[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 192 (Friday, October 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51844-51845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26278]
[[Page 51844]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. LEHR-SF-597]
Certification of the Radiological Condition of Four Buildings at
the Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research, Davis, California
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration.
ACTION: Notice of certification.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has completed radiological
surveys and taken remedial action to decontaminate and decommission
four buildings located at the Laboratory for Energy-Related Health
Research (LEHR) facility in Davis, California. This property previously
was found to contain radioactive materials from activities carried out
for the Atomic Energy Commission and the Energy Research and
Development Administration (AEC/ERDA), predecessor agencies to DOE.
Although DOE owns the majority of the buildings and equipment at the
LEHR site (including these four buildings), the University of
California owns the land.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Williams, Program Manager, Office
of Northwestern Area Programs, Office of Environmental Restoration (EM-
44), U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE has implemented environmental
restoration projects at LEHR as part of DOE's Environmental Restoration
Program. One objective of the program is to identify and clean up or
otherwise control facilities where residual radioactive contamination
remains from activities carried out under contract to AEC or ERDA
during the early years of the Nation's atomic energy program.
LEHR is comprised of a number of buildings and structures located
within a 15-acre parcel of land leased from the University of
California, Davis. The facility was operated by the University of
California between 1956 and 1988 to conduct animal research to
determine the effects of radionuclides, primarily strontium-90 and
radium-226, on tissue, organs, and bone. Several buildings and land
areas became radiologically contaminated as a result of facility
operations and site activities. A LEHR area that has been designated
for cleanup under the DOE Environmental Restoration Program includes
the two Animal Hospital Laboratories, the Specimen Storage building,
and the Cobalt-60 building. These buildings have been decontaminated
and have been independently verified to meet established cleanup
criteria and standards; they are, therefore, now available for release
without radiological restrictions as established in DOE Order 5400.5.
The Animal Hospital Laboratories are single story, wood-framed
buildings with stucco exteriors. Animal Hospital No. 1 housed built-in
cage rooms and contained nine laboratories for conducting animal
research using strontium-90. Animal Hospital No. 2 was used for
surgery, radiography, and radium-226 studies. Plumbing and ventilation
systems associated with the animal cages were contaminated as a result
of the studies. The Specimen Storage building is a single story
structure constructed with concrete blocks. This building was used to
store radioactive and non-radioactive research samples. The Cobalt-60
building is a single story, poured concrete, composite roof structure.
This building housed a cobalt-60 irradiation source and was equipped
with a control room and animal exposure room. The 390-curie cobalt-60
source was removed in January 1993 and made available for reuse at
another facility. Following the removal of the cobalt-60 source, the
exposure room was used to store lead bricks, a radiological glovebox,
bagged electrical motors, and miscellaneous radioactive sources.
To allow the release of these buildings for use without
radiological restrictions, all radioactive material and contamination
was removed from the buildings. In general, passive decontamination
techniques, such as high-efficiency particulate air vacuuming, damp
cloth wiping, and hand washing/scrubbing, were applied first. When the
contaminants were more tightly bound to the surface material, such as
fiberglass and epoxy coated cages, more aggressive decontamination
methods were applied. These methods included surface removal by
chipping and grinding. When decontamination of cages was no longer
cost-effective, the remaining contaminated material was removed, volume
reduced, and shipped offsite for disposal as low-level radiological
waste.
After the decontamination project was completed, a comprehensive
final survey of the building interiors was performed to demonstrate
compliance with standards for release without radiological
restrictions. The Environmental Survey and Site Assessment Program of
the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education performed independent
verification of the decontamination project in 1996. Post-
decontamination surveys have demonstrated that the four buildings are
in compliance with DOE decontamination criteria and standards for
release without radiological restrictions. DOE intends to comply with
applicable Federal, State, and local requirements which relate to
property transfer.
Final DOE costs for the decontamination of the four buildings were
$4,000,000, including the final survey and waste disposal.
All personnel working on the decontamination and decommissioning
project were monitored for both external and internal dose exposure.
Over the five year duration of the project, two workers received a
total of 10 mrem each, which is well below applicable radiological
standards establishing a dose limit of 100 mrem/yr. to the general
public under DOE Order 5400.5 or 5 rem/yr. for workers under 10 CFR
Part 835.
The certification docket will be available for review between 9:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays), in
the U.S. DOE Public Reading Room located in Room 1E-190 of the
Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
Copies of the certification docket will also be available at the
following locations: DOE Public Document Room, U.S. DOE, Oakland
Operations Office, the Federal Building, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland,
California; University of California-Davis Shields Library, Reference
Desk, Davis, California; and Davis Public Library, Reference Desk, 315
East 14th Street, Davis, California.
DOE has issued the following statement of certification:
Statement of Certification: Laboratory for Energy-Related Health
Research, Animal Hospital No. 1, Animal Hospital No. 2, Specimen
Storage Building, and the Cobalt-60 Building
The U.S. Department of Energy, Oakland Operations Office,
Environmental Restoration Division, has reviewed and analyzed the
radiological data obtained following decontamination and
decommissioning of Animal Hospital No. 1, Animal Hospital No. 2,
Specimen Storage building, and the Cobalt-60 building at the Laboratory
for Energy-Related Health Research. Based on analysis of all data
collected and the results of independent verification, DOE certifies
that the following properties are in compliance with DOE radiological
decontamination criteria and standards as established in DOE Order
5400.5. This certification of compliance provides assurance that future
use of the properties will result in no radiological
[[Page 51845]]
exposure above applicable guidelines established to protect members of
the general public or site occupants. Accordingly, the properties
specified below are released from DOE's Environmental Restoration
Program.
Property owned by the University of California:
Animal Hospital No. 1 (H-219), Animal Hospital No. 2 (H-218),
Specimen Storage building (H-216), and the Cobalt-60 building (H-290)
located at the Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research at Davis,
Solano County, California in the southeast quarter of Section 21,
Township 8 North, Range 2 East, Mount Diablo Base and Meridian.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on September 22, 1997.
James J. Fiore,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.
Statement of Certification: Laboratory for Energy-Related Health
Research, Animal Hospital No. 1, Animal Hospital No. 2, Specimen
Storage Building, and the Cobalt-60 Building
The U.S. Department of Energy, Oakland Operations Office,
Environmental Restoration Division, has reviewed and analyzed the
radiological data obtained following decontamination and
decommissioning of Animal Hospital No. 1, Animal Hospital No. 2,
Specimen Storage Building, and the Cobalt-60 Building at the Laboratory
for Energy-Related Health Research. Based on analysis of all data
collected and the results of independent verification, DOE certifies
that the following property is in compliance with DOE radiological
decontamination criteria and standards as established in DOE Order
5400.5. This certification of compliance provides assurance that future
use of the property will result in no radiological exposure above
applicable guidelines established to protect members of the general
public or site occupants.
Property owned by the University of California:
Animal Hospital No. 1 (H-219), Animal Hospital No. 2 (H-218),
Specimen Storage Building (H-216), and the Cobalt-60 Building (H-290)
located at the Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research at Davis,
Solano County, California, in the southeast quarter of Section 21,
Township 8 North, Range 2 East, Mount Diablo Base and Meridian.
Dated: July 22, 1997.
Roger Liddle,
Director, Environmental Restoration Division, Oakland Operations
Office, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 97-26278 Filed 10-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
