ORAU Team

Dose Reconstruction Project for NIOSH

Technical Information Bulletin – Interpretation of Dosimetry 

Data For Assignment of Shallow Dose

Document Number:

ORAUT-OTIB-0017

Effective Date: 01/19/2005

Revision No.: 00

Controlled Copy No.: ______

Page 1 of 14

Subject Expert: Steven E. Merwin

Document Owner

Approval: Signature on File Date: 01/11/2005

Edward F. Maher, Task 5 Manager

Concurrence: Signature on File Date: 01/11/2005

Richard E. Toohey, Project Director

Approval: Signature on File Date: 01/19/2005

James W. Neton, Associate Director for Science

Supersedes:

None
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 2 of 14

RECORD OF ISSUE/REVISIONS

ISSUE 

AUTHORIZATION 

DATE

EFFECTIVE 

DATE

REV. 

NO. DESCRIPTION

Draft 10/27/2004 00-A New technical information bulletin to provide 

information for the interpretation of dosimetry data 

for assignment of shallow dose. Initiated by 

Steven E. Merwin.

Draft 11/03/2004 00-B Incorporates internal review comments. Initiated 

by Steven E. Merwin.

Draft 12/23/2004 00-C Incorporates NIOSH comments. Initiated by 

Steven E. Merwin.

01/19/2005 01/19/2005 00 First approved issue. Initiated by Steven E. 

Merwin.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 3 of 14

1.0

The purpose of this Technical Information Bulletin (TIB) is to provide information to allow ORAU Team 

dose reconstructors to assign shallow doses for skin cancer cases, and for cases involving other 

organs affected by non-penetrating radiation including the breast and testes (to be included in a 

subsequent revision). Both general and site-specific information are provided.

PURPOSE

2.0

Almost since the inception of operations at DOE sites, it has been known that non-penetrating 

(shallow) doses, notably from exposure to beta particles emitted by isotopes of uranium and their 

daughter products, needed to be evaluated. Consequently, dosimetry systems typically included 

more than one dose measurement including an uncovered, or open-window reading, allowing for the 

measurement of non-penetrating radiation doses. These open-window (OW) measurements form the 

basis for the assignment of skin doses under the EEOICPA Subtitle B program; they are also 

important for assessing doses to other organs such as the breast and testes, which are impacted by 

non-penetrating radiation.

BACKGROUND

There are a number of confounding factors that complicate the assignment of skin dose based solely 

on open-window dosimeter measurements. Examples include: 

• Insufficient information is obtained by an open-window measurement to allow partitioning of 

dose by radiation type and energy as required by the IREP program

•

. Even under today’s 

standards, dosimetry systems and radiation dose limits are designed to ensure protection 

against adverse health effects, not the calculation of cancer risk. This is especially true for 

skin dose measurements. Thus, the dosimetry systems are designed such that the doses are 

measured accurately in order to demonstrate compliance with established dose limits. In 

order to partition the measured shallow dose into radiation types and energies relevant to the 

IREP program, additional information must be evaluated by the dose reconstructor, such as 

shielded (S) dosimeter readings corresponding to penetrating doses, and source term 

information contained in the TBDs.

Site reporting schemes

•

. At some sites and during certain time periods, doses were not 

reported as penetrating or non-penetrating. Thus, knowledge of the reporting scheme and 

interpretation of the data are required.

Over-response to low-energy photons

•

. Although early film dosimeters were relatively accurate 

for measuring beta doses, they are known to have over-responded significantly to low-energy 

photons (such as those emitted from plutonium isotopes and daughter products). Although 

attempts were made at some sites to correct for the over-response through calibration 

techniques or after-the-fact corrections, it is not always straightforward to reproduce the 

procedures adopted at the sites.

Limit of detection issues

•

. Limits of detection (LODs) for open window measurements vary 

significantly based on type of radiation and energy. This complicates the assignment of 

missed dose. 

Security credentials. At some sites security credentials were placed over the dosimeter 

badge, including the open window portion. This resulted in an attenuation of beta particles, 

especially those of lower energies. Even though the badges may have been calibrated to 
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 4 of 14

correct for this attenuation, low-energy beta emitters could not be detected if the credential 

was thick enough to filter out all or most of the particles prior to their reaching the dosimeter.

Recognizing the confounding factors described above, the approach to calculating shallow dose 

described in this document is intended to facilitate the completion of the great majority of 

compensable and non-compensable skin cancer cases without performing extensive research on 

individual cases, erring on the side of claimant favorability 1) when necessary due to the lack of 

information, or 2) intentionally in order to address multiple confounding factors in a manner that 

facilitates the completion of dose reconstructions in a timely manner. Cases that involve special 

circumstances such as unique exposure geometries, exposure to low-energy beta particles, the 

presence of shielding materials, etc., will require special consideration to complete the dose 

reconstruction in a defensible manner.

3.0

Dose to the skin can be associated with penetrating radiation (i.e., radiation that impacts tissue at a 

depth of 1 cm or more), non-penetrating radiation, or both. Penetrating radiation includes medium 

and high-energy photons and neutrons of all energies, and non-penetrating radiation consists of lowenergy photons (such as X-rays emitted by plutonium isotopes) and beta particles (Note: low-energy 

photons and high-energy beta particles are more correctly considered weakly penetrating, since a 

small fraction of the energy may be deposited at depths in tissue greater than 1 cm).

GENERAL APPROACH

As mentioned in Section 2.0, evaluation of skin doses is complicated by the fact that sites sometimes 

did not report doses as penetrating or non-penetrating. For example, the open-window reading from a 

dosimeter may have been reported directly as “OW,” but this value would include the contribution from 

both penetrating and non-penetrating radiation. In other cases, the sites may have reported a result 

as “Skin Dose,” but the value reported may have included only the non-penetrating component or both 

the penetrating and non-penetrating components. To further complicate matters, the values reported 

may or may not include contributions from neutrons, which in most cases were monitored separately 

but were reported under different schemes. If the TBD does not provide clear information, the 

reporting schemes can typically be identified by evaluating the data. For example, if the reported OW 

values are always equal to or higher than the S values, this is an indication that the OW reading 

includes both penetrating and non-penetrating radiation.

General Approach Summary

The general approach to determining skin dose involves only a few basic steps. These steps may be 

supplemented or modified for certain sites and timeframes, e.g., when additional dosimeter elements 

were present that provided more information. The basic steps include: 

1. Translate the reported doses into non-penetrating and penetrating doses, separating out 

reported neutron doses, if applicable.

2. Assign the penetrating dose as photons, with the energy partitioned as 30-250 keV and/or 250 

keV according to the TBD.

3. Assign the non-penetrating dose as electrons >15 keV (corrected to account for attenuation, if 

applicable), or photons <30 keV if the employee worked in a plutonium facility.

4. Add missed electron and/or photon dose.

5. Include measured and/or missed neutron dose, if applicable.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 5 of 14

6. All dose conversion factors for the skin should be assumed to be 1.

In general, non-penetrating radiation doses should be assigned as <30 keV photons if the employee 

worked with or around Pu, otherwise, > 15 keV electrons should be assigned. If unknown, consider 

the following guidance:

a. For a non-compensable case, it is acceptable to assume the non-penetrating dose is 

associated with <30 keV photons, as this maximizes POC.

b. For a compensable case, it is acceptable to assume the non-penetrating dose is associated 

with >15 keV electrons, as this minimizes POC.

c. If the compensability decision hinges on this issue, and if the partitioning of the nonpenetrating dose cannot be decided based on the available information, additional research 

may be required.

Electron Attenuation

All measured and missed non-penetrating doses that are considered electrons should be corrected to 

account for attenuation by clothing or personal protection equipment (PPE), if applicable. No 

attenuation should be assumed if the skin cancer was diagnosed in an area not normally covered by 

clothing, such as the face. Information on beta attenuation factors can be found in the DOE Standard 

“Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Uranium Facilities,” DOE-STD1136-2000 (which is based on the DOE Health Physics Manual of Good Practices for Uranium 

Facilities, EGG-2530).

Exposure Geometry

The nature of beta particles suggests that some recorded doses may significantly overestimate or 

underestimate the actual dose to the skin at the cancer diagnosis location. For example, for a 100% 

AP exposure geometry the actual beta dose to the back would be zero, yet a dosimeter worn on the 

chest would record the incident dose, and thus the shallow dose reported by the site would 

significantly overestimate the skin dose of concern. On the other hand, if the exposure geometry 

were primarily PA, the dosimeter would significantly underestimate the beta dose to the back. It is 

recommended that if there is an indication that the recorded dose significantly underestimates the 

actual dose at the cancer location due to exposure geometry, attenuation, or other issues, the 

reported results should be adjusted upward accordingly. However, if there is an indication but no 

definitive evidence that the recorded dose significantly overestimates

Over-response of Film to Low-Energy Photons

the actual dose, no correction 

should be made, even for a “best estimate” dose reconstruction. The exception to this rule is the 

over-response of film to low-energy photons (discussed below); site-specific instructions regarding 

this issue are provided in the attachments.

Film dosimetry can over-respond to 16 keV and 59 keV X rays by factors of 8.5-12 and 14-19 

respectively (Wilson, 1990). Because of this over-response to low-energy photons, a nominal 

multiplication factor of 0.6 is prescribed in this document for non-penetrating doses assumed to be 

from <30 keV photons measured with film, unless information is available indicating that the 

dosimeters were calibrated for low-energy photon exposure or the doses reported by the site include 

a correction for the over-response (see additional discussion below). The factor of 0.6 is claimantfavorable in view of the available data, and is high enough to ensure that if the open-window readings 

were actually attributable 100% to beta particles and not low-energy photons, the calculated 

probability of causation (POC) would be greater under the low-energy-photon assumption. Missed 

doses assigned as <30 keV photons should also include this correction factor, because missed doses
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 6 of 14

are based on nominal limits of detection (LODs), which for film significantly overestimates the 

potential missed low-energy photon dose.

Typically, film dosimetry systems that incorporated both open-window and shielded measurements 

did not correct for low-energy photon over-response. However, unless it can be established that the 

site did not already apply a correction to the reported doses to account for film over-response (e.g., 

the site TBD may provide this information, or the records may provide evidence), in order to ensure 

claimant favorability the factor of 0.6 should not be applied by the dose reconstructor. 

Uncertainty

In this document, approaches have been presented that represent claimant-favorable assumptions in 

recognition of the fact that all available information necessary to develop a true best estimate of the 

shallow dose partitioned in a manner consistent with the IREP input parameters is not reasonably 

possible. Thus, a dose reconstruction based on the guidance in this document is likely to be 

inherently claimant favorable. Consistent with this approach, even though there may be considerable 

uncertainties in the measured doses and in the appropriate partitioning by radiation type and energy, 

it is recommended that all measured doses be treated as a constant. An additional consideration is 

that treating acute doses as a distribution is not likely to have a significant impact on the calculated 

probability of causation (POC); for example, for some cancer types an acute 30-250 keV photon dose 

treated as a constant actually results in a slightly higher

4.0

POC than if the same dose were treated as a 

normal distribution with a standard deviation of 30%. Missed doses should be divided by 2 and 

treated as a lognormal distribution consistent with OCAS-IG-001.

1. This document provides information for calculating “best estimate” doses to the skin.

APPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS

1

2. This document provides site-specific information only for the Savannah River Site (SRS), Hanford, 

and the Gaseous Diffusion Plants (GDPs). Subsequent revisions will provide site-specific 

information for other major DOE sites. However, this information may be used for other sites with 

similar dosimetry systems and reporting protocols, provided that adequate documentation exists to 

ensure that doses are not being underestimated for a non-compensable case or overestimated for 

a compensable case.

 

Subsequent revisions will address the breast, testes, and other organs affected by nonpenetrating dose. However, doses to the skin calculated according to this TIB can be considered 

overestimates for the purpose of assigning claimant-favorable doses to other organs potentially 

impacted by non-penetrating radiation.

 

1

 Although claimant-favorable assumptions are embedded in the methodology out of necessity, the calculations can be 

considered best estimates because they cannot be further refined based on the available information in a reasonable 

timeframe.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 7 of 14

REFERENCES

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), External Dose Reconstruction 

Implementation Guideline, Rev. 0, OCAS-IG-001, Office of Compensation Analysis and 

Support, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2002.

Office of Compensation Analysis and Support, OCAS-TIB-006, Technical Information Bulletin: 

Interpretation of External Dosimetry Records at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Rev 1, 

February 20, 2004. 

ORAU Team, ORAUT-TKBS-0003, Technical Basis Document for the Savannah River Site to be 

Used for EEOICPA Dose Reconstructions, Rev 01, August 21, 2003. 

ORAU Team, ORAUT-TKBS-0006-4, Technical Basis Document for the Hanford Site – Occupational 

Environmental Dose, Rev 00, October 15, 2003.

ORAU Team, ORAUT-TKBS-0006-6, Technical Basis Document for the Hanford Site – Occupational 

External Dosimetry, Rev 01, January 9, 2004.

ORAU Team, ORAUT-TKBS-0019-6, Technical Basis Document for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion 

Plant – Occupational External Dose, Rev 00, August 24, 2004.

ORAU Team, ORAUT-TKBS-0015-6, Technical Basis Document for the Portsmouth Gaseous 

Diffusion Plant – Occupational External Dose (Draft). 

ORAU Team, ORAUT-TKBS-0009-6, Technical Basis Document for the K-25 Site – Occupational 

External Dose (Draft). 

U.S. Department of Energy, EGG-2530, Health Physics Manual of Good Practices for Uranium 

Facilities, June 1988.

U.S. Department of Energy, Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in 

Uranium Facilities, DOE-STD-1136-2000, August 2000.

Wilson, R. H., J. J. Fix, W. V. Baumgartner, and L. L. Nichols, 1990, Description and Evaluation of the 

Hanford Personnel Dosimeter Program From 1944 Through 1989, PNL-7447, Pacific 

Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 8 of 14

ATTACHMENT A

Skin Dose Assignment for Savannah River Site Cases

General Information

In the film badge era, the OW reading likely included a significant over-response to low-energy 

photons; therefore, prior to 1971, measured doses assigned as <30 keV photons should be multiplied 

by 0.6 if there is no indication in the records that the dosimeter was calibrated for low-energy 

photons.2

A. The penetrating component of skin dose (and the non-penetrating component of skin dose for Pu 

workers) must be multiplied by the appropriate era-specific correction factor (e.g., 1.119) per the 

TBD and OCAS-TIB-006.

B. Missed doses should be calculated based on the following LODs:

• 1951 – 1970: 50 mrem for OW, 40 mrem for S

• 1971 – 1983: 25 mrem for OW, 15 mrem for S

• 1984 – present: 20 mrem for OW, 5 mrem for S

C. For 1982 and later, these instructions supersede the information in Section 3.0 (Shallow Dose 

Interpretation) of OCAS-TIB-006.

Procedure 

Measured Dose

1. Subtract the reported S reading from the reported OW reading. This is the calculated nonpenetrating dose.

1. Assign the calculated non-penetrating dose as either electrons E>15 keV, or photons E<30 keV. 

In the former case, a correction factor should be provided for clothing, if applicable, depending on 

likely clothing thickness and beta energy; in the latter case, if applicable (see General Information 

above) a correction factor of 0.6 should be applied prior to 1971 to account for film over-response, 

and the era-specific correction factor should be applied.

2. Multiply the reported S reading (separating out the neutron dose, as applicable) by the appropriate 

era-specific correction factor. This is the corrected penetrating photon dose.

3. Assign the corrected penetrating photon dose as photons, partitioned by energy according to the 

SRS TBD or OCAS-TIB-006.

4. Assign the reported neutron dose (if applicable) partitioned by energy and correct for neutron 

quality according to the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

Missed Dose

5. For any badge cycle with a zero result in either the OW or S reading, or both, assign a single

missed dose as explained in Items 6-8 below.

6. If only the OW reading was reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the appropriate 

OW LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered electrons (corrected for 

 

2 As discussed in OCAS-OTIB-0006, a 17-keV calibration curve in the DOE records is evidence of calibration for low-energy 

photons based on the employee’s work with Pu.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 9 of 14

attenuation, if applicable) or low-energy photons (multiplied by 0.6 in the film badge era, if 

applicable) consistent with the approach taken in Step 2.

7. If only the S reading was reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the appropriate S 

LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered 30-250 keV photons.

8. If both the OW and S readings were reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the 

appropriate OW LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered 30-250 keV 

photons.

9. During the film-badge era, if there was a potential exposure to neutrons, assign unmonitored 

neutron dose based on neutron-gamma ratios per the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

10. During the TLD era, for a person potentially exposed to neutrons, if a zero neutron result were 

recorded, assign missed dose per the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

 

Examples of skin dose assignments for SRS badge readings in 1970 (assuming no clothing 

correction and no calibration curve in record for low-energy photons) (mrem). 

OW reading S reading Measured dose assigned Missed dose assigned

50 0 50 (electrons) or 50 X 0.6 X 1.119 = 33.57 (low-energy 

photons)

40/2 = 20

(30-250 keV photons)

0 0 None 50/2 = 25

(30-250 keV photons)

100 60 40 (electrons) or 40 X 0.6 X 1.119 = 26.856 (lowenergy photons) AND

60 X 1.119 = 67.14

(photon energy per TBD or OCAS-TIB-006)

None

100 100 100 X 1.119 = 119.00

(photon energy per TBD or OCAS-TIB-006)

None

0 40 40 X 1.119 = 44.76

(photon energy per TBD or OCAS-TIB-006)

50/2 = 25 (electrons) or 50/2 X 0.6 = 

15 (low-energy photons)
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 10 of 14

ATTACHMENT B

Skin Dose Assignment for Hanford Cases

General Information

A. In the film badge era, the OW reading likely included a significant over-response to low-energy 

photons; however, starting in April 1957, an additional dosimeter element was included in the 

badge design to facilitate an accurate measurement of X-ray dose. Therefore, prior to April 1957, 

measured doses assigned as <30 keV photons should be multiplied by 0.6 (only if, as described in 

Section 3.0, evidence exists indicating that the recorded doses were not adjusted downward by 

the site to account for the over-response). 

B. Missed doses should be calculated based on the following LODs:

• 1944 – 1971: 50 mrem for non-penetrating (OW), 40 mrem for penetrating (S) 

• 1972 – 1994: 30 mrem for non-penetrating, 20 mrem for penetrating

• 1995 – present: 50 mrem for non-penetrating, 10 mrem for penetrating

C. Hanford used a variety of dosimetry types and reporting schemes during its history. The dose 

reconstructor must ensure that the non-penetrating and penetrating doses have been adequately 

interpreted from the data reported. For example, when beta and gamma doses are reported by 

the site, these typically represent the non-penetrating and penetrating doses, respectively, and 

collectively represent the total skin dose. However, when the data are reported as open-window 

and shielded, the open-window measurement represents the total skin dose and the shielded 

measurement represents only the penetrating component.

D. Hanford used a variety of measurement techniques and reporting schemes for neutron dose. 

These doses may or may not have been included in the reported skin (or shallow) or whole-body 

(or deep) doses. As is the case for reconstructing doses for organs not impacted by nonpenetrating radiation, the calculation of dose to the skin requires that any neutron doses have 

been separated from the reported dose quantities and treated separately in IREP.

E. As described in the Hanford Occupational Environmental Dose TBD, workers from the mid 1940s 

to the mid 1950s may have been exposed to radioactive particles emitted from facility stacks.

Procedure 

Measured Dose

1944-March 1957

1. Determine the non-penetrating dose by subtracting the reported S reading from the reported OW 

reading. 

2. Assign the non-penetrating dose as either electrons >15 keV (corrected for attenuation, if 

applicable), or photons <30 keV if the employee worked primarily with or near plutonium, such as 

in PFP. In the latter case, a correction factor of 0.6 should be applied to account for film overresponse, if a correction by the site is not evident in the records as described above and in 

Section 3.0. 

3. Assign the penetrating photon dose as photons, partitioned by energy according to the Hanford 

TBD.

4. Assign the reported neutron dose (if applicable) partitioned by energy and corrected for neutron 

quality according to the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 11 of 14

April 1957-1971

5. Assign the non-penetrating dose as the reported beta dose (assigned as >15 keV electrons, which 

should be corrected for attenuation, if applicable) and 65% of the reported X-ray dose (assigned 

as <30 keV photons). 

6. Assign the penetrating dose as the reported gamma dose (assigned as photons, partitioned by 

energy according to the Hanford TBD) and 35% of the reported X-ray dose (assigned as 30-250 

keV photons).

7. Assign the reported neutron dose (if applicable) partitioned by energy and corrected for neutron 

quality according to the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

1972-1994

8. Determine the non-penetrating dose by subtracting the reported penetrating reading (typically 

reported as deep or whole body) from the reported non-penetrating reading (typically reported as 

shallow or skin). 

9. Assign the non-penetrating dose as either electrons >15 keV (corrected for attenuation, if 

applicable), or photons <30 keV if the employee worked primarily with or near plutonium, such as 

in PFP. 

10. Assign the penetrating photon dose as photons, partitioned by energy according to the Hanford 

TBD.

11. Assign the reported neutron dose (if applicable) partitioned by energy and corrected for neutron 

quality according to the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

1995-Present

12. Determine the non-penetrating dose by subtracting the reported deep photon reading from the 

reported shallow reading. 

13. Assign the non-penetrating dose as either electrons >15 keV (corrected for attenuation, if 

applicable), or photons <30 keV if the employee worked primarily with or near plutonium, such as 

in PFP. 

14. Assign the penetrating photon dose as photons, partitioned by energy according to the Hanford 

TBD.

15. Assign the reported neutron dose (if applicable) partitioned by energy and corrected for neutron 

quality according to the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

Missed Dose

16. For any badge cycle with a zero result in any of the element readings, assign a single

17. If only the OW (or beta, or non-penetrating) reading was reported as zero, the missed dose 

assigned should be the appropriate non-penetrating LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as 

lognormal) and considered electrons (corrected for attenuation, if applicable) or low-energy 

photons (multiplied by 0.6 prior to 1957). For the period 1957-1971, when X-ray doses were 

reported separately, a non-zero value reported for X-rays indicates that the missed dose should 

missed 

dose.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 12 of 14

be considered electrons, and a zero value reported for X-rays indicates that the missed dose 

should be considered 30-250 keV photons.

18. If only the S (or gamma, or penetrating) reading was reported as zero, the missed dose assigned 

should be the appropriate penetrating LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and 

considered 30-250 keV photons.

19. If both the OW and S readings were reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the 

appropriate non-penetrating LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered 

30-250 keV photons.

20. During the film-badge era, for a person potentially exposed to neutrons, assign unmonitored 

neutron dose based on neutron-gamma ratios per the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

21. During the TLD era, for a person potentially exposed to neutrons, if a zero neutron result was 

recorded, assign missed dose per the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

Examples of skin dose assignments for Hanford badge readings in 1980 (assuming no 

clothing correction) (mrem). 

Shallow reading Deep reading Measured dose assigned Missed dose assigned

50 0 50 (electrons or low-energy photons) 20/2 = 10

(30-250 keV photons)

0 0 None 30/2 =15

(30-250 keV photons)

100 60 40 (electrons or low-energy photons) AND

60 (photon energy per TBD)

None

100 100 100 (photon energy per TBD) None

0 40 40 (photon energy per TBD) 30/2 = 15 (electrons or low-energy 

photons)

Examples of skin dose assignments for Hanford badge readings in 1970 (assuming no 

clothing correction) (mrem). 

Beta reading X-ray reading Gamma reading Measured dose assigned Missed dose assigned 

50 0 0 50 (electrons) 40/2 = 20

(30-250 keV photons)

0 0 0 None 50/2 =25

(30-250 keV photons)

100 20 60 100 (electrons) AND 20 X 0.65 = 13 (<30 

keV photons) AND 20 X 0.35 = 7 (30-250 

keV photons AND 60 (photon energy per 

TBD)

None

100 0 100 100 (electrons) AND 100 (photon energy 

per TBD)

50/2 = 25 (30-250 keV 

photons)
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 13 of 14

ATTACHMENT C

Skin Dose Assignment for Gaseous Diffusion Plant Cases

General Information

A. In general, the contribution to skin dose at DOE gaseous diffusion plants (GDPs) from low-energy 

photons is extremely small compared to the contribution from beta particles.

B. Missed doses should be calculated based on the following LODs:

Paducah

• 1953 – 1980: 50 mrem for OW, 40 mrem for S

• 1981 – 1988: 30 mrem for OW, 20 mrem for S

• 1989 – present: 20 mrem for OW, 20 mrem for S

Note: The Paducah TBD states an OW LOD of 120 mrem for 1953-1980. However, this value appears 

to be speculative when compared against the LOD values for similar dosimetry systems at other sites at 

that time (see attachments A and B and the information for Portsmouth and K-25 below). As stated in 

the TBD, “In 1953, PDGP began using dosimeter and processing technical support from Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory...practices were similar to those used at ORNL and other major sites...ORNL has 

provided PGDP with dosimeters from early in the operations period through the present.” Based on the 

information provided, it appears that the LOD value reported in the TBD is based on considerations 

involving low-energy beta emitters; however, this would significantly overestimate the LOD (and missed 

dose) when the principal source of exposure is uranium, since the dosimeters were calibrated using 

uranium slabs. Therefore, the value has been reduced in this TIB to 10 mrem above the reported 

photon LOD. The dose reconstructor should consult the TBD to address potential exposures to Tc-99. 

Portsmouth

• 1954 – 1980: 30 mrem for OW, 30 mrem for S

• 1981 – 1982: Not Applicable for OW, 15 mrem for S

• 1983 – 1998: 40 mrem for OW, 10 mrem for S

• 1999 – present: 30 mrem for OW, 10 mrem for S

Note: For 1981 and 1982 there was no open window dosimeter measurement, so non-penetrating 

doses were not measured directly. Therefore, for this period the dose reconstructor must use judgment 

based on 1) extrapolation from prior and later years (if the employee’s job and exposure conditions was 

consistent throughout the period), 2) application of shallow to deep dose ratios, or 3) co-worker studies. 

Additional research may be required to determine an appropriate method for the case.

K-25

• 1945 – 1987: 30 mrem for OW, 30 mrem for S

• 1988 – present: 5 mrem for OW, 5 mrem for S

Note: K-25 does not distinguish between open-window and shielded dosimeter measurements when 

reporting MDLs. It is implied that the MDLs should be considered the same.

C. To account for a potential exposure to Tc-99, which would not have been measured accurately by 

the dosimeters used at the sites, missed Tc-99 dose should be added as prescribed in the site 

TBD for some workers.
Effective Date: 01/19/2005 Revision No.: 00 Document No. ORAUT-OTIB-0017 Page 14 of 14

Procedure 

Measured Dose

1. Subtract the reported S reading from the reported OW reading. This is the calculated nonpenetrating dose.

2. Assign the calculated non-penetrating dose as electrons >15 keV. A correction factor should be 

provided for clothing, if applicable, depending on likely clothing thickness and beta energy. 

3. Assign the reported S dose as photons, partitioned by energy according to the site-specific TBD.

4. Assign the reported neutron dose (if applicable) partitioned by energy and correct for neutron 

quality according to the TBD (using an organ DCF of 1).

Missed Dose

5. For any badge cycle with a zero result in either the OW or S reading, or both, assign a single

6. If only the OW reading was reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the appropriate 

OW LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered electrons (corrected for 

attenuation, if applicable).

missed dose.

7. If only the S reading was reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the appropriate S 

LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered 30-250 keV photons.

8. If both the OW and S readings were reported as zero, the missed dose assigned should be the 

appropriate OW LOD for that era (divided by 2, treated as lognormal) and considered 30-250 keV 

photons.

9. Assign missed or unmonitored neutron dose per the TBD. 

10. If applicable, assign unmonitored Tc-99 dose (as >15 keV electrons) per the TBD.

Examples of skin dose assignments for GDP badge readings in 1970 (assuming Paducah 

LODs, no clothing correction and no Tc-99 exposure) (mrem).

OW reading S reading Measured dose assigned Missed dose assigned

50 0 50 (electrons) 40/2 = 20

(30-250 keV photons)

0 0 None 50/2 =25

(30-250 keV photons)

100 60 40 (electrons) AND 60 (photon energy per TBD) None

100 100 100 (photon energy per TBD) None

0 40 40 photon energy per TBD) 50/2 = 25 (electrons)