered operations under EEOICPA 

• Late 1963: 	 Eddystone foundry shuts down, 2nd betatron moved to Granite City plant 

• June 30, 1966: End date of last MCW purchase order—beginning of residual period 

• 1989–1993: FUSRAP surveys of betatron buildings—contamination found only in Old Betatron Building 

• 1993: Cleanup of Old Betatron Building completed—end of residual period 
Aerial View of General Steel Castings Division in Granite City 

Enlarged Aerial View Showing Two Betatron Buildings 

Aerial View of New Betatron Building 
Betatron Radiography of the Axle of a Power Shovel Cast at GSI 
SOURCES OF RADIATION EXPOSURE AT GSI 

• External exposure to direct penetrating radiation (photons) from betatron operations 

o Stray radiation during betatron operation 

o Delayed radiation from activated metals 

• External exposure to sealed radiography sources 

o 226 Ra—2 sources, 500 mCi ea: –May 1962 

o 60 Co—260 & 280 mCi (initial activities): May 1962– 

• External exposure of skin to non-penetrating (beta) radiation 

o Natural uranium and photoactivated uranium isotopes 

o Activated steel 

• Internal exposure 

o Intakes of uranium oxide 

o Intakes of activated metal dust 
BOUNDING EXTERNAL EXPOSURE SCENARIOS, APPLIED TO ALL WORKERS 

Annual Exposure to Penetrating (Photon) Radiation 

Years Bounding scenario Dose/exposure 

1953–1954 15 rem† 

Radiographer using Ra-226 1955–1962 12 rem† 

1963–1966 Layout man 9.2 R‡ 

† A.E.C. annual occupational dose limits 

‡ MCNPX simulations 

Bounding Scenario for Neutron and Beta Exposures 

Annual Doses to Betatron Operators—(based on MCNPX simulations) 

Year Neutron dose 

(rem) 

Beta dose to skin (rads) 

Hands & forearms Other skin 

1953-1957 0.48 33.4 6.27 

1958 0.48 32.1 6.22 

1959-1960 0.48 30.9 6.18 

1961 0.48 34.2 6.30 

1962 0.48 27.2 6.04 

1963 0.47 13.9 5.56 

1964 0.46 10.7 5.45 

1965 0.46 10.2 5.43 

1966 0.23 4.8 2.71 
Radium Used for Radiography at GSI: 1953–1962
 

Radium Industrial Radiography Source (ca. 1940s) 

Source Being Removed from its Shield ("pig") 

The “Fishpole” Technique 
Radiographer: 1953-1962
 

•	 “During this period [1953–1962] the exposure limits published by the A.E.C. at the applicable time 

were followed. They were never exceeded and averaged under 25%.” (GSI AEC license application) 

• AEC Form 4: Occupational External Exposure History of GSI worker 

o	 18 quarters (July 1, 1957–December 31, 1961) 

o	 9.1 rem total, ~2 rem/y 

o	 Worker performed radiography on weekends 

• 	 1–2 shifts, 80%–90% of the time 

• 	 40–90 shifts/y: 22–50 mrem/shift 

o	 Extrapolate dose to full-time radiographer, 65 h/wk: 9–20 rem/y 

o	 Worker testified he wore film badge while performing radiography 

• MCNPX and exposure rate analysis, based on worker's account of radiographic practices: ~10 R/y 
Photos Suggest Film Badges Used as Early as 1953
 

William Greer at the Control Board in the Betatron Tracerlab Film Badge (late 1940s, 1950s) 

Building (GSI magazine) 
Layout Man—1963–1966
 

New Betatron Building (A.E.C. license application) 
MCNPX Model of Exposure Geometry of Layout Man 
INTERNAL EXPOSURES 

•	 Inhalation of fission and activation products in uranium dust during 24 h post radiography 

234 235 238 o	 Dose from natural uranium ( U, U, U) = 20 mrem per mg inhaled 

o	 Dose from fission and activation products = 9 × 10-5 mrem per mg inhaled 

o	 Conclusion: additional dose from fission and activation products insignificant 

•	 Inhalation of activation products in steel castings: annual dose = 0.09 mrem (insignificant) 

•	 Inadvertent ingestion doses insignificant compared to inhalation (:1%) 

•	 Annual doses from inhalation of natural uranium dust 

o	 SC&A review of NIOSH calculations of uranium intakes and doses—conclusions: 

• 	 NIOSH correctly implemented model, assuming parameters listed in GSI site profile 

• 	 Some NIOSH parameter values found to be questionable 

o	 Exposure duration 

o	 Work practices 

o	 Resuspension factors 

o	 NIOSH based uranium dust concentrations during uranium handling operations at GSI 

on slug production and canning facility described in Battelle-TBD-6000 

• SC&A expects to help the Work Group review the appropriateness of the use of the TBD6000 model of a uranium slug facility as a surrogate for the handling of uranium at GSI 
EXPOSURES DURING RESIDUAL PERIOD

! SC&A reviewed NIOSH model of internal doses during residual period—conclusion:

" Consistent with model of uranium intakes during operational period

" Used questionable parameter values

! SC&A reviewed external exposure during residual period:

" Concur with NIOSH assessment