Battelle Team 

Dose Reconstruction 

Project for NIOSH

Document Title: 

Site Profiles for Atomic Weapons Employers that 

Worked Uranium and Thorium Metals 

Appendix S – Aluminum Company of America 

(Alcoa 2) – New Jersey 

Document Number: Battelle-TBD-6000 

Appendix S 

Revision: 0 

Effective Date: 4/30/2007 

Type of Document: TBD Appendix

Supersedes: None 

Subject Experts: R.I. Scherpelz, N.J. Heyer 

Document Owner 

Approval: Signature on file Approval Date: 4/24/2007 

Robert I. Scherpelz, Staff Scientist 

Approval: Signature on file Approval Date: 4/24/2007 

Jay A. MacLellan, Battelle PNWD Task Manager 

Concurrence: Signature on file Concurrence Date: 4/24/2007 

Richard J. Traub, Staff Scientist 

Approval: Signature on file Approval Date: 4/27/2007 

James W. Neton, Associate Director of Science 

 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. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix S 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 4/30/2007 Page 2 

ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA – NEW JERSEY 

S.1 Introduction 

This document serves as an appendix to Battelle-TBD-6000, Site Profiles for Atomic 

Weapons Employers that Worked Uranium and Thorium Metals. This appendix 

describes the results of document research specific to this site. Where specific 

information is lacking, research into similar facilities described in the body of this Site 

Profile is used. 

S.2 Site Description 

The Atomic Weapons Employer Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) had one site 

located in Garwood, New Jersey. It is listed as an Atomic Weapons Employer for 1944. 

Under subcontract to the Metallurgical Laboratory (University of Chicago), the Garwood 

facility manufactured casting dies and used them in the experimental die casting of 

Aluminum-Silica coatings on uranium slugs. (Reference 9557, Pages 8-10) 

S.2.1 Site Activities 

The experimental coating of uranium slugs with aluminum-silica required planning as 

one machine line had to be shut down and the new dies inserted. The process involved 

pickling the uranium slugs in nitric acid solution, and then dipping and die-casting them 

in an aluminum and silica bath. This work was conducted intermittently between July 

and November of 1944 for an estimated total of 15 days. (Reference 9557, Pages 14, 23) 

S.2.2 Job Categories 

Each claim will be evaluated to determine the most appropriate Job Category from the list 

below. 

Plant Floor High (Involved directly in operations) 

Plant Floor Low (Involved in support of operations) 

Supervisor 

Clerk 

S.3 Occupational Medical Dose 

No information regarding occupational medical dose specific to ALCOA-NJ was found. 

Information to be used in dose reconstructions for which no specific information is 

available is provided in ORAUT-OTIB-0006, the dose reconstruction project technical 

information bulletin covering diagnostic x-ray procedures. 

S.4 Occupational Internal Dose 

No data was found in the Site Research database related to occupational internal dose 

during AEC work. The work performed at ALCOA-NJ involved canning uranium slugs. 

Therefore, the air concentration values in the TBD for "Slug Production and Canning" are 

used to calculate internal doses. 

Tables S.1 and S.2 present these internal dose estimates in pCi per calendar day to be 

used for each calendar year listed. 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix S 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 4/30/2007 Page 3 

S.5 Occupational External Dose 

No data was found in the Site Research database related to occupational external dose 

during AEC work. The work performed at ALCOA-NJ involved canning uranium slugs. 

Therefore, the external dose values in the TBD for "Slug Production and Canning" should 

be used. 

Tables S.3 and S.4 present these external dose estimates in mrem per calendar day to be 

used for each calendar year listed. 

S.6 Residual Contamination 

No surveys for residual contamination were performed at the ALCOA site in New Jersey. 

However, little potential exists for exposure from residual contamination2

. 

S.7 References 

1. DOE Office of Health, Safety and Security, EEOICPA web site. 

http://www.hss.energy.gov/healthsafety/fwsp/advocacy/faclist/findfacility.cfm 

2. Report on Residual Radioactive and Beryllium Contamination at Atomic Weapons 

Employer Facilities and Beryllium Vender Facilities. 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pdfs/tbd/rescon/rcontam1206.pdf 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix S Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 4/30/2007 

Table S.1 INTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Inhalation of Airborne Radionuclides Assumptions: Operational Period Daily Weighted Average Air Concentration, Plant Floor High: 198 dpm/m3

Residual Period Daily Weighted Average Air Concentration: 0.080 dpm/m3

TBD GSD Default is 5 Conversion Factor: 2.22 dpm/pCi Breathing Rate: 1.2 m^3/hour All intakes and doses assume full-time employment for the given year. 

Job Category Year 

Operation 

Phase Hr/Yr 

Relevant 

Nuclide 

Intake 

(pCi/d) GSD TBD Reference or Research Jus

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 150 U234 4.40E+01 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug ProducPlant Floor Low 1944 Operations 150 U234 2.20E+01 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug ProducSupervisor 1944 Operations 150 U234 1.10E+01 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug ProducClerical 1944 Operations 150 U234 1.10E+00 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug Produc
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix S Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 4/30/2007 

Table S.2 INTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Ingestion of Airborne Radionuclides Assumptions: Air Concentration to Intake Conversion Factor: 3.06E-05 (M^3/d)/(hr/y) - see 7.1.6 TBD-6000 Deposition velocity: 0.00075 m/s Resuspension Factor: 1.00E-06 1/m 

TBD GSD Default is 5 

Job Category Year 

Operation 

Phase Hr/Yr 

Relevant 

Nuclide 

Intake 

(pCi/d) GSD TBD Reference or Research Jus

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 150 U234 4.10E-01 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug ProducPlant Floor Low 1944 Operations 150 U234 2.05E-01 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug ProducSupervisor 1944 Operations 150 U234 1.02E-01 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug ProducClerical 1944 Operations 150 U234 1.02E-02 5 Based on Metal TBD for Slug Produc
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix S Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 4/30/2007 

Table S.3 EXTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Whole Body Asumptions: Submersion Dose Conversion Factor: 2.462E-09 mrem/h/dpm/m^3 Deposition velocity: 0.0008 Contaminated Surface Dose Conversion Factor: 5.615E-10 mrem/h/dpm/m^2 All external dose from estimated exposure to uranium slugs Residual period: Assume no handling of U metal - only exposure is from residual contamination on floor and in air 

Job Category Year 

Operation 

Phase Hr/Yr 

Relevant 

Nuclide 

External 

Whole 

Body 

(mR/d) GSD TBD Reference or Research Jus

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 150 U234 2.16E-02 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Plant Floor Low 1944 Operations 150 U234 1.08E-02 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Supervisor 1944 Operations 150 U234 1.08E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Clerical 1944 Operations 150 U234 4.68E-07 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix S Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 4/30/2007 

Table S.4 EXTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Skin Assumptions: All assumptions from TBD-6000 Section 6.3 Operational Period: Non-penetrating dose to skin 115 mR/hour (hands and forearms) 10.4 mR/hour (other) 

Plant Floor High: Assume hands in contact with metal 50% of time. Other skin is 100% of dose rate at 1-f

Plant Floor Low: 50% of Plant Floor High Supervisor: assume 10% of Plant Floor Low for time in contact with metal Clerical: assume no handling of U metal. 

Residual Period: Non-penetrating dose to skin 3.9E-06 mr/hour 

Assume no handling of U metal. Assume 10x the photon whole body dose rate 

Job Category Year 

Operation 

Phase Hr/Yr 

Relevant 

Nuclide 

Hands & 

Forearms 

(mR/d) 

Other 

Skin 

(mR/d) GSD TBD Reference or R

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 150 U234 4.73E+01 4.27E+00 5 Generic Metal TBD, SecPlant Floor Low 1944 Operations 150 U234 2.36E+01 2.14E+00 5 Generic Metal TBD, SecSupervisor 1944 Operations 150 U234 2.36E+00 2.14E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, SecClerical 1944 Operations 150 U234 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 5 Generic Metal TBD, Sec