ORAU TEAM

Dose Reconstruction

Project for NIOSH

Oak Ridge Associated Universities I Dade Moeller & Associates I MJW Corporation

Page 1 of 33

Document Title:

Argonne National Laboratory – East –

Occupational Environmental Dose

Document Number: ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4

Revision: 00

Effective Date: 02/09/2006

Type of Document: TBD

Supersedes: None

Subject Experts: Henry Peterson and Norman D. Rohrig

Document Owner

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 02/03/2006

Norman D. Rohrig, TBD Team Leader

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 02/07/2006

Judson L. Kenoyer, Task 3 Manager

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 02/06/2006

Kate Kimpan, Project Director

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 02/09/2006

Stuart. L. Hinnefeld, Health Science Administrator

 New Total Rewrite Revision Page Change

FOR DOCUMENTS MARKED AS A TOTAL REWRITE, REVISION, OR PAGE CHANGE, REPLACE THE PRIOR 

REVISION AND DISCARD / DESTROY ALL COPIES OF THE PRIOR REVISION. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 2 of 33

PUBLICATION RECORD 

EFFECTIVE 

DATE

REVISION 

NUMBER DESCRIPTION

02/09/2006 00 New technical basis document for the Argonne National Laboratory 

East – Occupational Environmental Dose. First approved issue. 

Training required: As determined by the Task Manager. Initiated by 

Norman D. Rohrig and Robert Meyer.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 3 of 33

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SECTION TITLE PAGE

Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................4

4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 5

4.2 External Dose .............................................................................................................................6

4.3 Effects from Onsite Airborne Radionuclide Concentration ........................................................10

4.3.1 Operational Releases .................................................................................................... 14

4.3.2 Dose Implications of Operational Releases ................................................................... 16

4.4 Internal Dose from Radionuclide Releases...............................................................................18

References ...........................................................................................................................................20

ATTACHMENT A, INTAKE OF PARTICULATES ................................................................................ 27

LIST OF TABLES 

TABLE TITLE PAGE

4-1 Area TLD data for ANL-E areas (1972 – 2003) ..........................................................................9

4-2 1968 concentration measurements for 41Ar near CP-5 (Building 330) ......................................13

4-3 1969 Measurements of 41Ar near Juggernaut Reactor (Building 335) ......................................14

4-4 1971 and 1972 concentration measurements for 41Ar near CP-5 

(Building 330) ............................................................................................................................15

4-5 Operational airborne releases at ANL-E ...................................................................................15

4-6 Estimated airborne releases .....................................................................................................16

4-7 External Dose from airborne releases at 150 m .......................................................................17

4-8 External doses from airborne releases at Site D Buildings .......................................................17

4-9 Intakes (kBq/yr) of 220Rn and 216Po by year from M Wing of Building 

200............................................................................................................................................19

4-10 Milli Working level months for thoron daughters from M-Wing. ..............................................19

A-1 Radioactivity in airborne particulates on and off ANL-E site before 

1974..........................................................................................................................................30

A-2 Radioactivity in airborne particulates at perimeter and off ANL-E site 

(after 1974) ...............................................................................................................................32

LIST OF FIGURES 

FIGURE TITLE PAGE

4-1 Map of ANL-E showing grid locations .........................................................................................7

4-2 Rn-220 and daughters. ............................................................................................................18

A-1 Air sampling locations at ANL-E in 1968 ...................................................................................29

A-2 Sampling locations at ANL-E in 1996 .......................................................................................31
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 4 of 33

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 

ANL-E Argonne National Laboratory-East 

Ci curie 

CP-5 Chicago Pile No. 5 

DOE U.S. Department of Energy 

EBWR Experimental Boiling Water Reactor 

EEOICPA Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act 

ft foot

hr hour

in. inch

IPNS Intense Pulsed Neutron Source 

m meter 

mm millimeter 

MPC Maximum Permissible Concentration 

mph miles per hour 

mrem millirem

NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

pCi picocurie 

rem Roentgen-equivalent man

RM radioactive material 

s second 

TBD technical basis document 

TLD thermoluminescent dosimeter 

U. S. C. United States Code 

WSA Waste Storage Area 

yr year 

ZGS Zero Gradient Synchrotron 
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4.1 INTRODUCTION 

Technical basis documents (TBDs) and Site Profile documents are general working documents that 

provide guidance concerning the preparation of dose reconstructions at particular sites or categories 

of sites. They will be revised in the event additional relevant information is obtained about the 

affected site(s). These documents may be used to assist the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the completion of the individual work required for each dose 

reconstruction. 

In this document the word “facility” is used as a general term for an area, building, or group of 

buildings that served a specific purpose at a site. It does not necessarily connote an “atomic weapons 

employer facility” or a “Department of Energy [DOE] facility” as defined in the Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act [EEOICPA; 42 U.S.C. § 73841(5) and (12)]. 

EEOICPA defines a DOE facility as “any building, structure, or premise, including the grounds upon 

which such building, structure, or premise is located ... in which operations are, or have been, 

conducted by, or on behalf of, the Department of Energy (except for buildings, structures, premises, 

grounds, or operations ... pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program)” [42 U.S.C. § 

73841(12)]. Accordingly, except for the exclusion for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program noted 

above, any facility that performs or performed DOE operations of any nature whatsoever is a DOE 

facility encompassed by EEOICPA. 

For employees of DOE or its contractors with cancer, the DOE facility definition only determines 

eligibility for a dose reconstruction, which is a prerequisite to a compensation decision (except for 

members of the Special Exposure Cohort). The compensation decision for cancer claimants is based 

on a section of the statute entitled “Exposure in the Performance of Duty.” That provision [42 U.S.C. § 

7384n(b)] says that an individual with cancer “shall be determined to have sustained that cancer in the 

performance of duty for purposes of the compensation program if, and only if, the cancer ... was at 

least as likely as not related to employment at the facility [where the employee worked], as 

determined in accordance with the [probability of causation] guidelines established under 

subsection (c) .... ” [42 U.S.C. § 7384n(b)]. Neither the statute nor the probability of causation 

guidelines (nor the dose reconstruction regulation) define “performance of duty” for DOE employees 

with a covered cancer or restrict the “duty” to nuclear weapons work. 

As noted above, the statute includes a definition of a DOE facility that excludes “buildings, structures, 

premises, grounds, or operations covered by Executive Order No. 12344, dated February 1, 1982 

(42 U.S.C. 7158 note), pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program” [42 U.S.C. § 7384l(12)]. 

While this definition contains an exclusion with respect to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the 

section of EEOICPA that deals with the compensation decision for covered employees with cancer 

[i.e., 42 U.S.C. § 7384n(b), entitled “Exposure in the Performance of Duty”] does not contain such an 

exclusion. Therefore, the statute requires NIOSH to include all radiation exposures in its dose 

reconstructions for employees at DOE facilities, including radiation exposures related to the Naval 

Nuclear Propulsion Program. As a result, all internal and external dosimetry results are considered 

valid for use in dose reconstruction. No efforts are made to determine the eligibility of any fraction of 

total measured exposure for inclusion in dose reconstruction. 

Argonne National Laboratory was established on July 1, 1946 and this TBD is intended to cover since 

that date. The work was a continuation of that done by the Metallurgical Laboratory of the University 

of Chicago beginning in 1941 which is an Atomic Weapons Employer under EEOICPA. The job 

locations did not change until land and buildings were acquired for the laboratory. 
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This TBD addresses radioactive material (RM) releases from areas or facilities at the Argonne 

National Laboratory – East (ANL-E) site that could affect employees at that site. These releases 

represent potentially unrecorded or missed doses, as either direct gamma or beta-gamma from 

immersion in the radioactive cloud, for individuals who did not have personal dosimetry to record the 

dose, or as internal doses from RM inhalation. 

In addition, this TBD addresses direct gamma doses resulting from facility operations. In general, 

these doses, if not controlled by management, increase with time and create a facility background 

dose. At ANL-E, these doses could have been recorded by film badges before 1970, but references 

containing these data have not been found. Facility background doses have been recorded by 

thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) on a routine basis since 1972. These facility background 

doses (or facility fenceline doses, as they are sometimes called) are a nebulous indication of a dose 

that workers could receive if they inhabited outside areas at ANL-E. Golchert and Kolzow (2004) 

stated: “Three locations were added to the network in 1999 to monitor radioactive waste management 

activities.” This seems to have been the practice during earlier years because some of the higher 

annual doses are associated with areas that temporarily stored irradiated material or radioactive 

waste. 

4.2 EXTERNAL DOSE 

As stated in Section 4.1, TLDs have been used to monitor on- and offsite environmental areas since 

1972. The measurements of the gamma dose were made with dysprosium-activated, extruded 

calcium fluoride chips “calibrated with a National Bureau of Standard (NBS) radium-226 source. Each 

measurement was the average of 3 to 6 chips exposed in the same package. The measurements 

were made during six successive exposure periods that averaged 61 days in length and were 

weighted according to their exposure times in calculating the annual average for a location.” (Sedlet, 

Golchert, and Duffy 1973). Six TLD chips were not always used; by 1975 only four were used in a 

packet. 

The available literature does not indicate the use of film badges for this purpose prior to 1972. In 

1971, 16 TLD environmental measurements were made around the ANL-E perimeter to characterize 

the radiation field at the site boundary (ANL 1972). The TLDs might have been part of an experiment 

to determine their suitability for environmental measurements, because Sedlet (1971k) describes 

other tests to determine fading, aging, and sensitivity characteristics and suitability of different TLD 

readers. Of these 16 measurements, based on a maximum of 52 days, the highest value 

corresponds to the location of the heliport (map grid 8H, Figure 4-1) and was projected from a reading 

made over 27 days to be 149 mrem/yr. In addition to these 16 TLD readings, readings at six offsite 

locations averaged 119 mrem/yr. 

Since 1972, TLDs have been used to monitor and record suspected radiation fields that were higher 

than normal. TLDs have been placed at 10 to 30 ANL-E locations. As shown in Figure 4-1, the 

ANL-E environmental reports divide the site into a grid with letters running from west to east and 

numbers running from south to north. The spacing is 1,000 ft or about 300 m. 

In discussing placement of the TLDs, Sedlet, Golchert, and Duffy (1975, p. 55) and Golchert, Duffy, 

and Sedlet (1976, p. 53) state: 

Dosimeters were exposed at a number of locations at the site boundary to determine 

the dose, if any, due to Argonne operations at the closest uncontrolled approaches to 

the Laboratory, and at several locations on the site. The latter were chosen for two 
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purposes: to determine where abnormal doses might be encountered, and where the 

results might be useful in determining the origin of any abnormal dose readings 

obtained at the boundary. Readings were also taken at five off-site locations for 

comparison purposes.

Figure 4-1. Map of ANL-E showing grid locations. 

The off-site locations were Downers Grove, Lockport, Lombard, Oak Lawn, and Oakbrook; 

towns that are distant from ANL-E, chosen so that a background value could be determined so 

that TLD values on-site could be compared with the background values. Over a couple years, 

measurements made at these distant locations showed the background gamma radiation level 
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to be about 100 mrem/yr. As stated in the 1974 environmental report (Sedlet, Golchert, and 

Duffy 1975): 

The off-site results averaged 99 mrem/yr with a standard deviation (for a single result) 

of 8.5 mrem/yr. The standard error of the mean was 1.6 mrem/yr. For 1972 and 1973, 

averages and standard deviations were 105 + 5 mrem/yr and 100 + 11 mrem/yr, 

respectively. Thus, the off-site readings have remained constant, within the observed 

statistical variations. 

With respect to TLD measurements made on-site, the environmental monitoring report for 1976 

(Golchert, Duffy, and Sedlet 1977) states: 

Dose variations from period to period at the same location, which are at least in part 

statistical, and the difference between locations make it difficult to determine with high 

certainty when site boundary doses are only a few mrem/yr above normal and due to 

Argonne operations. Three criteria are used here to identify such locations: 1) the 

results for each sampling period are frequently above the off-site average for the same 

period; 2) the annual; average at a location exceeds the off-site average (90 mrem/yr) 

plus twice the standard error in the average, 9 mrem/yr; or 3) occasional results at a 

particular location are significantly above the normal value for that location, although 

such results were still in the off-site normal range. 

For each dose measurement cited, the authors (Golchert, Duffy, and Sedlet 1978) state “The 

error given for an average is the 95% confidence limit calculated from the standard error.” 

The large error for the doses reported for several locations including 7I are due to movements 

into and out of the waste storage area and the repackaging of the waste that occurs at these 

locations. The quarterly TLD measurements for 1987 at 7I illustrate this convincingly. The 

quarterly readings were 7710, 8700, 11300, and 283 mrem/yr. The report for that year 

(Golchert and Duffy 1988) states: 

A dramatic reduction in dose between the third and fourth quarters of 1987 at location 

7I is obvious. To verify that the fourth quarter values were accurate, additional 

measurements were made with a Reuter-Stokes environmental radiation monitor. The 

results of the measurements at three different locations, 7I Center, 7I Boundary, 9H, 

agree well with the TLD values in Table 4.20. Subsequent discussion with operating 

personnel at the Waste Storage Facility indicated that radioactive waste had been 

shipped off-site for disposal in the late summer and early fall, and very little material 

was stored in this area for the remainder of the year. 

Similar variation can be seen with the TLD measurements made for the other RM storage areas 

located at the ANL-E site. 

With time, the number and locations of TLDs have not been constant. However, some locations have 

been consistently monitored with time. The Waste Storage Area (WSA; 317 Area) on the southern 

boundary of the site, at map grid 7I, is an example of a consistently monitored location. The irradiated 

material storage area in the 300 Area, 50 m southeast of CP-5 (map grid 9H), is another example. 

Both of these areas are inside fenced areas because of the RM stored there (ANL 1982; Golchert and 

Kolzow 2005). 
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Table 4-1. Area TLD data for ANL-E areas (mrem/yr) (1972 – 2003). 

Year Heliport(8H) 200 Area 300 Area 360 Area WSA (7I)

1972 141 121 1250; 399; 269 95; 160 1,330; 1,105

1973 145+54 99 +34 1,645 +1870; 358 142 2,600 +1,440; 423 +300

1974 128+21 2,020 +2,320; 180 +18; 175 +153; 19 1+158 3,460 +1,400; 282 +84

1975 125+10 2600+320; 432+182; 632+1484; 200+286; 162+13 3180+709; 292+50; 245+24

1976 155+13 1,670 +310; 823 +24 2,420 +200; 1,440 +1,420; 455 +485; 125 +31 7,080,+1,570; 528 +75

1977 146+30 1,110 +350; 268 +15 1,820 +150; 162 +27; 374 +134; 104 +7 2,640 +900; 206 +31

1978 136+14 770 +47; 325 +33; 150 +9; 152 +11 2,560 +165; 124 +17; 198 +103; 108 +10 260 +140 4,750 +1,630; 281 +73

1979 154+19 250 +5 2,070 +210; 104 +10; 118 +44; 94 +1 240 +53 6340+2130; 447+61

1980 186+12 281 +19 1,820 +113; 118; 140 +10; 113 +12 144 +15 3,710 +2,500; 648 +79

1981 136+7 182 +7 953 +258; 108 +7; 136 +7; 114 +8 15,300 +4,030; 578 +78

1982 129+20 198 +10 673 +35; 100 +4; 88 +12 9,650 +8,340; 509 +288

1983 116+10 185 +6 647 +118 4,090 +1,830; 292,+139

1984 122+21 164 +18 561 +34; 98 +20 5,450 +590; 457 +221

1985 106+52 254 582 +99 7,600 +1,170; 941 +379

1986 <100 102 +6 436 +62 4,610 +1,200; 444 +72

1987 103+10 112 +5 608 +375; 107 +46 7,000 +4,730; 458,+241

1988 <100 120 +5 1,370 +81 2,010 +3,000; 144 +56

1989 <100 110+3 1,216 +47 6,000 +112; 222 +3

1990 <100 <100 1,015 +46 4,330 +1718; 165 +45

1991 <100 <100 874 +33 1,423 +35

1992 <100 <100 327 +148 3,086 +880

1993 <100 <100 157 +26 1,195 +460; 103 +15

1994 <100 <100 <100 1,455 +553

1995 <100 <100 <100 5,516 +2324; 129 +12

1996 <100 <100 157 +57 4,023 +3921; 127 +12

1997 <100 <100 139 +105 1,021 +785; 100 +8

1998 <100 <100 170 +66 3,237 +417; 106 +10

1999 <100 <100 256 +192; 367 +294 2,952 +493; 105 +21

2000 101+6 <100 179 +108; 405 +37; 141 +78 783 +504 2,333 +1013; 114 +21

2001 106+17 105 +18 106 +17; 110 +22; 479 +88; 230 +149 443 +120; 128 +20

2002 <100 <100 967 +276; 349 +298; 100 +5 735 +52 255 +63; 111 +11

2003 <100 <100 1,028 +499; 457 +409; 515 +88 116 +56; 103 +23
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At least since 1972, the areas at ANL-E (200, 300, 360, 400, 500, 600, 800 areas and the east area) 

have operated relatively consistently. Other than the WSA (location 7I on Figure 4-1), only the 300 

Area has had gamma measurements significantly above background, at an irradiated material/waste 

storage area. In the 200 Area, large-scale irradiation of animals with 60Co and the JANUS Reactor 

occurred in the Biology Building (202). Because of the design of the irradiation experiments and the 

number of animals irradiated, when the relatively large 60Co source (up to thirty-six each up to 1,500 

Ci) was in the irradiation position, an area east of Building 202 had the potential for large radiation 

exposures. This area was monitored for excessive radiation fields and posted, and personnel were 

excluded from the area during irradiations. TLD readings occurred at locations near the irradiation 

area, which resulted in higher-than-background readings for the 200 Area. 

Because of the average background value of 100 mrem/yr, this TBD analysis considered only TLD 

measurements above 100 mrem/yr (see Table 4-1). This limitation narrows onsite TLD 

measurements to the 200 Area, the 300 Area, the WSA in the 7I grid, the Heliport location in the H8 

grid, and a few yearly measurements in the 360 Area. 

ANL-E accelerators could generate radiation fields to which personnel could have been exposed. The 

argument is made that health physics personnel were trained to recognize conditions that would 

create personnel exposure potentials (Moe, Lasuk, Schumacher, and Hunt 1972, Moe 1988) and that 

these practices were put into operation to prevent personnel overexposure potentials (Wheeler 1960; 

Moe et al. undated).

In general, the highest TLD doses tabulated correspond to areas in which irradiated hardware is 

temporarily stored (i.e., 9H for the 300 Area). Personnel around or adjacent to these locations would 

normally wear badges, as did all personnel who entered areas or buildings where RM was used. 

Table 4-1 lists all environmental TLD data recorded above the 100-mrem/yr criterion. For example, 

the highest reading in column 4 (300 Area) was recorded for the irradiated material storage area (map 

grid 9H), and the highest reading in column 6 (WSA) was recorded for the center of the WSA (map 

grid 7I). 

With respect to unmonitored gamma doses at ANL-E, because of the confined area where RM was 

stored outside of buildings where RM was used, unbadged workers would not be expected to receive 

a dose in excess of the normal background dose of 100 mrem/yr. Although operations at the WSA at 

7I have been determined to perturbate the normal background TLD readings at the site boundary and 

at the Heliport, the perturbations are + 50% of the background value and are not constant with time 

(i.e., those variations are infrequent). Since the area around the 7I WSA is wooded, workers are not 

expected to have inhabited this area. 

High values in the 200 area are from the large 60Co sources in the Biology building 202 and were 

located to the NE of the building. In 1977, the source arrangement was rearranged to reduce these 

doses. 

4.3 EFFECTS FROM ONSITE AIRBORNE RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATION 

Prevention of inhalation of hazardous material was practiced at ANL-E in the late 1940s, and keeping

concentrations below “permissible levels” was attempted. A “Hazards Evaluation Division” (HED) 

report for August, 1946, (HED 1946) documents this culture of awareness and the attempt at 

prevention of inhalation of hazardous materials at Site B: 

Activities in this site for the month produced only the usual low levels of contamination 

which are usually cleaned up with no general increase in hazards. Air counts show 
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consistently the existence of air-borne materials, as a rule, well below permissible 

levels. The machine shop operations with BeO are under careful surveillance for 

proper ventilation and handling. The personnel involved have been acquainted with the 

probable seriousness of exposures and the necessary cooperation is expected to result 

in effective control of any possible danger from such operations. 

However, as mentioned in a monthly Health Physics Division (HPD) report (HPD 1946) for November, 

1946, operational control was not as tight as management wished. That report states: 

The routine surveys turned up more than the usual number of hot spots due to an apparent 

increase in the handling of active materials. . . An Individual was found grinding uranium 

bars on an open grinder in Room 121 with the result that his clothing, shoes, tools, and the 

floor and work bench were heavily contaminated. . . 

These two instances are provided to illustrate that, early on, operations were occurring that produced 

airborne concentrations of hazardous and radioactive material, that ANL management was monitoring 

for unusual situations, and that operations were occurring that could produce airborne materials that 

could be released to the environment if effluent from these operations were not filtered. Indeed, as 

pointed out in a health physics report (Crain 1946a, Crain 1946b, Crain 1946c), radioactive material 

was carried out of the plant by personnel to their homes. These reports (April 29, May 11, and May 

22, 1946) document results of surveys of personnel homes where personnel had carried substantial 

quantities of radioactive contamination to their homes.

In November 1948, the Health Physics Division reported (HPD 1948) operations that indicated an 

interest in what material was being released from various facilities. The following quote is the first 

indication in the available literature that there was an interest in material that was being released to 

the environment by way of building exhaust stacks. 

Film exposure of two shingles from around the New Chem, Room 2 stack (4-5 M and 6-

8 M) and a U filter paper from Site B (683 c/m) did not show detectable tracks; the 

exposure time of one hour was evidently too short. A later exposure of the filter paper 

and a Pu standard (2212 d/m) for a 17 day period showed countable track patterns from 

the filter paper, while the tracks from the standard were present as a maze on the outer 

edge. 

In June, 1949, the Health Physics Division reported (HPD 1949a), under a subtitle “Background 

Radioactivity” of the report: 

The vibrating reed electrometer and pressure chamber have been in continuous 

operation for a week. Twenty-four-hour blank runs with the chamber unshielded show a 

background of about 5 ion pairs/cc/sec. Sample counting will begin when the shielding 

is completed. Water samples have been obtained from most of the wells in the 

immediate site periphery. Rain water samples are being collected routinely from the 

meteorology rain gauge. Very little animal sampling is going on; adult specimens are 

not desired during the mating and nesting season.

In the same report, under a subtitle, Site D, an operation is described that could have been a source 

of environmental contamination: 

Uranium machining and grinding was carried out in D-17, Rooms 25 and 28 on June 9 

and 10; a coolant was used. The exhaust system has not been installed and a 50-
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minute air sample taken during the grinding process showed three times the 

permissible level. All uranium operations that can produce high levels of contamination 

should be kept at a minimum until proper ventilation exists. The use of Comfo 

respirators during the interim should be regarded as a temporary emergency procedure. 

Personnel who are not concerned with the specific operation should be excluded from 

the area in which a level above permissible limits may be produced.

The July 10 to September 1, 1949, Health Physics Division report (HPD 1949b) states: 

The background radioactivity group has had a pressure chamber and vibrating reed in 

operation for about two months, studying average background levels. To date 52 air 

samples have been collected by Filter Queens. Additional animal specimens are being 

collected to supplement species not represented. Equipment for low level counting has 

been obtained for test.

Although no results for the 52 air samples taken could be found in the literature, the foregoing 

statements quoted from ANL Health Physics Division reports shows that an environmental monitoring 

program was in the formative stages as ANL operations were moving to Site D. Indeed, by at least 

1953, an environmental monitoring program that sampled soil, air, water, plants, and animals, on-site 

and off-site, had been established principally for the purpose of determining if any radioactive material 

was released to the environment by the operations at ANL. As stated in ANL-5446 (Sedlet 1955): 

“Samples were collected from the ANL grounds and from zones approximately 10, 25, and 100 miles 

from the Laboratory.” For this sampling program, “counting techniques, and most of the analytical 

procedures are given in detail in ANL-5069 and ANL-5289” (Sedlet 1955). In 1954, 1625 samples 

were taken and “Most of the samples were analyzed for total alpha and beta activities. In addition, 

some of these samples were analyzed for certain fission products; uranium, neptunium, plutonium, 

thorium, and potassium. Approximately 5% of the samples were not analyzed, but were stored for 

future use.”(Sedlet 1955). 

Although all of the earlier environmental reports (Sedlet and Stehney 1954, Sedlet 1955, Sedlet 1957, 

Sedlet 1958a, Sedlet 1958b, Sedlet 1959, Sedlet 1961, Sedlet and Iwami 1963, Sedlet and Iwami a 

1965,Sedlet and Iwami 1965b) are formal published internal reports, at least some of the information 

was shared with the State of Illinois and private utilities that were in the proposal stages of nuclear 

power use. These reports were reviewed to determine if any ANL operations resulted in releases of 

RM to the environment that could have resulted in significant exposure to ANL employees. The only 

report that identified RM resulting from ANL operations was the report for the years 1960 and 1961 

(Sedlet and Iwami 1963). Quoting from that report: 

Radioactivity originating at Argonne and leaving the site was found only in air during 

March 1961, and in most Sawmill Creek water samples collected during the reporting 

period. The airborne activity was due to iodine-131 accidentally released to the 

atmosphere in the exhaust air from two of the Argonne buildings. Iodine-131 was found 

in air samples collected on the ANL site during the latter half of February and most of 

March 1961. In March it was also present at two of the four off-site sampling locations 

(southwest and southeast of the site) at average monthly concentrations of 0.41 and 

0.36 pCi/m3, or 0.14 and 0.12% of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC), 

respectively. Iodine-131 was not detected in any of the off-site air samples during 

February 1961, the limit of detection being 0.035 pCi/m3 (0.012% of the MPC). The 

average concentrations on the site during February and March were 1.9 and 3.3 

pCi/m3, respectively. The maximum concentration in any single air sample on the site 

was 16.7 pCi/m3 (5.6% of the MPC). The release had essentially ceased by the end of 
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March, and during the remainder of the year only two on-site air samples, one collected 

in April and one in May, contained detectable amounts of iodine-131 originating at 

Argonne. The iodine content of these samples was equivalent to 0.006 and 0.011% of 

the MPC, respectively. Except during March 1961, no significant or consistent 

difference could be detected between the radioactivity in air samples collected on and 

off the site. 

During the period of these 1950s and 1960s reports, ANL was involved in a vigorous effort to monitor 

and define radioactive components resulting from fallout from atmospheric and underground nuclear 

tests conducted in the United States and abroad. The fallout data were sent to the U.S. Atomic 

Energy Commission Radiological Data Appraisal Center as part of a program for characterizing fallout 

levels throughout the United States. Internal monthly progress reports between 1963 and 1973

document the effort to characterize this fallout and distinguish it from releases from the ANL-E site. 

During this time frame, airborne incidents occurred that had the potential to expose ANL personnel to 

radioactive particulates, but the exposure was confined to buildings as demonstrated by the internal 

published reports. 

The purpose of these published internal environmental monitoring reports was to demonstrate that 

ANL operations was responsible for very little, if any, increase in the radioactive material inventory of 

the environment surrounding the ANL and that essentially all of the increase in environmental 

radioactivity was due to radioactive fallout from atmospheric and underground nuclear testing, both 

here and abroad. With the advent of gamma scintillation technology in the late 1960s, an effort was 

made to characterize gamma-emitting radioactive gaseous releases from the CP-5 reactor as 

reported in an internal monthly progress report (Sedlet 1968a). In the ensuing months, ambient air 

concentrations measured in the vicinity of Building 330, which housed the CP-5 reactor, were shown 

to be high. Table 4-2 lists these measurements. Because the CP-5 stack was only 15 m high, 

ambient air concentrations of 41Ar were high with respect to the environmental maximum permissible 

concentration (MPC) for that radionuclide (4 × 104 pCi/m3). All the tabulated average concentrations 

are above the environmental MPC value but this does not imply that the average daily concentration 

was above the environmental MPC since the grab samples were acquired at a location downwind 

where the concentration was expected to be at maximum concentration. In each case the detection 

limit was 50% of environmental MPC. Film badges or TLDs, had they been used and placed in 

appropriate locations, would have been able to measure gamma radiation from these concentrations. 

Table 4-2. 1968 concentration measurements for 41Ar near CP-5 (Building 330). 

Ref. No. of 

samples

No. of samples

(<20 nCi/m3)

Max. conc.

(nCi/m3)

Avg. conc.

(nCi/m3)

Sedlet 1968b 17 5 850 177

Sedlet 1968c 31 20 1400 110

Sedlet 1968d 34 13 730 134

Sedlet 1968e 34 19 266 78

Sedlet 1968f 30 17 990 130

Sedlet 1968g 32 14 750 150

Sedlet 1969a 26 8 570 160

Beginning in 1972, Environmental Monitoring Reports were published by ANL that had not only 

internal distribution, but external distribution. These later reports included sampling efforts for 

chemical and radioactive materials. 

The later of these environmental reports, i.e., from 1979 on (Golchert, Duffy, and Sedlet 1980) contain 

calculations that document the highest maximum calculated offsite doses resulting from annual 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 14 of 33

releases of Ar-41 and H-3 from ANL-E facilities at that time. However, isopleths for radionuclide 

concentrations within the site boundary that would have been useful for determining ANL employee 

intakes are not available. Beginning in 1974, the environmental reports included tabulations of annual 

releases of airborne radionuclides. Annual releases might have been tabulated prior to 1974, but the 

literature sources have not been found. 

4.3.1 Operational Releases

 Sedlet (1969a) stated: “Following the shut-down of CP-5 on January 5, 1969, a search will be made 

for argon-41 from the Juggernaut reactor.” Sedlet (1969b) stated: 

Two air samples were collected from the Juggernaut exhaust stack after the reactor 

had been in operation about 4 hours. These samples contained 2.62 × 105and 

2.57 × 105 pCi 41Ar/liter (2.62 E+8 and 2.57E+8 pCi/m3), fairly substantial values. Six 

samples were collected downwind outside of the building on 3 different occasions, but 

no 41Ar was detected. The wind was strong on these occasions, making detection 

difficult because of rapid gas dispersion. The sampling will be continued. 

Sampling over the next 9 months provided the concentration measurements near the Juggernaut 

reactor building (Building 335) listed in Table 4-3. 

Table 4-3. 1969 Measurements of 41Ar near Juggernaut Reactor 

(Building 335). 

Ref. No. of 

samples

No. of samples

<20 nCi/m3

Max. conc.

(nCi/m3)

Avg. conc.

(nCi/m3)

Sedlet 1969c 22 10 133 43

Sedlet 1969d 24 13 140 33

Sedlet 1969e 28 17 86 21

Sedlet 1969f 30 22 152 24

Sedlet 1969g 28 26 40 2

Sedlet 1969h 16 11 77 25

Sedlet 1969i 16 14 26 <20

Sedlet 1969j 8 7 49 <20

Sedlet 1970a 24 20 106 22

In early 1971, monitoring resumed in the vicinity of CP-5. Sedlet (1971a) states: “41Ar sampling was 

resumed around CP-5 when the reactor was brought back into operation during the last quarter.” 

Reports following this 1971 report document sampling results, which are lower than those of earlier 

operations as shown in Table 4-4. 

Table 4-5 lists operational airborne releases of RM for ANL-E as reported in environmental reports 

from 1975 to the present (Golchert, Duffy, and Sedlet 1976 – 1986; Golchert and Duffy 1987 – 1990; 

Golchert, Duffy, and Moos 1991 and 1992; Golchert and Kolzow 1993 – 2000; Golchert, Kolzow, and 

Moos 2001; Golchert and Kolzow 2002 – 2005). Prior to 1975, environmental reports contained no 

operational release data. 

Since the CP-5 reactor began operation in 1954, operational releases for the ANL-E site from 1954 to 

1969 can be estimated using the statement from Sedlet, Golchert, and Duffy (1974, p. 22), Sedlet, 

Golchert, and Duffy (1974, 1975), and Golchert, Duffy, and Sedlet (1976, 1977): “Argon-41 and 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 15 of 33

Table 4-4. 1971 and 1972 concentration measurements for 41Ar near 

CP-5 (Building 330). 

Ref. No. of 

samples

No. of samples

(<20 nCi/m3)

Max. conc.

(nCi/m3)

Avg. conc.

(nCi/m3)

Sedlet 1971b 36 29 300 35

Sedlet 1971c 32 22 218 42

Sedlet 1971d 38 24 400 18

Sedlet 1971e 34 25 495 49

Sedlet 1971f 32 18 1110 69

Sedlet 1971g 16 14 428 40

Sedlet 1971h 4 2 453 152

Sedlet 1971i 12 8 620 401

Sedlet 1971j 14 9 620 150

Sedlet 1971k 16 12 1150 107

Sedlet 1972a 16 11 335 56

Sedlet 1972b 18 10 1160 100

Sedlet 1972c 12 5 1160 179

Sedlet 1972d 12 10 1000 180

Table 4-5. Operational airborne releases at ANL-E (Ci). 

Year Ar-41 HT HTO Kr-85 C-11 Rn-220 I-131

1974 4.3E+4 60. 450 2.4 0.015

1975 4.5E+4 0.7 420 4.2

1976 4.1E+4 1.9 360 7.2 1.3

1977 4.0E+4 0.4 360 15.

1978 3.2E+4 950 13.

1979 7.1E+3 660 9.

1980 9. 5.

1981 0.4 6.6

1982 0.56 8.4 100.

1983 0.75 2.2 119.

1984 0.88 62.9 71.3 85.6 76.9

1985 1.6 46.6 128.6 152. 2,788

1986 1.5 51.2 1.7 90 6,982

1987 1.7 42.5 4.0 202. 6,377

1988 2.8 9.1 40.8 7.1 86.5 3,731.2

1989 4.5 3.6 34.3 4.0 97.7 1,858

1990 4.77 5.25 14.71 5.18 86.7 2,606

1991 5.29 18.9 27.12 6.8 81.8 2,946

1992 4.84 26.6 11.38 4.64 186.4 3,000

1993 9.4 26.2 8.51 12.87 316.8 2,024.1

1994 4.4 40.15 67.41 20.96 306.8 1,752.7

1995 5.3 388.1 64.61 29.8 431.2 1,034.4

1996 9.5 363.5 79.05 1.68 709. 388.7

1997 9.9 123.4 12.79 1.04 642.6 286.8

1998 8.4 157.0 46.1 2.8 564.9 239.4

1999 1.6 131.4 11.4 1.35 118.2 193.1

2000 115.7 119.3 10.4 4.6 1610.6 46.9

2001 81. 73.1 5.6 13.2 1250.1 35.8

2002 94.4 91.8 9.4 25.9 1459.9 30.1

2003 88.0 78.8 9.6 13.6 2205.6 27.28
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 16 of 33

hydrogen-3 represent the major airborne radioactivity released from the Laboratory....” Operational 

releases for these two radionuclides were averaged to provide the 1954 through 1968 release values 

listed in Table 4-6.

The heavy-water moderated reactors CP-3 and CP-3’ had tritium in the cooling water and probably 

also generated 41Ar. Table 4-6 lists estimates of these releases based on an assumed power for CP3 of 500 kW or less and CP-5 release values. It was also assumed that tritium control in CP-3 was 

less effective than in CP-5..

The Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS) at its peak performance delivered about three-fourths of the 

proton beam power as the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) currently does. The reported 11C 

and 41Ar releases in Table 4-5 for IPNS show considerable fluctuation, and no explanation is provided 

in the annual environmental reports. We estimate the 11C and 41Ar releases from the ZGS listed in 

Table 4-6 are comparable to three-fourths of the IPNS releases for the year 2000. 

Table 4-6. Estimated airborne releases (Ci). 

Source Year Ar-41 HTO C-11

CP-3, CP-3’ 1946-1953 4,000 100

ZGS 1963-1979 90 1,200

CP-5 1954-1973 43,000 400

4.3.2 Dose Implications of Operational Releases

Most ANL-E airborne releases are gases that are gamma emitters such as 41Ar, 

11C, 13N, and 15O. 

The last three are positron emitters with half-lives of 20, 13, and 2 min, respectively, and the same 

dose conversion factor (Sv m3 Bq-1). It is slightly claimant-favorable to sum the activities of these 

three and assume the release of only 11C. Tritium and 220Rn releases will lead to internal doses, and

should be considered separately. Although 220Rn is a gas, the principal dose pathway is from alphas 

emitted inside the lung. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency computer code CAP-88 PC vs.2.1 was used to calculate onsite 

impacts. In the code, ingestion was turned off by specifying that all agricultural products are imported 

because there are no onsite gardens. CAP-88 is designed to calculate doses without consideration of 

building wake effects. However, the effect of the building wake is to spread the plume from the 

narrow cone established by the stack; thus, it reduces the air concentration. Neglecting it will result in 

a dose that is larger than the actual value and thus claimant-favorable. 

To determine the doses or concentrations to which people will be exposed, the distances and 

directions of nearby buildings from the release buildings were determined from a map of the site and 

calipers. The nearest buildings are about 150 m away. The dose calculation was done by making 

CAP-88 calculations using the 2004 ANL-E weather file with a standard assumed release of 100 Ci for 

each principal nuclide released, as listed in Table 4-5, at distances of 150, 250, 350, 450, 500, 600, 

650, 750, 900, 1,050, 1,500, 1,600, 1,700, 1,800, and 2,200 m for each of 16 directions of the wind 

rose. All calculations assumed a stack height of 15 m (based on CP-5) and an exit velocity of 10 m/s 

(22 mph). To calculate the dose at each distance, a table of releases for the various nuclides and 

years was multiplied by these calculated doses and grouped for internal and external doses. The 

CAP-88 calculations are for calendar year doses of 8,766 hr rather than the 2,000-hr work year, so 

they need to be reduced by a factor of 0.23. 

Table 4-7 lists calculated doses at 150 m in all directions for the external pathway. Since a dose of 1 

mrem/yr for 2000 hour occupancy or 4.4 mrem as calculated by CAP-88 will have a very small impact 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 17 of 33

on the probability of causation, values much less than that are not reported, so only the external dose 

before 1979 from CP-5 41Ar releases which exceed this value are reported. 

However, people do not have high occupancy in all directions at the 150-m distance, so it is 

appropriate to consider the actual distance and direction of building locations from the major release 

points. In addition, for EEOICPA internal dose reconstructions, inhaled concentrations are needed to 

calculate organ doses. 

For the period from 1946 to 1954, dose reconstructors should assign an external dose from assumed 

releases of airborne tritium and 41Ar from CP-3 and CP-3’ of 1 mrem/yr to all workers at Site A based 

on Table 4-7.

Table 4-7. External Dose from airborne releases at 150 m (mrem). 

Direction

External dose

1946-

1953

1954-

1962

1963-

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

1980-

1995

1996-

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

N 1.0 10.8 11.0 11.0 11.5 10.5 10.3 8.3 2.0 <0.1 <0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5

NNW 0.6 6.0 6.1 6.1 6.4 5.8 5.7 4.6 1.1 <0.1 <0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

NW 0.4 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.7 4.3 4.2 3.4 0.8 <0.1 <0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2

WNW 0.3 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.3 2.6 0.6 <0.1 <0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2

W 0.4 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.3 3.9 3.8 3.1 0.7 <0.1 <0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2

WSW 0.7 7.5 7.7 7.7 8.1 7.4 7.2 5.8 1.4 <0.1 <0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4

SW 0.9 9.2 9.4 9.4 9.9 9.0 8.8 7.1 1.7 <0.1 <0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4

SSW 0.6 6.9 7.0 7.0 7.3 6.7 6.5 5.3 1.3 <0.1 <0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

S 0.2 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.2 1.8 0.4 <0.1 <0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

SSE 0.8 8.3 8.5 8.5 8.9 8.1 7.9 6.4 1.5 <0.1 <0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4

SE 0.6 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.5 5.9 5.8 4.7 1.1 <0.1 <0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

ESE 0.7 7.4 7.5 7.5 7.9 7.2 7.0 5.6 1.4 <0.1 <0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

E 0.7 7.4 7.5 7.5 7.9 7.2 7.0 5.6 1.4 <0.1 <0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

ENE 0.7 7.4 7.5 7.5 7.9 7.2 7.0 5.6 1.4 <0.1 <0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

NE 0.8 9.1 9.3 9.3 9.7 8.9 8.7 7.0 1.7 <0.1 <0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4

NNE 1.0 10.8 11.0 11.0 11.5 10.5 10.3 8.3 2.0 <0.1 <0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5

The primary external dose at the main ANL-E site is from 41Ar from CP-5. Onsite 24-hr doses near 

the reactor could be as much as 50 mrem/yr, which could be measured on TLDs near the reactor. A 

waste storage yard there would have masked that signal. Workers in nearby buildings would have 

received the doses in Table 4-8 assuming that the buildings provided no shielding and caused no 

interference with air movement (not likely). If a building is not listed in Table 4-8, dose reconstructors 

should use a nearby building. In later years, 11C and 41Ar releases from IPNS are the dominant 

contributors and primarily affect nearby buildings, but not greater than 1 mrem/yr, so dose 

reconstructors can ignore them. It is likely but unknown that the ZGS had comparable releases as 

listed in Table 4-6 and would have caused similar doses that can also be neglected. 

Table 4-8. External doses (mrem) at Site D Buildings (Column 2)..

From 

CP-5

Affected 

building Direction

Distance

(m)

1946-

1953

1954-

1962

1963-

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

1980-

2004

350 SE 337 0.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.8 4.4 4.3 3.5 0.8 <0.1

362 E 868 0.1 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.1 0.3 <0.1

331 E 479 0.4 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.0 3.9 3.2 0.8 <0.1

315 S 247 0.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.7 0.4 <0.1

205 N 632 0.3 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.5 2.8 0.7 <0.1

213 NNE 879 0.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.5 0.4 <0.1

203 N 1,084 0.1 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.1 0.3 <0.1
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 18 of 33

4.4 INTERNAL DOSE FROM RADIONUCLIDE RELEASES 

Only tritium and 220Rn contribute to the internal dose. The tritium dose is effectively a whole-body 

dose from the water in the body and has an annual effect less than 0.05 mrem effective dose at 150 

m in all directions per CAP-88 so it can be neglected. 

The 220Rn release is attributed to the “proof of breeding” program for the Navy. The Light Water 

Breeder Reactor at Shippingport, PA was operated about 5 years ending in late 1982. This program 

for production of 233U from 232Th was not mentioned in the 1982 EA so likely began in 1984 (Baker 

et.al.1996, DOE 1982). The fuel rods (~20) arrived at ANL in seven shipments between August 13, 

1984 and September 23, 1985 (Graczyk et al. 1987). The fuel was sheared into sections, the 

sections were dissolved, analytical operations were performed, and most of the waste was processed 

for disposal. Reports were written on each fuel rod and are dated from October 16, 1984 to November 

11, 1985. The 220Rn releases would begin only after the rods were sheared, but would continue until 

D&D of the facility was completed. The releases are first mentioned in the 1984 environmental report, 

entirely consistent with the above history. 

The thorium daughter 220Rn has a 55 s half life and decays to 0.15 s 216Po. The 216Po decays to 212Pb 

(10.64 hr) which beta decays to 212Bi (1.01 hr). Detailed decay calculations shown in Figure 4-2 show 

that the activity of the 216Po increases within 1 s to nearly the Rn-220 activity and then follows it. The 

212Pb activity reaches a maximum activity after about 100 s, stays about constant until 3 hr and then 

decays. The 212Bi activity increases to a maximum value after about 3 hr and then decays somewhat 

after the 212Pb. Since the affected buildings are nearby, the plume transit time is in the 25 to 100 sec 

range so the thoron daughters will be building in.

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000

Time (seconds) Activity (Arb. Units)

Rn-220

Po-216

Pb-212

Bi-212

Figure 4-2. Rn-220 and daughters. . 

Using CAP-88 and the distances to the nearby buildings from the M-Wing of Building 200 the intakes 

of 220Rn for an individual breathing 2,400 m3of air in a work week were calculated as shown in Table 

4-9. The intakes of 216Po are essentially identical. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 19 of 33

To include the longer lived radioactive daughters of 100 Ci 220Rn (55 s), detailed decay calculations 

shown in Figure 4-2 were performed. From the weather file used as input to CAP-88, the time to 

travel the distance to the various buildings were calculated for each stability class based on the 

arithmetic average of the wind speeds for each direction. The time averaged over the stability classes 

was used as the time for each building. The calculated activities of 212Pb and 212Bi relative to the 

released activity of 220Rn were combined with the concentration of 85Kr (a long-lived surrogate to 

account for the dispersion but not the decay of 220Rn) calculated by CAP-88 at the buildings to get the 

concentrations of 212Pb and 212Bi. Working level was calculated using the definition of working level 

from NCRP 97 (1988) 

WL= 0.122 (B) + 0.0116 (C) 

where B, C = concentrations of 212Pb and 212Bi in pCi/l. 

Multiplying by 12 gives the WLM for the buildings as listed in Table 4-10.

Table 4-9. Intakes (kBq/yr) of 220Rn and 216Po by year from M Wing of Building 200. 

Building Dir. Dist.(m) 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

206 N 137 24 59 54 31 16 22 25 25 17 15 9

208 NNE 147 27 68 62 36 18 25 29 29 20 17 10

203 NE 237 18 45 41 24 12 17 19 19 13 11 7

201 E 600 3 8 7 4 2 3 3 3 2 2 1

205 SE 353 7 18 16 10 5 7 8 8 5 5 3

213 E 495 5 12 11 7 3 5 5 5 4 3 2

Table 4-10. Milli Working level months for thoron daughters from M-Wing. 

Building 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

206 28 69 63 37 18 26 29 30 20 17 10 4 3 2 2

208 25 63 57 34 17 23 26 27 18 16 9 3 3 2 2

203 30 75 69 40 20 28 32 32 22 19 11 4 3 3 2

201 18 46 42 25 12 17 20 20 13 12 7 3 2 2 1

205 24 61 56 33 16 23 26 26 18 15 9 3 3 2 2

213 22 54 49 29 14 20 23 23 16 14 8 3 2 2 1

The potential for environmental dose resulting from inhalation of airborne particulate radionuclides at 

ANL-E was investigated (Attachment A). Information reviewed included reports of ground-level and 

aerial radiological surveys for Site A and Plot M, annual environmental monitoring reports, an aerial 

survey, onsite emission measurements for ventilation systems, and an environmental assessment (for 

Site D) (DOE 1997). These reports indicate that airborne particulate radionuclides were not likely to 

lead to a significant environmental inhalation dose to workers during operations at the Site A, Plot M, 

and Site D locations. The continuous monitoring and emissions monitoring did not identify significant 

sources of airborne radionuclides at the site. Thus, inhalation intake of particulate radionuclides is 

insignificant for potential environmental occupational dose at the ANL-E site.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 20 of 33

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Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 27 of 33

ATTACHMENT A 

INTAKE OF PARTICULATES 

Site A 

At the Site A/Plot M location in the Palos Park Forest, there is no record of an organized 

environmental monitoring program for radioactivity during the years of operation. Any monitoring that 

occurred was with portable survey meters, particularly at the time of burial of material at Plot M. From 

1948 to 1958, a few environmental samples were collected, mostly plants and animals. An 

environmental monitoring program for Plot M was established in 1954, consisting of sampling of 

stream water and sediment, surface soil, and soil cores. This was on an approximately every-otheryear basis until 1973, when elevated tritium concentrations were detected in wells north of Plot M 

(Golchert and Sedlet 1977). There are no direct measurements of air concentrations of radioactive 

particulates at Site A or Plot M. Therefore, estimated intakes during the operational period of Site A 

(1946 – 1954), when workers were on the site for a significant period, are based on other 

environmental measurements made since the site closed. Use of Plot M was discontinued in 1949, 

and operation of the CP-3’ reactor was discontinued in 1954.

In 1963, a few surface soil samples 50 ft north of Plot M were found to contain abnormally high alpha 

and beta activities, which on analysis was determined to be associated with uranium contamination. 

Extensive sampling followed in 1964, 1965, and 1969 to delineate the region of contamination. 

Because core samples did not indicate elevated levels, it was speculated that the activity was 

accidentally spread on the surface during burial or storage bin removal operations, which occurred 

prior to July 1949 (Golchert and Sedlet 1977). Analyses in 1973 and 1975 indicated one sample with 

elevated concentrations of plutonium (0.22 pCi/g versus expected fallout levels of 0.05 pCi/g) in the 

same area of contamination. The uranium concentration in this sample, however, was 

indistinguishable from background. Thorium was at background levels in all samples. Average air 

concentrations of uranium and plutonium (no isotopes specified) of 1.5 ×10-5 Bq/m3 (0.4 fCi/m3) and 

3.0 ×10-7 Bq/m3 (8 aCi/m3), respectively, were estimated (Golchert and Sedlet 1977). These 

estimates were based on resuspension factors measured for vegetation-covered soil. Assuming an 

inhalation rate of 2,400 m3/yr, inhalation dose coefficients can be applied to estimate corresponding 

organ doses, assuming all uranium is 234U and all plutonium is 239Pu. These isotopes have the 

highest organ dose coefficients associated with the respective elements. Using ICRP Publication 68 

(ICRP 2001) organ dose coefficients of 7.5 ×10-5 Sv/Bq for 234U (for extrathoracic airways) and 1.0 

×10-3 Sv/Bq for 239Pu (for bone surfaces), estimated inhalation doses due to resuspension of the 

contaminated soil in Plot M are on the order of 3 ×10-6 Sv/yr (0.3 mrem/yr) for inhaled 234U, and 

7 ×10-7 Sv/yr (0.07 mrem/yr) for inhaled 239Pu. 

A 1976 aerial gamma radiological survey of Site A and Plot M used sodium iodide detectors mounted 

in a helicopter (Jobst, Houk, and Mohr 1978). The only indications of above-normal concentrations 

were a few isolated areas within the Site A boundaries, indicating 137Cs contamination from past 

operations at the site. The results were indeterminate for Plot M. Soil analysis confirmed the 

contamination in the Site A area with the highest detected 137Cs, which was approximately three times 

the concentration attributable to fallout. A gamma-ray survey using a portable sodium iodide detector 

of Plot M in 1976 by the ANL-E Radiological Resurvey Team did not detect radioactivity in surface soil 

attributable to buried waste materials (Golchert and Sedlet 1977). 

A more extensive evaluation of surface and subsurface soil at Site A and Plot M occurred in 1976 

(Golchert and Sedlet 1977), which was 22 years after operations ceased at these locations. The 

subsurface study took soil cores near the buried CP-3’ containment shell at Site A and at various 

locations around Plot M, and analyzed them for tritiated water and gamma-emitting radionuclides. 

Selected samples were analyzed for nonvolatile alpha and beta activity, 90Sr, uranium, and plutonium 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 28 of 33

(Golchert and Sedlet 1977). The results of the subsurface study indicated that all analyte 

concentrations were in the range consistent with that of natural background and fallout, with the 

exception of tritiated water for Site A and Plot M. Thus, the 137Cs detected by the aerial gamma 

survey at Site A did not appear to arise from the contaminated reactor shell location, which was buried 

under 7 m of building rubble and soil (Section 2.2.7.1 of ORAU 2006).

A surface soil study was not conducted for Plot M in this 1976 survey; however, the subsurface study 

indicated tritiated water as a contaminant attributable to the presence of buried waste at this location. 

For Site A, surface soil (to 6-in. depths) was sampled at 25-ft intervals in the center of the site (near 

the buried reactor shell location), 50-ft intervals outside this area, and 100-ft intervals at the Site A 

perimeter. Of the 105 samples taken, one indicated the presence of 125Sb above its detection limit 

and had the highest 137Cs concentration (5.5 pCi/g) of all samples. Estimated fallout concentrations 

for 137Cs at the time average 0.5 pCi/g, but range up to 1.0 pCi/g. Thus, the highest detected cesium 

concentration in soil appeared to be about 10 times the average fallout concentration. Three surface 

samples from Site A had 60Co in detectable concentrations. The two samples with the highest 137Cs 

concentrations were also analyzed for 90Sr. The 90Sr concentrations in these samples exceeded the 

fallout concentrations of this isotope (0.1 to 0.2 pCi/g) by approximately a factor of 5 to 10, which is 

comparable to the 137Cs numbers. The results of these studies indicated that surface contamination 

existed at random locations but, on average, at a very low level. The majority of the samples showing 

137Cs concentrations in excess of 1.0 pCi/g were only slightly in excess. The average excess 137Cs 

concentration (i.e., above 0.5 pCi/g) in the 105 samples was about 0.2 pCi/g. Correcting for decay 

back to 1946, the average excess concentration would probably be at most a factor of two higher than 

the 1976 value [reasonably assuming negligible downward migration due to the normally high sorptive 

behavior of cesium on soil (Sheppard and Thibault 1990)], or 0.4 pCi/g. Adding this corrected excess 

to the average fallout concentration of 0.5 pCi/g gives an average concentration of 0.9 pCi/g for 105 

samples, which is still within the range for 137Cs fallout concentrations. 

Based on the evidence collected since operations ended at Site A and Plot M, it is reasonable to 

assume that environmental inhalation exposures to particulates during operations which ended in 

1954 were negligible. The only surface contamination identified over the years at the Plot M location 

involved minor amounts of uranium and plutonium. Estimated inhalation doses are less than 1 

mrem/yr. The surface contamination identified at Site A was, on average, very low-level and not 

readily distinguishable from fallout concentrations. 

Site D 

For Site D, monthly concentrations of long-lived alpha and beta activities between 1953 and 1973 

have been reported for air filter samples collected at ANL-E (ANL 1965, 1968; Sedlet 1955, 1957, 

1958a,b, 1959, 1961; Sedlet and Iwami 1963, 1965a,b; Sedlet and Stehney, 1954; Sedlet, Golchert, 

and Duffy 1973, 1974). Beginning in 1960, concentrations of principal gamma-ray emitters, as 

determined by spectroscopy, were reported. Annual reports describing monthly concentrations were 

not formally produced between 1964 and 1971, but informal reports contain monthly concentrations 

for the first half of 1965 and for 1968 (ANL 1965, 1968). The reported monthly concentrations 

represent continuous monitoring, and are reported as a site average (not by location). In March 1972, 

sampling for radiochemical analysis of isotopes of plutonium, thorium, and uranium in airborne 

particulates began in the northeast area of the site (Sedlet, Golchert, and Duffy 1973). Isotopes of 

strontium were added to these analyses in 1973 (Sedlet, Golchert, and Duffy 1974). 

In 1953, continuous air monitors were placed at five onsite locations – one on the site periphery near 

East Area, one in the 200 Area, one between the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor (EBWR) and 

CP-5 reactors in the 300 Area, one in the 800 Area, and one on the southwest corner of the site 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 29 of 33

(Sedlet 1958b). Three offsite sampling locations were added in mid-1957 – 6 miles northwest, 10 

miles southwest, and 13 miles southeast of the site (Sedlet 1958b), which increased to five in 1962. 

The number of continuously monitored onsite locations expanded to six in 1959 (Sedlet 1961) and to 

nine by 1972 (Sedlet, Golchert, and Duffy 1973). Figure A-1 shows the locations of air samplers in 

1968. Additional airborne particulate monitoring occurred when specific operations could increase 

Figure A-1. Air sampling locations at ANL-E in 1968 (ANL 1968). 

localized airborne radioactive particulates. For example, in 1958 the EBWR operated with a 

simulated defective fuel element, and additional air samplers were placed in and near the EBWR 

building to detect activity leaving the reactor stack. In this particular case, no activity attributable to 

the EBWR was detected in air samples collected outside the building (Sedlet 1959). Similarly, 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 30 of 33

beginning in October 1972, samples for radiochemical analyses for plutonium, thorium, and uranium 

in the 300 Area, close to the center of plutonium usage on the site, were collected (Sedlet, Golchert, 

and Duffy 1973). 

Table A-1 lists the average of measured gross onsite concentrations (not corrected for fallout 

contributions) of long-lived alpha- and beta-emitting particulates between 1953 and 1973, along with 

the average of measured offsite concentrations of these particulates during this period. The table 

indicates that average onsite particulate concentrations were not significantly different from offsite 

concentrations. A similar finding was made for the principal gamma emitters between 1960 and 1974. 

One minor exception occurred when detection limits for 140Ba and 140La (from decay of 140Xe) became 

low enough to distinguish onsite concentrations from nondetectable offsite concentrations of these 

isotopes in 1973 (Sedlet, Golchert, and Duffy 1974). However, the measured annual average 

concentrations were on the order of 4.4 × 10-5 Bq/m3 (1.2 × 10-9 μCi/m3), which corresponds to an 

estimated annual inhalation dose less than 0.001 mrem for occupational exposure over the year. 

Thus, the onsite outdoor environment does not appear to have contributed a significant exposure to 

radionuclides via inhalation of particulates between 1953 and 1973, assuming that exposures for 

years when measurements were not made or reported were similar to those for other years. 

Table A-1. Radioactivity in airborne particulates on and off ANL-E site before 1974. 

Year

Average onsite 

concentration (Bq/m3)

Average offsite 

concentration (Bq/m3)

Reference

Site D

LL alphaaLL betabLL alphaaLL betab

1948–1952 Not available

1953 3.7E-04 4.4E-02 Not reported Not reported Sedlet 1958a

1954 3.7E-04 1.5E-02 Not reported Not reported Sedlet 1958a

1955 2.6E-04 3.0E-02 Not reported Not reported Sedlet 1958a

1956 3.7E-04 4.8E-02 Not reported Not reported Sedlet 1958a

1957 3.0E-04 7.8E-02 2.6E-04 7.8E-02 Sedlet 1958b

1958 2.6E-04 1.0E-01 2.6E-04 1.3E-01 Sedlet 1959

1959 2.3E-04 8.1E-02 2.1E-04 8.5E-02 Sedlet 1961

1960 2.6E-04 3.7E-03 2.2E-04 3.3E-03 Sedlet and Iwami 1963

1961 1.5E-04 1.0E-01 1.5E-04 9.3E-02 Sedlet and Iwami 1963

1962 1.9E-04 1.8E-01 1.9E-04 1.8E-01 Sedlet and Iwami 1965a

1963 2.2E-04 2.1E-01 2.2E-04 2.1E-01 Sedlet and Iwami 1965a

1964 1.9E-04 3.7E-02 1.9E-04 3.7E-02 Sedlet and Iwami 1965b

1965 1.4E-04 1.5E-02 1.4E-04 1.5E-02 ANL 1965

1966 Not available

1967 Not available

1968 1.6E-04 6.7E-03 1.8E-04 7.0E-03 ANL 1968

1969 Not available

1970 Not available

1971 Not available

1972 8.9E-05 3.6E-03 9.3E-05 3.6E-03 Sedlet, Golchert, and 

Duffy 1973

1973 9.3E-05 1.3E-03 8.9E-05 1.3E-03 Sedlet, Golchert, and 

Duffy 1974

a. Long-lived total alpha concentration. 

b. Long-lived total beta concentration. 

In 1974, reporting of continuous particulate air monitoring results at onsite locations was discontinued; 

annual reports provided only perimeter and offsite measurements (Sedlet, Golchert and Duffy 1975; 

Golchert, Duffy, and Sedlet 1976 – 1986; Golchert and Duffy 1987 – 1990, Golchert, Duffy, and Moos 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 31 of 33

1991, 1992; Golchert and Kolzow 1993 – 2000, 2002 – 2005; Golchert, Kolzow, and Moos 2001). 

Figure A-2 shows the locations of the monitoring stations in 1996. The focus of these measurements 

was to assess the degree to which emissions from ANL-E might affect the offsite environment (or 

location of closest approach by the public). One of the perimeter monitors (at grid point 7I, 

Figure A-2) was adjacent to the WSA in Area 317, and one is in the predominant downwind direction 

from the site (at grid point 12N, Figure A-2). Other monitors are on the perimeter, but close to ANL-E 

facilities (two monitors at grid point 14H, Figure A-2). Table A-2 lists the average of measured 

perimeter concentrations of long-lived alpha- and beta-emitting particulates between 1974 and 2004, 

along with the average of measured offsite concentrations of these particulates during this period. 

 

Figure A-2. Sampling locations at ANL-E in 1996 (Golchert and Kolzow 1997).

As a supplement to the environmental program at ANL-E and in addition to perimeter monitoring, an 

aerial radiological survey of the laboratory and its surroundings was conducted in 1977 (Jobst 1982). 

An adjunct study to the aerial measurements was the collection of 27 soil samples from randomly 

selected locations at the laboratory, which were analyzed for radioisotope composition. The most 

significant anomalies in external dose rates were attributed largely to gamma sources used in 

research or isotopes in the WSA in Area 317. Other than 3H, only 2 of the 27 soil samples contained 

small, but measurable, quantities of isotopes that might have been associated with ANL-E operations. 

In particular, one soil sample contained a small amount of 60Co, and another contained uranium not in 

equilibrium with its daughters, although the 238U concentration was at a level consistent with that of 

background. Thus, the aerial survey did not indicate a potential for significant inhalation exposure to 

particulate radionuclides, other than perhaps in the 317 Area, where a perimeter monitor was located. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 32 of 33

For many years, emissions of radioactive air particulates were generally not reported in annual 

environmental reports, other than a statement that “various [or several other] fission products” were 

released from reactor stacks in “millicurie or smaller amounts” (Golchert and Duffy 1975; Golchert, 

Duffy, and Sedlet 1976 – 1980). Between 1980 and 1990, no mention of air particulate emissions 

was made in these reports (Duffy and Sedlet 1981 – 1986; Golchert and Duffy 1987 – 1990). 

Table A-2. Radioactivity in airborne particulates at perimeter and off ANL-E site (after 1974). 

Year

Average perimeter 

concentration (Bq/m3)

Average offsite 

concentration (Bq/m3)

Reference

Site D

LL alphaaLL betabLL alphaaLL betab

1974 8.9E-05 4.8E-03 8.5E-05 4.8E-03 Sedlet, Golchert, & Duffy 1975

1975 8.5E-05 2.6E-03 8.5E-05 2.6E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1976

1976 9.6E-05 1.7E-03 9.3E-05 1.7E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1977

1977 8.1E-05 5.7E-03 8.1E-05 5.6E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1978

1978 8.1E-05 3.6E-03 7.4E-05 3.6E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1979

1979 7.0E-05 1.3E-03 7.4E-05 1.2E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1980

1980 6.7E-05 1.1E-03 7.8E-05 1.1E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1981

1981 7.0E-05 4.4E-03 7.4E-05 4.4E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1982

1982 6.3E-05 9.6E-04 6.7E-05 9.3E-04 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1983

1983 9.3E-05 1.0E-03 7.8E-05 9.3E-04 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1984

1984 8.1E-05 8.9E-04 7.4E-05 8.5E-04 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1985

1985 7.8E-05 8.9E-04 7.0E-05 7.8E-04 Golchert, Duffy, & Sedlet 1986

1986 7.8E-05 1.5E-03 6.7E-05 1.4E-03 Golchert and Duffy 1987

1987 8.1E-05 9.3E-04 7.4E-05 8.5E-04 Golchert and Duffy 1988

1988 8.5E-05 9.6E-04 7.0E-05 9.3E-04 Golchert and Duffy 1989

1989 8.5E-05 1.0E-03 7.4E-05 9.5E-04 Golchert and Duffy 1990

1990 6.7E-05 1.0E-03 7.4E-05 1.1E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Moos 1991

1991 6.3E-05 9.3E-04 7.8E-05 1.1E-03 Golchert, Duffy, & Moos 1992

1992 5.9E-05 9.3E-04 7.0E-05 1.0E-03 Golchert and Kolzow 1993

1993 5.6E-05 8.9E-04 6.3E-05 9.5E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 1994

1994 6.3E-05 1.1E-03 7.0E-05 1.0E-03 Golchert and Kolzow 1995

1995 6.3E-05 1.1E-03 5.9E-05 1.0E-03 Golchert and Kolzow 1996

1996 5.6E-05 1.0E-03 6.3E-05 1.0E-03 Golchert and Kolzow 1997

1997 4.8E-05 9.3E-04 5.9E-05 1.1E-03 Golchert and Kolzow 1998

1998 4.1E-05 8.9E-04 4.8E-05 8.7E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 1999

1999 3.3E-05 7.0E-04 4.1E-05 6.9E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 2000

2000 3.3E-05 6.3E-04 4.8E-05 7.4E-04 Golchert, Kolzow, & Moos 2001

2001 3.7E-05 5.6E-04 8.5E-05 8.1E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 2002

2002 4.4E-05 5.9E-04 7.0E-05 5.1E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 2003

2003 5.2E-05 5.2E-04 8.0E-05 7.3E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 2004

2004 4.4E-05 5.6E-04 7.4E-05 7.4E-04 Golchert and Kolzow 2005

a. Long-lived total alpha concentration. 

b. Long-lived total beta concentration. 

However, in 1990 increased National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants requirements 

for monitoring and reporting resulted in expanded reporting requirements for emission points, 

including ventilation systems for hot cell facilities, for currently operating and inactive reactors, for 

particle accelerators, and associated with the DOE operated New Brunswick Laboratory. There was 

only one report of potential particulate radionuclide emissions exceeding 3.7 × 107 Bq/yr (1 mCi/yr); 

this was in 1990 for 241Pu (7.0 × 107 Bq/yr, or 1.9 mCi/yr) from the New Brunswick Laboratory 

(Building 350). 

An estimate of air concentration resulting from this 1990 241Pu release can be made using a simplistic 

screening-level model from Volume 1 of NCRP (1996). The NCRP model adopted for this calculation 

is a simple dispersion model that accounts for potential increases in exposure due to building wake 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0036-4 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 02/09/2006 Page 33 of 33

effects for close-in receptors (i.e., those less than 100 m from the source location). Air concentration 

(C) of 241Pu was calculated from: 

C = (f Q)/( u h K) Bq/m3(A-1)

where: 

C = concentration at receptor (Bq/m3) 

Q = stack or building vent release rate (Bq/s) 

f = wind frequency 

u = wind speed (m/s) 

h = height of effluent release (m)

K = constant (m) 

Default values from NCRP (1996) are used for K of 1 m and f of 0.25 (the maximum frequency for any 

compass point). Wind rose data for ANL-E for 1990 (Golchert, Duffy, and Moos 1991) indicate 

variable wind speeds over the year. This calculation assumed the annual average wind speed was on 

the order of 4 m/s, which is in the lower range of wind speeds, and thus tends to overestimate the 

resulting calculated concentration. The assumed height of effluent release from the ventilation system 

of Building 350 is 10 m, because the fan loft of this building is above the third story (Wescott and 

O’Rourke 2001). Assuming a 241Pu release rate of 7 × 107 Bq/yr, or 2.2 Bq/s, the estimated 

concentration of 241Pu in the vicinity of the release point is 4.4 × 10-3 Bq/m3. This corresponds to an 

effective dose of less than 1 mrem, or an organ dose (bone surface) of approximately 20 mrem in 

1990 for continuous occupational exposure (i.e., 2,000 hr/yr). Because it is not plausible that an 

individual would remain outside within 100 m of the building for a major part of the year, this upper 

limit estimate of dose rate does not suggest that inhalation dose due to this release of 241Pu in 1990 is 

likely to be significant with respect to environmental dose. 

Although some of the remediation activities, particularly at Area 317, and decontamination and 

decommissioning activities could have been a source of onsite particulate radionuclides, these 

projects typically required air monitoring, air sampling, and bioassay sampling in addition to personal 

protective equipment in many cases (Baker et al. 1996). DOE (1997) estimated that noninvolved 

workers in the 570 Area (Unlined Holding Basin) or the 317/319/ENE Area (Waste Storage/Disposal 

areas) during remediation activities would either require respiratory protection or restriction from the 

areas. Assuming the nearest nonprotected workers are 600 m from these areas, the calculated dose 

to noninvolved workers was 7 × 10-6 mrem (DOE 1997). 

The information for Site D (present ANL-E location) can be summarized as follows. Between 1953 

and 1974, onsite monitoring for radioactive air particulates indicated that there were no significant 

differences between on- and offsite air particulates and, thus, ANL-E operations did not contribute 

significantly to an environmental dose via inhalation of air particulates. Although onsite 

measurements ended in 1974, the aerial survey and soil sampling done in 1977 suggested that 

surface contamination by ANL-E airborne particulates was minimal up to that point. Monitoring of 

emissions for reactor stacks began in the 1970s and expanded to address most ventilation systems in 

the 1990s and indicated minimal release of particulate radionuclides. Thus, there is no evidence that 

radioactive air particulates have posed a significant environmental dose to ANL-E workers.