[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 136 (Wednesday, July 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42139-42140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17962]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-143]
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.; Environmental Assessment and Finding
of No Significant Impact
I. Introduction
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has received a
license amendment request from Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) dated
January 23, 2003, to amend Special Nuclear Material License SNM-124 to
use International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) Publication
68 for Derived Air Concentration (DAC) and the Annual Limit on Intake
(ALI) determinations (Ref. 1, 2). An Environmental Assessment (EA) was
performed by the NRC staff in support of its review of NFS' license
amendment request, in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR part
51. The conclusion of the EA is a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) for the proposed licensing action.
II. Supplementary Information
Background
The NFS facility in Erwin, TN is authorized under SNM-124 to
possess nuclear materials for the fabrication and assembly of nuclear
fuel components. The facility fabricates research and university
reactor components and manufactures compact reactor fuel elements. The
facility also performs recovery of scrap uranium.
Inhalation of dust in radiologically controlled areas poses an
internal radiation hazard, and the NRC regulations in 10 CFR part 20
require licensees to implement certain protective measures to minimize
that hazard. These measures include taking a variety of air samples,
using respirators in certain work areas, posting airborne radioactivity
warning signs outside the work areas, and putting the potentially
exposed workers on a routine bioassay program to assess their intakes
and verify the effectiveness of the protection program. Many of these
protective measures are triggered when the air concentrations in the
workplace reach specified fractions of the air concentrations tabulated
in 10 CFR part 20 appendix B. NFS has requested to amend its license to
permit the use of values other than those tabulated in Part 20 as the
basis for triggering protective measures, and for assessing the
internal dose to its workers. The basis for the amendment request is
the recommendations in ICRP 68. In the amendment application, NFS
maintains that the assessment of the radiological hazard based on 10
CFR part 20 Appendix B requires it to implement monitoring and
protection programs at levels that are out of proportion with the true
level of hazard, and that do not significantly add to worker
protection. NFS believes that granting the exemption would enable it to
reduce the size of its internal exposure program while, at the same
time, provide a level of protection proportional to the actual hazard.
NFS references an NRC Staff Requirements Memorandum (SECY-99-077) which
directs the staff to grant exemptions to 10 CFR part 20 on this
modeling issue on a case-by-case basis.
Review Scope
In accordance with 10 CFR part 51, this EA serves to (1) present
information and analysis for determining whether to issue a Finding of
No Significant Impact (FONSI) or to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS); (2) fulfill the NRC's compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act when no EIS is necessary; and (3) facilitate
preparation of an EIS when one is necessary. Should the NRC issue a
FONSI, no EIS would be prepared and the license amendment would be
granted.
This document serves to evaluate and document the impacts of the
proposed action. Other activities on the site have previously been
evaluated and documented in the 1999 Environmental Assessment (EA) for
the Renewal of the NRC license for NFS (Ref. 3). The 1999 document is
referenced when no significant changes have occurred. Besides the
proposed licensing action, operations will continue to remain limited
to those authorized by the license.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to amend NRC Materials License SNM-124 to
authorize the use of Derived Air Concentration (DAC) and the Annual
Limit on Intake (ALI) values specified in International Commission on
Radiation Protection Publication 68 (ICRP 68), entitled Dose
Coefficients for Intake of Radionuclides by Worker (Ref. 2). The DAC/
ALI values would be used to assign the effective dose to workers based
on an aerosol particle size of 5 microns as specified in ICRP 68. The
proposed DAC/ALI values are based on particle size studies, as
currently described in Sections 3.2.5.1 and 12.13.5 of Materials
License SNM-124 (Ref. 4).
Affected Environment
The affected environment for the proposed activity is the NFS site.
A full description of the site and its characteristics is given in the
1999 Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Renewal of the NRC license
for NFS (Ref. 3).
Effluent Releases and Monitoring
A full description of the effluent monitoring program at the site
is provided in the 1999 Environmental Assessment for the Renewal of the
NRC license for NFS (Ref. 3). Monitoring programs at the NFS facility
comprise effluent monitoring of air and water and environmental
monitoring of various media (air, soil, vegetation, and groundwater).
This program provides a basis for evaluation of public health and
safety impacts, for establishing compliance with environmental
regulations, and for development of mitigation measures if necessary.
The monitoring program is not expected to change as a result of the
proposed action. The NRC has reviewed the
[[Page 42140]]
location of the environmental monitoring program sampling points, the
frequency of sample collection, and the trends of the sampling program
results in conjunction with the environmental pathway and exposure
analysis and concluded that the monitoring program provides adequate
protection of public health and safety.
Environmental Impacts of Proposed Action
Radiological Impacts
The basic limits on radiation exposures, as well as the minimum
radiation protection practices required of any NRC licensee, are
specified in 10 CFR part 20, ``Standards for Protection Against
Radiation'' (Ref. 5). The models used in part 20 to regulate internal
doses are those described in ICRP Publications 26 and 30, adopted by
ICRP in 1977 and 1978, respectively (Ref. 6, 7). Much of the basic
structure of these models was developed in 1966, although some of its
components and parameters were altered somewhat between 1966 and their
formal adoption by ICRP in 1978. In the same year that the Commission
approved the final Part 20 rule (1991), ICRP published a major revision
of its radiation protection recommendations, ICRP 60 (Ref. 8). In the
several years following this revision, ICRP published a series of
reports in which it described the components of an extensively updated
and revised internal dosimetry model. Due to the restrictions in part
20, NRC licensees are not permitted to use the revised and updated
internal dosimetry models, without requesting an exemption to the
regulations.
Although the dose per unit intake calculated using the new models
does not differ by more than a factor of about two from the values in
Part 20 for most radionuclides, the differences are substantial for
some, particularly for the isotopes of thorium, uranium, and some of
the transuranic radionuclides. For example, for inhalation of insoluble
thorium-232 (\232\Th), the dose per unit intake calculated using the
revised ICRP lung model is a factor of about 15 times lower than that
in part 20. Because protective measures are based on the hazard, and
since the hazard is proportional to dose, part 20 requires
significantly more protective measures when using \232\Th than would be
warranted based on the revised models. This is NFS's primary concern,
and has requested that it be allowed to use DAC and ALI values based on
the dose coefficients listed in ICRP 68. The staff concluded during the
license renewal on July 2, 1999, that NFS, due to adequate training and
expertise, is qualified to utilize the ICRP Model's such as ICRP-68 in
a manner equivalent to those values listed in 10 CFR 20.1201(d), i.e.,
doses to less than NRC's regulatory limit of 5 rem, in its Radiation
Safety Program. Therefore, NFS' request for an exemption under 10 CFR
20.2301 and 10 CFR 70.14(a) is acceptable, because it gives its workers
equivalent radiological protection as required by 10 CFR part 20. Thus,
the exemption is authorized by law and will not result in an undue
hazard to life or property.
Nonradiological Impacts
The NRC determined that there are no nonradiological impacts
associated with the proposed action.
Cumulative Impacts
The NRC determined that there are no cumulative impacts associated
with the proposed action.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
NRC considered one alternative to the proposed action which was to
deny the amendment request. This alternative was rejected because the
impacts of the proposed action on the health and safety of the workers,
the public, and the environment were determined to be insignificant. In
addition, the licensee will be able to save time and resources on
implementing protective measures, upon approval of the proposed action.
Agencies and Persons Contacted
The NRC contacted the Director of Radiological Heath at the
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) concerning
this request. There were no comments, concerns or objections from the
state.
Because the proposed action is entirely within existing facilities,
and does not involve new or increased effluents or accident scenarios,
the NRC has concluded that there is no potential to affect endangered
species or historic resources, and therefore consultation with the
State Historic Preservation Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service was not performed.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
Based upon the environmental assessment, the staff concludes that
the proposed action will not have a significant effect on the quality
of the human environment. Accordingly, the staff has determined that
preparation of an environmental impact statement is not warranted.
IV. Further Information
The following documents are related to the proposed action:
1. B.M. Moore, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., Letter to U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, ``License Amendment Request to Use ICRP 68 for
ALI and DAC Determinations,'' January 23, 2003. (ADAMS Accession Number
ML030290097).
2. International Commission on Radiological Protection, ``Dose
Coefficients for Intake of Radionuclides by Worker,'' Publication 68,
Elsevier Science, 1995.
3. T. Cox, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Letter to T.S. Baer,
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., ``Finding of No Significant Impact and
Environmental Assessment,'' January 29, 1999.
4. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Special Nuclear Material
License SNM-124.
5. U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, ``Standards for Protection
Against Radiation,'' Part 20, Chapter 1, Title 10, Energy.
6. International Commission on Radiological Protection,
``Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological
Protection,'' Publication 26, Elsevier Science, 1977.
7. International Commission on Radiological Protection, ``Limits
for the Intake of Radionuclides by Workers,'' Publication 30, Elsevier
Science, 1978.
These references may be examined and/or copied for a fee at the
NRC's Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The references with ADAMS
accession numbers may also be viewed in the NRC's Electronic Public
Document Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Any
questions with respect to this action should be referred to Ms. Mary
Adams, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T-8 A33,
Washington, DC 20555-0001. Telephone 301-415-7249.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of July, 2003.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Susan M. Frant,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Facilities Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-17962 Filed 7-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P