SC&A Idaho National Laboratory 

(INL) Site Profile Update 

John Stiver, CHP 

Health Physicist and Program Manager 

S. Cohen and Associates 

Contractor to: Advisory Board on Radiation Worker Health/ABRWH 

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention 

July 29, 2014 

Idaho Falls, Idaho 
Background

• 2004: NIOSH first issued the six-volume TBD comprising the INL site 

profile 

• September 2005: First SC&A review of site profile (Rev. 0) 

• January 2006, December 2008 – SC&A delivers revised and supplemental 

reviews 

• June 2009: INL Work Group held its first meeting 

– Combined the INL and ANL-W (SC&A 2007) reviews 

• July 2009: SC&A produced a combined issues matrix containing 38 issues 

• December 2009 through April 2011: NIOSH revised all its TBDs – current 

versions 

• June 2011: Second INL Work Group meeting 

– 10 of the 38 issues were closed 

• SC&A subsequently prepared an issue status and action item list (issues 

matrix) for the 38 issues, which was soon revised to include NIOSH 

comments 

2 
Background (Continued)

• July 2013 Advisory Board Meeting 

– NIOSH to prepare several white papers for collaborative 

issues resolution with SC&A 

• February 2014: SC&A prepares issues matrix 

– Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site Profile Review Status 

Update, Revision 1, February 24, 2014 

• 10 issues recommended for closure after “quick” 

review authorized by Work Group 

• 4 additional issues recommended for closure after 

further review 

• Issues 9 and 23 were combined (“hot particles”)

• March 2014 – NIOSH responses incorporated 

3 
Background (Concluded)

• March 25, 2014: Third INL Work Group meeting 

– Work Group discussed the 14 open issues with SC&A and closed 12 

– Thus, of the original 38 issues, 22 are closed and 16 remain open 

– Other Items 

• NIOSH to explain its contention that an external dosimetry 

coworker model is not required (NIOSH preparing an internal 

dosimetry coworker model) 

• NIOSH to issue a white paper, “Investigation of the NTA Film 

Dosimeter Limits of Detection Being Used for INL Dose 

Reconstruction”

• The Work Group believes that there are gaps in the record that 

warrant further data capture and interviews; to that end 

– NIOSH and SC&A were tasked to plan and conduct worker 

interviews in June 2014 

– June 23–26: 34 interviews were conducted in parallel with 

data capture efforts 

4 
Current Status and Concerns

• Two Tiered Approach (conducted in parallel) 

now being applied to INL Site Profile Review 

– “Conventional” Site Profile Review Activities (business 

as usual) 

• Resolution of 16 open site profile issues, including 

white paper reviews 

• Note that white paper reviews may be informed by 

on-site field review 

5 
Current Status and Concerns 

(continued)

– Intensive On-Site Field Review (born of concerns voiced at 3/25/2014 

Work Group meeting, driven by interview responses and data capture) 

• June 2014 interviews and data capture revealed a need for “vertical” 

assessment 

• Some issues of concern: 

– INL generally had a good dosimetry program, but there appear to be 

some “blind spots”

– Transuranics 

» Alpha monitoring may be lacking for some time periods at RWMC 

» CPP – Plutonium plate-out in some cells at CPP with potential 

unmonitored alpha exposure upon reentry 

– Noble gases 

» Kr-85 bottling program at CPP – only about half recovered 

– Concerns regarding the quality of health and safety programs for some 

categories of workers for some periods (e.g., firefighters) 

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Path Forward – On-Site Review 

• Validating the vertical assessment 

– Collaborative data capture and follow-on interviews to be 

conducted September 8–12 , 2014 

– A second set of interviews led by SC&A to be scheduled for 

October 2014 

– Vertical lines of inquiry to be developed, as informed by 

June 2014 interviews and data capture 

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Path Forward – Conventional Review

• Continue resolution process for 16 open Site Profile issues 

• SC&A white paper reviews are in process, and will be finalized when on-site 

investigations are completed 

Issue TBD White Paper Topic Status 

1 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-4 

(Environmental) Routine Airborne Releases Received March 5, 2014 

2 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-4

(Environmental) 

Episodic Airborne Releases 

(Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Issue) Received September 3, 2013 

9 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-5 

(Internal) Hot Particle Issue Received March 19, 2014 (Issues 9 and 23 combined) 

23 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-6 

(External) Hot Particle Issue --

19 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-6 

(External) Angular Dependence Received March 11, 2014 

28 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-6 

(External) 

Investigation of the NTA Film 

Dosimeter Limits of Detection Being 

Used for INL Dose Reconstructions 

Not yet received 

34 ORAUT-TKBS-0007-6 

(External) High Risk Jobs (neutron exposure) Received March 11, 2014 

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Questions?

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