Review of processes for the release of DOE real and non-real property for reuse and recycle

Abstract

It is DOE'S objective to operate its facilities and to conduct its activities so that radiation exposures to members of the public are maintained within acceptable limits and exposures to residual radioactive materials are controlled. To accomplish this, DOE has adopted Order DOE 5400.5; "Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment," and will be promulgating 10 CFR Part 834 to codify and clarify the requirements of DOE 5400.5. Under both DOE 5400.5 and 10 CFR Part 834, radioactively contaminated DOE property is prohibited from release unless specific actions have been completed prior to the release. This paper outlines a ten-step process that, if followed, will assist DOE Operations and contractor personnel in ensuring that the required actions established by Order DOE 5400.5 and 10 CFR Part 834 have been appropriately completed prior to the release for reuse or recycle of non-real property (e.g., office furniture, computers, hand tools, machinery, vehicles and scrap metal). Following the process will assist in ensuring that radiological doses to the public from the released materials will meet applicable regulatory standards and be as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).

A process for reducing the licensing burden for new products containing depleted uranium.

“…It should be noted that radiation doses to workers or members of the public during the normal life cycle of an unregulated, DU-containing product and for accidents and misuse of such a product can be estimated by various computer codes. Appendix C of Ranek et al (1997) provides a list and descriptions of computer codes and models that can assist in converting DU concentrations to radiation dose estimates. For example, the MICROSHIELD (Negin and Worku 1992), RESRAD-BUILD (Yu et al 2003a), RESRAD-OFFSITE (Yu 2003b), and RESRAD-RECYCLE (Cheng et al 2000) computer codes can be used to estimate the external pathway doses from DU-containing products; the RADTRAN (Neuhauser and Kanipe 1992) and RISKIND (Yuan et al 1995) computer codes can be used to estimate the risk from transportation.…”