Battelle Team 

Dose Reconstruction 

Project for NIOSH

Document Title: 

Site Profiles for Atomic Weapons Employers that 

Worked Uranium and Thorium Metals 

Appendix V- American Chain and Cable Company 

Document Number: Battelle-TBD-6000 

Appendix V 

Revision: 0 

Effective Date: 7/16/2007 

Type of Document: TBD Appendix

Supersedes: None 

Subject Experts: R.I. Scherpelz, M.S. Yencken 

Document Owner 

Approval: Signature on file Approval Date: 6/29/2007 

Robert I. Scherpelz, Staff Scientist 

Approval Signature on file Approval Date: 6/29/2007 

Jay A. MacLellan, Battelle PNWD Task Manager 

Concurrence: Signature on file Concurrence Date: 6/29/2007 

Richard J. Traub, Staff Scientist 

Approval: Signature on file Approval Date: 7/16/2007 

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 V 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 Page 2 

American Chain and Cable Company 

C.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. 

C.2 Site Description 

The American Chain and Cable Company located in Bridgeport, Connecticut performed 

experimental swaging with uranium rods in 1944 as a subcontractor under DuPont for the 

Manhattan Engineering District (MED). 

C.2.1 Site Activities 

The work documented for the American Chain and Cable Company (ACC) was the 

swaging of eight uranium rods. The rods were reduced from 1.46” to 1.39” diameter by 

cold swaging. The rods were delivered and removed from the plant by an AEC 

representative, who was also present during the work. Upon completion of the work, the 

rods were shipped to the Metallurgical Laboratory for evaluation. 

 

The work was done under a DuPont Engineering Department subcontract No. RPG-3199-

1/2. The purpose of the test was to see if this cold working method could reclaim 

oversized rods. It was decided at the completion of the test that this method was not 

satisfactory, as the outside surface of the rods was impaired, and so the method was 

abandoned. 

No documentation was found indicating workers exposed to AEC related radioactive 

materials were exposed to other sources of radiation. 

C.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—dose based on Generic Metal TBD 

Extrusion data as a surrogate operation favorable to the claimant) 

Plant Floor Low (Involved in support of operations—dose based on 50% of plant 

floor high above) 

Supervisor (Assumed to spend some time in the production areas—inhalation 

dose based on 25% of plant floor high; external dose based on 10% 

of plant floor low above) 

Clerk (Assumed to have minimal exposure—inhalation dose based on 

exposure to 2.5% of plant floor high above) 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix V 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 Page 3 

C.3 Occupational Medical Dose 

No information regarding occupational medical dose specific to American Chain and 

Cable Company 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. 

C. 4 Occupational Internal Dose 

No air sampling data were available for the 1944 operation. The Generic Metal TBD does 

not address cold swaging of uranium. Air monitoring data were collected at another 

company, Torrington, which performed experimental swaging work for AEC in 1951-

1952. No uranium was detected during the one air monitoring campaign at Torrington. 

Because there are no details available for the work performed at ACC in 1944, the 

Torrington air monitoring data might underestimate the exposure at ACC in 1944. In an 

approach that is favorable to the claimant, extrusion has been used as a surrogate for the 

swaging job rather than the Torrington data. 

Air concentrations for the Plant Floor High job category were taken from the TBD for 

uranium extrusion. Air concentrations for other job categories were scaled from the Plant 

Floor High. Hours worked per year were based on the report of eight rods being swaged 

and the swaging rate documented at Torrington. At Torrington one rod could be swaged 

in a minute. Each experimental campaign, however, typically swaged 3 or 4 rods and 

lasted two hours. Sixteen hours of work in 1944 was assigned to ACC for the swaging of 

eight rods as an estimate favorable to the claimant. 

Tables V.1 and V.2 contain inhalation and ingestion intakes in terms of pCi per day for 

each job category and each year. 

C.5 Occupational External Dose 

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

during AWE work. In an approach similar to the internal dose above, the external dose 

values in the TBD for extrusion should be used. 

Tables V.3 and V.4 present these values as mR per calendar day value to be used for each 

calendar year listed. 

C.6 Residual Contamination 

The NIOSH “Report on Residual Radioactive and Beryllium Contamination at Atomic 

Weapons Employer Facilities and Beryllium Vender Facilities” indicates that: “there is 

little potential for significant residual contamination outside the period in which 

weapons-related production occurred.”2

 It is assumed that workers at ACC during 1944, 

after the operations, were exposed to residual contamination from uranium deposited on 

the floor but not cleaned up. Since the date of operation was not specified, it was 

assumed that residual exposure lasted for 2384 hours (the remainder of a 2400-hour year 

after the 16-hour operation).

C.7 References 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; 

Appendix V 

Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 Page 4 

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 & 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pdfs/tbd/rescon/appen-a2.pdf 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix V Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 

Table V.1 INTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Inhalation of Airborne Radionuclides Assumptions: Operational Period Daily Weighted Average Air Concentration, Plant Floor High: 992 dpm/m3

Residual Period Daily Weighted Average Air Concentration: 0.043 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 Justific

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 16 U234 2.35E+01 5.0 Metal TBD Table 7.2, Extrusion Plant Floor High 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.51E-01 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 

Plant Floor Low 1944 Operations 16 U234 1.18E+01 5.0 Ratio from Plant Floor High Plant Floor Low 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.51E-01 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 

Supervisor 1944 Operations 16 U234 5.88E+00 5.0 Ratio from Plant Floor High Supervisor 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.51E-01 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 

Clerical 1944 Operations 16 U234 5.88E-01 5.0 Ratio from Plant Floor High Clerical 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.51E-01 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix V Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 

Table V.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 

Job Category Year 

Operation 

Phase Hr/Yr 

Relevant 

Nuclide 

Intake 

(pCi/d) GSD TBD Reference or Research Justific

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 16 U234 2.19E-01 5.0 Metal TBD Table 7.2, Extrusion Plant Floor High 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.41E-03 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 

Plant Floor Low 1944 Operations 16 U234 1.09E-01 5.0 Ratio from Plant Floor High Plant Floor Low 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.41E-03 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 

Supervisor 1944 Operations 16 U234 5.47E-02 5.0 Ratio from Plant Floor High Supervisor 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.41E-03 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 

Clerical 1944 Operations 16 U234 5.47E-03 5.0 Ratio from Plant Floor High Clerical 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.41E-03 5.0 

Resuspension of contamination deposit

operations, no cleanup 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix V Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 

Table V.3 EXTERNAL DOSE PATHWAYS - Whole Body Assumptions: Submersion Dose Conversion Factor: 2.462E-09 mrem/h/dpm/m^3 

Deposition velocity: 0.00075 m/s 

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 Justific

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 16 U234 1.25E-02 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Plant Floor High 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-04 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Plant Floor Low 1944 Operations 16 U234 6.25E-03 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Plant Floor Low 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-04 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Supervisor 1944 Operations 16 U234 6.26E-04 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Supervisor 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-04 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Clerical 1944 Operations 16 U234 1.06E-06 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 Clerical 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-04 5.0 Generic Metal TBD, Section 6.3 
Document No. Battelle-TBD-6000; Appendix V Revision No. 0 Effective Date: 7/16/2007 

Table V.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 

Skin: 

Hands & 

Forearms 

(mR/d) 

Skin – 

Other 

(mR/d) GSD TBD Reference or Res

Plant Floor High 1944 Operations 16 U234 5.04E+00 4.56E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Plant Floor High 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-03 1.57E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Plant Floor Low 1944 Operations 8 U234 2.52E+00 2.28E-01 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Plant Floor Low 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-03 1.57E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Supervisor 1944 Operations 0.8 U234 2.52E-01 2.28E-02 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Supervisor 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-03 1.57E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Clerical 1944 Operations 0 U234 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section Clerical 1944 Residual 2384 U234 1.57E-03 1.57E-03 5 Generic Metal TBD, Section