[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 218 (Friday, November 8, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57911-57914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28737]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 030-00692]


Indiana University, Environmental Assessment: Finding of No 
Significant Impact and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing Related to 
Amendment of Material License Number 13-00108-05

ACTION: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an 
amendment to NRC License No. 13-00108-05, for use of carbon-14 
(14C) to conduct a field study on mayapple plants in Monroe 
County, Indiana. A similar project was approved by NRC in 1988 
(Amendment 45 to the license).

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Sami Sherbini, U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards, MS T8F5, Washington DC 20555, telephone (301) 415-7902.

Environmental Assessment

Description of Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to amend NRC Byproduct Material License No. 
13-00108-05 to authorize Indiana University to conduct field studies 
using small quantities of 14C to label mayapple plants. The total 
amount of 14C involved is not to exceed 444 megabequerels (MBq) 
[12millicuries (mCi)], to be administered over a period of 2 years 
starting in the spring of 1997.

Experimental Procedure

    Indiana University was previously authorized by NRC, in 1988, to 
conduct field studies similar to those presently being considered. The 
1988 studies involved administration of 1260 MBq (34 mCi) of 14C, 
and the proposed study will use 444 MBq (12 mCi).
    The purpose of the project is to assess the use of carbon by the 
mayapple plant, Podophyllum Peltatum. This is achieved by exposing each 
plant, in the field, to gaseous 14CO2 for a period of 30 
minutes, during which time some of the gas will be absorbed by the 
plant. Labeled plants are left in the field for a period of 1 year, 
after which the plants are harvested. A total of 475 plants are 
expected to be involved during the study, which is to be conducted over 
a 2-year period. The first phase is expected to start in the spring of 
1997 and end with the harvesting of the labeled plants in 1998, at 
which time

[[Page 57912]]

the second phase will start. The second phase ends in 1999, with the 
harvesting of the remaining labeled plants. No labeled plant will 
remain in the field for a period of over 1 year.
    The total 14C activity to be authorized for use during the 2-
year project is 444 MBq (12 mCi). The 14C is taken to the field in 
the form of sodium bicarbonate (NaH14CO3). The compound, in 
liquid form, is pipetted, in the laboratory at Indiana University, into 
plastic centrifuge tubes, up to 25 microcuries (Ci) (0.93 MBq) 
per tube, and sealed with screw caps. The amount of liquid in each of 
the tubes will be very small, usually about a drop. The sealed tubes 
are to be packed into an insulated box (e.g., a picnic cooler) that has 
been lined with sufficient absorbent material to absorb any liquids in 
case of a spill. A maximum of 35 plants will be labeled at any one 
time, thereby limiting the amount of 14C to be taken to the fieled 
at any one time to 32.4 MBq (875 Ci).
    In the field, a centrifuge tube is attached to the stem of each 
plant to be labeled, the tube is uncapped, and the plant and tube are 
sealed in an exposure vessel consisting of a large, clear, plastic bag. 
Acid is then injected into the centrifuge tube using a hypodermic 
needle inserted through a sealable port in the plastic bag. The ensuing 
reaction causes the production of 14CO2. The labeling bag is 
left in this configuration for 30 minutes, and then removed from the 
plant. The centrifuge tube is recapped and the bag sealed and taken 
back to the university laboratory. It is expected that about 90 percent 
of the 14CO2 generated in the bag will be absorbed by the 
plant. Of the activity absorbed, it is estimated that about 90 percent 
will be released to the atmosphere by the plant within 3 to 4 days in 
the form of 14CO2, with the remaining 10 percent being 
incorporated into the plant tissues. At the end of a period not to 
exceed 1 year from the date of labeling, the mayapple plant will be 
removed from the field, including the roots, and returned to the 
university laboratory.
    Personnel performing the experiments will be trained personnel who 
have successfully completed the university's radiation safety training 
program as well as special training for this project. They will wear 
protective clothing and latex gloves during procedures involving the 
handling of radioactive materials. Each labeled plant will be posted 
with a radioactive material sign, and the perimeter of the experimental 
site will be posted with warning signs.

Site Description

    The site of the proposed experiments is on private property, 
consisting mostly of upland undeveloped forest and lowland meadowland 
located in a rural area of Monroe County, Indiana. The site is not 
developed, but part of the lowland meadow is being used as a composting 
area for lawn waste. The proposed location for the experiment is an 11 
acre plot in the upland undeveloped forest section of the property. The 
owners of the property live on the property, and their house is about 
50 meters (160 feet) from the proposed experimental plot. They have 
given the university written permission to conduct the experiments.
    There is no access road to the proposed location of the 
experiments, and access to the property is through a 1.25 mile-long 
driveway on the property off a dead-end public road. Although many 
houses in the general area have wells, the closest of which is about 
300 meters (1,000 feet) from the site, the wells are no longer in use 
because of the recent introduction of a municipal water supply. The 
closest body of water to the site is Richland Creek, located about 460 
meters (1,500 feet) from the closest point of approach to the property. 
The creek is not used for fishing or drinking because it has been 
classified by the State of Indiana as a Class 2 polluted waterway, 
meaning that it should not be used for fishing. The depth of the water 
table in the area is about 200 meters (640 feet), and is about 230 
meters (740 feet) at the study location.
    Based on available data and experience gained from conducting 
similar experiments in the past, it appears that only two types of 
insect feed on the mayapple plant: stemborers and lepidopteran larvae, 
but no other animals or birds. The stemborers are known to remain 
within the plant, and will therefore be collected and returned to the 
laboratory when the plants are harvested. Only one lepidopteran larva 
was observed on a mayapple plant during past experiments, and it 
appears that these larvae are not commonly found in that area. The 
licensee plans to remove any such larvae that may be found during the 
proposed experiments and dispose of them as radioactive material. The 
two insect species identified above are not included in the list of 
endangered species for the State of Indiana published by the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service.

Dose Assessments

    Use of 14C to label mayapple plants, in the manner proposed by 
the licensee, presents two possible pathways for exposure to the 
radioactive material:
    1. Inhalation of the 14CO2, either during application by the 
workers, or as a result of emission by the labeled plants 3 to 4 days 
after uptake by the plant.
    2. Diffusion of the 14C into soil and subsequent contamination 
of a drinking water supply. Activity may reach the ground through the 
plant roots, or through a spill of the radioactive material during 
labeling.
1. Airborne Pathways
    The 14C is taken to the field in the form of sodium 
bicarbonate liquid contained in sealed plastic tubes. Each tube will 
contain up to 25 Ci (0.93 MBq) of C-14. Based on past 
experience, the licensee estimated that 90 percent of the 14C 
activity to which the plant is exposed is taken up by the plant. 
Assuming each plant is exposed to the full 0.93 MBq (25 Ci) 
content of the plastic tube attached to it during labeling, the plant 
will absorb 25 Ci x 0.9, or about 0.83 MBq (22.5 Ci). 
Of this activity, 90 percent is estimated to be released to the 
atmosphere within 3 to 4 days of uptake by the plant. Therefore, the 
activity released to the atmosphere by each plant will be 22.5 
Ci x 0.9, or 0.75 MBq (20.3 Ci). An estimated 475 
plants will be labeled during the 2-year period of the experiment. 
Therefore, the total amount of 14C released to the atmosphere 
during the proposed study will be 20.3 Ci x 475, or about 370 
MBq (10 mCi).
    The closest residents to the site of the experiments are the owners 
of the property, whose house is located about 50 meters (160 feet) from 
the proposed experimental site. The concentration of 14C at the 
house is estimated by using standard airborne dispersion methods 
normally used to estimate the concentrations of materials downwind of a 
release point. The method chosen for the present purpose is that 
recommended for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
for showing compliance with its air emissions standards (EPA 520/1- 89-
001, ``Procedures Approved for Demonstrating Compliance with 40 CFR 
Part 61, Subpart I,'' Background Information Document, October 1989). 
According to this model, the average downwind concentration of 14C 
is given by,
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08NO96.000

where:

C=concentration, Ci/m3

[[Page 57913]]

f=fraction of time wind is blowing toward receptor = 0.25
Q=release rate, Ci/s=1.6 x 10-4 Ci/s
u=wind speed, m/s=2 m/s

    The release rate, Q, was obtained by dividing the total activity 
released in a 2-year period, namely 370 MBq (10 mCi), by the number of 
seconds in that period. The values of 0.25 and 2 m/s for ``f' and 
``u'', respectively, are conservative values for these parameters. 
Typical values for ``f' are of the order of 0.15, and typical values 
for ``u'' are of the order of 4 to 5 m/s. The value of the diffusion 
function, P, is given by,
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08NO96.001

Where:

P=diffusion function
 x =distance from point of release, m=50 m
H=height of release point, m=2 m
Qz=vertical diffusion parameter, m
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08NO96.002

    The release rate is obtained by assuming uniform and continuous 
emission from the plants over a period of 2 years. A release height of 
2 meters (6.6 feet) above ground level is assumed, and the distance to 
the owner's house is, as noted above, 50 meters (160 feet). The actual 
pattern of release of 14C will not be uniform, but will in fact 
occur over a period of 2 months each year, for a total of 4 months 
during the 2-year period of the experiment. However, assuming uniform 
emissions over the 2-year period will only affect the rate at which the 
14C is inhaled, but not the total quantity inhaled, and therefore 
will not affect the total committed effective dose. The uniform 
emission assumption only simplifies the calculations, but does not 
affect the final outcome.
    Using the above formulas, the concentration of 14C at the 
owner's house is estimated to be about 8.14 mBq/m3 (2.2 x 10-
7 Ci/m3 ). This is a conservative estimate because the 
calculations do not take into account any additional dispersion caused 
by trees and other obstacles between the plants and the house.
    Assuming that the residents will inhale this activity continuously 
for a period of 2 years, at an inhalation rate of 1.2 m3/hr (from 
Publication 30 of the International Commission on Radiological 
Protection), the total inhaled 14C activity will be about 170 Bq 
(4.6 x 10-3 Ci). The effective committed dose equivalent 
per unit intake for 14C, in the form of 14CO2, is 6.35 
Sv/MBq (0.0235 mrem/Ci) (from Federal Guidance Report 
No. 11, ``Limiting Values of Radionuclide Intake and Air Concentration 
and Dose Conversion Factors for Inhalation, Submersion, and 
Ingestion,'' EPA-520/1-88-020). The total committed effective dose 
equivalent resulting from inhalation of 179 Bq (4.6 x 10-3 
Ci) of 14CO2 is therefore less than 0.01 Sv 
(1 rem).
    In addition to the release to the atmosphere by the plants, some 
14C activity will remain in the labeling plastic bag at the end of 
the labeling period. Each bag will initially contain 0.93 MBq (25 
Ci) of 14CO2, of which 90 percent, or 0.83 MBq (22.5 
Ci) will be taken up by the plant, leaving 0.093 MBq (2.5 
Ci) in the bag. If it is conservatively assumed that the 
person performing the labeling inhales about 25 percent of that 
remaining activity, and if it is also assumed that the same person 
performs labeling on all 475 plants, the total 14C activity 
inhaled will be 2.5 Ci x 0.25 x 475 plants, or about 11.1 MBq 
(300 Ci). Inhalation of this activity, in the form of 
14CO2, over a 2-year period, using a dose per unit intake of 
6.35 Sv/MBq (0.0235 mrem/Ci) , as above, will result 
in an occupational committed effective dose equivalent of about 70 
Sv (7 mrem).
2. Soil Pathway
    The soil pathway is the exposure pathway that starts with 
introduction of the radioactive material into the soil, followed by 
diffusion to the water table and contamination of water supplies. 
Exposure routes would be by drinking contaminated water, eating fish or 
other marine life living in the contaminated water, eating plants grown 
in contaminated soil and irrigated using contaminated water, and eating 
diary products and meat produced from cattle raised on contaminated 
feed and water.
    None of the above pathways is significant in this case. The 
property on which the experiment is to be conducted is not a working 
farm, and no food is grown or produced on it. The closest well is 300 
meters (1,000 feet) from the experimental site, but the wells in the 
area are no longer used as a water supply because of the introduction 
of a municipal water system. There is no fishing in the surrounding 
area, and the closest body of water, Richland Creek, located 460 meters 
(1,500 feet) from the site, is polluted and is not used for fishing.
    A spill of radioactive material is not expected to have a 
significant impact on the environment because each plastic centrifuge 
tube contains only a drop or so of the liquid tracer, with a total 
activity of 0.93 MBq (25 Ci). However, a potentially larger 
source of 14C by this pathway are the labeled plants. The plants 
are estimated to absorb 90 percent of the activity to which they are 
exposed, which is 25 Ci x 0.9 x 475 plants, or about 407 MBq 
(11 mCi). About 90 percent of this activity is expected to be released 
to the atmosphere soon after labeling, leaving 10 percent, or about 37 
MBq (1 mCi), in the plant tissue. The licensee stated that all plants, 
including all roots, will be harvested, and no plant will be left in 
the ground for more than 1 year. However, if we assume that all the 
activity in the plant tissue is released to the ground, this will 
provide an upper bound for any possible effect from the groundwater 
pathway.
    The experimental plot is about 11 acres in area, or about 45,000 
m2. It will be assumed that at the end of the experimental period 
of two years, the (1 mCi) 37 MBq activity in the plants is uniformly 
spread out over this area and to a depth of about 1 m, which is the 
approximate depth within which most of the roots will be located. It is 
also assumed that a drinking water well is located at the edge of the 
experimental plot. Using these assumptions, the concentration of 
14C in the top soil layer will be 0.022 Ci/m3 (814 
Bq/m3) . At a soil density of about 1.5 g/cm3, the 
concentration will be about 0.015 pCi/g (0.56 mBq/m3) of soil. 
Using the computer code RESRAD to perform a pathway analysis, and using 
the water table depth at the site of about 200 meters (640 feet), the 
dose from the drinking water pathway is found to be substantially below 
0.01 Sv (1 rem). This is an upper limit for this 
pathway, because there is no well at the edge of the experimental plot, 
the nearest well being about 300 meters (1,000 feet) from the site.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) 
and the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR Part 51, the Commission has 
determined that there will not be a significant effect on the quality 
of the human environment resulting from the use of 14C in mayapple 
plant studies conducted by Indiana University in Monroe County, 
Indiana. Further, an environmental impact statement is not required for 
the proposed amendment to Byproduct Material License No.13-00108-05, 
which will authorize use of 14C-labeled sodium bicarbonate at the 
experimental

[[Page 57914]]

site. This determination is based on the foregoing Environmental 
Assessment (EA) performed in accordance with the procedures and 
criteria in 10 CFR Part 51, ``Environmental Protection Regulations for 
Domestic Licensing and Related regulatory Functions.'' The EA described 
herein confirms the Finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed 
studies.

Notice of Opportunity for a Hearing

    Any person whose interest may be affected by the issuance of this 
amendment may file a request for a hearing. Any request for hearing 
must be filed with the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington DC 20555, within 30 days of publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register and must be served on the NRC staff by 
mail addressed to the Executive Director for Operations, One White 
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852; and must 
be served on the applicant by mail or delivery to Indiana University, 
Department of Environmental Health and Safety, 840 State Road 46 
Bypass, Room 160, Bloomington, Indiana 47405. The request for a hearing 
must comply with the requirements set forth in the Commission's 
regulations, 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart L, ``Informal Hearing Procedures 
for Adjudications in Material Licensing Proceedings.'' Subpart L of 10 
CFR Part 2 may be examined or copied for a fee in the Commission's 
Region III Public Document Room at 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, 
Illinois 60532-4351, or in the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, 
N.W., Lower Level, Washington DC 20555.
    As required by 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart L (10 CFR 2.1205), the 
request for hearing must describe in detail: (1) The interest of the 
requester in the proceeding; (2) how that interest may be affected by 
the results of the proceedings, including the reasons why the requester 
should be permitted a hearing, with particular reference to the factors 
set out in paragraph (g) of 10 CFR 2.1205; (3) the requester's areas of 
concern about the licensing activity that is the subject matter of the 
proceeding; and (4) the circumstances establishing that the request for 
a hearing is timely in accordance with paragraph (c) of 10 CFR 2.1205.
    The factors in 10 CFR 2.1205(g) that must be addressed in the 
request for hearing include: (1) the nature of the requester's right, 
under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, to be made a party to the 
proceeding; (2) the nature and extent of the requester's property, 
financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (3) the possible 
effect of any order that may be entered in the proceeding, upon the 
requester's interest.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 30th day of October, 1996.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Josephine Piccone,
Chief, Operations Branch, Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear 
Safety, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 96-28737 Filed 11-7-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P