Battelle Team 

Dose Reconstruction 

Project for NIOSH

Document Title: 

Site Profiles for Atomic Weapons Employers that 

Worked Uranium and Thorium Metals 

Appendix BL – Jessop Steel Co. 

Document Number: Battelle-TBD-6000 

Appendix BL

Revision: 0 

Effective Date: 05/25/2007 

Type of Document: TBD Appendix

Supersedes: None 

Subject Experts: R.I. Scherpelz, J.D. Catalano 

Document Owner 

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 5/18/2007 

Robert I. Scherpelz, Staff Scientist 

Approval Signature on File Approval Date: 5/18/2007 

Approval 

James D. Catalano, CIH, Sr. Research Scientist 

Signature on File Approval Date: 5/18/2007 

Jay A. MacLellan, Battelle PNWD Task Manager 

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 5/18/2007 

Richard J. Traub, Staff Scientist 

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 5/21/2007 

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 BL 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 Page 2 

Jessop Steel Company 

BL.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. 

BL.2 Site Description 

In the early and mid 1950s, the Jessop Steel Company was under contract to the AEC for 

metal fabrication with some work through DuPont. In the early 1950s, records indicate 

that uranium metal in nickel scrap was sent to Jessop to make stainless steel piping for 

Fernald. In 1954, tentative plans were made for Jessop to roll uranium for Fernald billet 

production.1

BL.2.1 Site Activities 

Jessop Steel was involved in the processing of nickel scrap that was contaminated with 

uranium, for the purpose of making piping for the Fernald facility. Although there was 

minimal information in the file, it appears that Jessop processed between 2 and 3 tons of 

uranium-contaminated nickel scrap during the month of December 1952. This is 

documented in two memoranda found in the database. A memo from December 1952 

indicates that 2 tons of scrap would be sent, while a report by the AEC summarizing 

activities for the month indicated 3 tons of scrap were processed by Jessop.2

 In addition, 

Jessop Steel sheared an unknown number of uranium plates for DuPont on March 2, 

1954.3

 Finally, the database contains a memorandum indicating that Jessop was interested 

in rolling uranium metal for Fernald, but this memo ended with the statement that the 

rolling would be suspended and would proceed instead at the Fernald facility.4 There is 

no indication of any additional work at this facility. 

BL.2.2 Job Categories 

Table BL.1 assigns Jessop Steel Company claimants’ job titles as of the effective date of 

this appendix to the Job Category listed in Bold Text below. One claimant was a ladle 

crane operator and the other a laborer and craneman. As such, both would likely have 

been in the processing area operating cranes above the furnaces in which the nickel was 

melted. Overhead crane operators would be expected to have among the highest 

exposures (at least as high as furnace operators or employees involved in handling the 

molten metal) given their work locations above heated operations. 

Plant Floor High (Involved directly in operations) 

Plant Floor Low (Involved in support of operations) 

Supervisor (Assumed to spend some time in the production areas) 

Clerk (Assumed to have minimal exposure) 

Claims forwarded to NIOSH by the Department of Labor after the effective date of this 

appendix will be evaluated during the dose reconstruction process to determine the most 

appropriate of the four Job Categories. 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix BL 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 Page 3 

BL.3 Occupational Medical Dose 

No information regarding occupational medical dose specific to Jessop Steel Company 

was found. One of the CATI interview summaries indicated “don’t know” when asked 

about medical X-rays, and the other indicated “no” when asked the question. Given the 

short-term nature of the AWE work at this site, it is unlikely that medical X-rays would 

have been required. Nevertheless, 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. 

BL.4 Occupational Internal Dose 

There were no data found in the site research database regarding air dust levels associated 

with the work at Jessop Steel Company. However, similar work was performed at 

Huntington Pilot Plant for which ORAU has produced a Technical Basis Document. 

Exposure levels were calculated using Table 4 from this document.5

 Exposure data, in 

terms of mg Ni/m3

, are presented for all departments in the Huntington Pilot plant. Using 

the GM and GSD for these data, the 90th percentile value was calculated and this value 

was considered the mean for "Plant floor high." Assuming that exposures for this job 

category were lognormally distributed with the same GSD as overall plant data, we were 

able to calculate the distribution for plant floor high exposures. Similar lognormal 

distributions were calculated for plant floor low (mean = 50% of plant floor high), 

supervisor (mean = 25% plant floor high) and clerical (mean =2.5% plant floor high). 

Since the exposure data from the Huntington Pilot Plant were presented in terms of mg 

Ni/m3

, we then converted the exposures to pCi/m3 by multiplying the values by a factor 

of 11.43, which is the sum of the ratios of uranium isotopes to nickel in the starting 

material as shown on Table 3 in the Huntington TBD.6 

As stated previously, it appears, based upon information in the site research database, that 

between 2 and 3 tons of nickel scrap was processed in December 1952 and that uranium 

plates were sheared on March 12, 1954 and that this was the extent of the AWE work at 

Jessop Steel. Since we have based exposure levels on data taken from the Huntington 

Pilot Plant which processed over 2 million pounds annually (or nearly 85 tons/month), 

the assigned exposure levels are favorable to the claimant. Given the amount of material 

processed by the two facilities, it is likely that Jessop Steel could have processed the 2-3 

tons of scrap in one day. A favorable assumption is that the processing took place every 

day during the month of December 1952. Similarly, it was indicated that plate shearing 

occurred on one day (March 12, 1954). We assume 10 hours of exposure in 1954 for this 

activity. Table 7.5 of the uranium metalworking TBD was used to find the air 

concentration for this process. There were no data corresponding to shearing, but a value 

of 45 dpm/m3

 was given for cutoff, milling, or slotting. All of these processes can be 

expected to generate much more dust than shearing; this assumption is also favorable to 

the claimant. 

Tables BL.2 and BL.3 contain inhalation and ingestion intakes in terms for pCi per day 

for each job category and each year. 

BL.5 Occupational External Dose 

There was no information in the site research database with respect to external exposures. 

No radiation surveys were performed during or after the tests. Therefore, external doses 

from exposure to contaminated air or contaminated floor must be calculated based on 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix BL 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 Page 4 

airborne contamination levels as described above. This Battelle TBD provides guidance 

for calculating external doses associated with submersion and surface loading based on 

airborne contamination levels. External doses are also taken from the Huntington Pilot 

Plant TBD, Tables 7, 8 and 9.7

Handling the uranium-contaminated nickel would produce external exposures. This 

exposure estimate is based on photon and beta dose rates for uranium metal. However, 

the uranium in this case is lightly dispersed in the Ni metal, which provides shielding. 

The effectiveness of this diluted condition of the uranium in producing a dose rate can be 

estimated using the specific activities of pure U metal (684 pCi/mg) and the contaminated 

nickel (11.4 pCi/mg), and by comparing the atomic numbers of Ni and U, to make a 

rough estimate of the shielding effectiveness of the Ni. Thus a ratio of 0.0549 was 

developed to apply to the external dose rates from natural uranium metal to obtain an 

estimate of the dose rates from the U dispersed in nickel. 

Tables BL.4 and BL.5 contain external doses associated with the work at this facility. 

BL.6 Residual Contamination 

A report from 1991 found in the Site Research database (Ref 11035, pp. 14-19) discusses 

radiological surveys completed at the Jessop Steel site as well as at a residence in which 

some salvaged building materials from the site were used to construct a deck. No levels 

above background were found. In addition, the NIOSH “Report on Residual Radioactive 

and Beryllium Contamination at Atomic Weapons Employer Facilities and Beryllium 

Vender Facilities” indicates “there is little potential for significant residual contamination 

outside of the period in which weapons-related production occurred.”8

 Thus no residual 

period was needed for dose assessment after 1954. 

Residual contamination is used for estimating doses in 1953 and the first two months of 

1954, between the contaminated nickel operation and the uranium shearing operation. 

This assessment assumes that no cleanup occurred after the contaminated nickel 

operation, even though cleanup may have occurred. 

BL.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. Reference ID 11035, site research database, pp. 29 & 34. 

3. Reference ID 11035, site research database, p. 27. 

4. Reference ID 11035, site research database, p. 30. 

5. Technical Basis Document: Basis for Development of an Exposure Matrix for 

Huntington Pilot Plant. Document No. ORAU-TKBS-0004, p. 7 

6. Ibid. p. 7. 

7. Ibid. pp. 11-13. 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix BL 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 Page 5 

8. 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 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pdfs/tbd/rescon/appen-a2.pdf
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix BL 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 Page 6 

Table BL.1 Job Categories for all current claimants who worked at Tocco Induction Heating Division 

Job Title Exposure Category 

Ladle Crane Operator 1 

Laborer/Craneman 2 

. 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix BL Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 

Table BL.2 INTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Inhalation of Airborne Radionuclides Assumptions: Operational Period Daily Weighted Average Air Concentration, Plant Floor High: 2.7 (1952) & 45 (’54) dpm/m3

Residual Period Daily Weighted Average Air Concentration: 0.0013 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 Resea

Plant Floor High 1952 Operations 183 U234 7.24E-01 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Plant Floor High 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.02E-03 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Plant Floor High 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.66E-01 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling Plant Floor Low 1952 Operations 183 U234 3.62E-01 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Plant Floor Low 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.02E-03 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Plant Floor Low 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.66E-01 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling Supervisor 1952 Operations 183 U234 1.81E-01 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Supervisor 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.02E-03 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Supervisor 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.66E-01 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling Clerical 1952 Operations 183 U234 1.93E-02 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Clerical 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.02E-03 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Clerical 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.66E-01 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix BL Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 

Table BL.3 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 

Job Category Year 

Operation 

Phase Hr/Yr 

Relevant 

Nuclide 

Intake 

(pCi/d) GSD TBD Reference or Resea

Plant Floor High 1952 Operations 183 U234 6.75E-03 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Plant Floor High 1953 Residual 2200 U234 4.68E-05 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Plant Floor High 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.21E-03 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling Plant Floor Low 1952 Operations 183 U234 3.37E-03 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Plant Floor Low 1953 Residual 2200 U234 4.68E-05 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Plant Floor Low 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.21E-03 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling Supervisor 1952 Operations 183 U234 1.69E-03 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Supervisor 1953 Residual 2200 U234 4.68E-05 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Supervisor 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.21E-03 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling Clerical 1952 Operations 183 U234 1.80E-04 4.3 Measured Air Concentrations Clerical 1953 Residual 2200 U234 4.68E-05 4.3 Residual from '52 operations: assume Clerical 1954 Operations 44 U234 6.21E-03 5.0 TBD-6000 Table 7.5 for cutoff, milling 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix BL Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 

Table BL.4 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 Resea

Plant Floor High 1952 Operations 183 U234 7.85E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assPlant Floor High 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-06 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assPlant Floor High 1954 Operations 44 U234 7.81E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assPlant Floor Low 1952 Operations 183 U234 3.92E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assPlant Floor Low 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-06 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assPlant Floor Low 1954 Operations 44 U234 3.90E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assSupervisor 1952 Operations 183 U234 3.93E-04 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assSupervisor 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-06 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assSupervisor 1954 Operations 44 U234 3.90E-04 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assClerical 1952 Operations 183 U234 3.72E-07 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assClerical 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-06 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & assClerical 1954 Operations 44 U234 2.33E-08 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 & ass
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix BL Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 05/25/2007 

Table BL.5 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) for pure U metaof 0.0549 for U-contaminated nickel 

Plant Floor High: Assume hands in contact with metal 50% of time. Other skin is 100% of dose rate at 1-fPlant 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 7.41E-6 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 Refere

Plant Floor High 1952 Operations 183 U234 3.17E+00 2.86E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectPlant Floor High 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-05 5.21E-05 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectPlant Floor High 1954 Operations 44 U234 3.15E+00 2.85E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectPlant Floor Low 1952 Operations 183 U234 1.58E+00 1.43E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectPlant Floor Low 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-05 5.21E-05 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectPlant Floor Low 1954 Operations 44 U234 1.58E+00 1.42E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectSupervisor 1952 Operations 183 U234 1.58E-01 1.43E-02 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectSupervisor 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-05 5.21E-05 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectSupervisor 1954 Operations 44 U234 1.58E-01 1.42E-02 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectClerical 1952 Operations 183 U234 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectClerical 1953 Residual 2200 U234 5.21E-05 5.21E-05 5 Generic Metal TBD, SectClerical 1954 Operations 44 U234 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 5 Generic Metal TBD, Sect