[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]] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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