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USTUR 0425: Rocky Flats — 1965 Acute Inhalation (Fire) — Refractory 239Pu
Intake
This Registrant worked at the Rocky Flats Plant for about 24 y. He was involved in a total of 22 documented hand-wound and/or contamination events. “The hand and clothing surface contamination events as well as the hand wounds were all decontaminated to background levels with negative bioassays after decontamination.”1 In 1965, he was involved in an extensive plutonium fire.
Several of these incidents, including the 1965 fire, are summarized below.
1956: The Registrant lacerated the back of his hand while loosening nuts on a pressure chamber. Air count results in the work area were 1278% of tolerance.
1957: The Registrant’s workspace was contaminated as he removed a unit through an air lock onto a table for decontamination. One hundred square feet of floor area were contaminated from 500 to 12,000 cpm. Dry boxes, welding equipment and miscellaneous items were contaminated from 500 to 10,000 cpm. The decontamination table was contaminated to >20,000 cpm. Air count results ranged from 67% to 102% of tolerance.
1960: The Registrant was pumping oil from inside a box to a carboy outside of the line without monitor service. Two square feet of floor were contaminated to 4,000 cpm and the drain hose to 20,000 cpm. The employee's coveralls were contaminated to 1,500 cpm and his right hand to 2,500 cpm. Air counts were 10% of the MPC. According to the incident report, the Registrant wore a respirator “at the beginning of the operation, however, respirator signs were not put up by development.”2
1961: A unit exploded inside a pressure chamber, spreading plutonium contamination into the work area. All equipment in the room and on the floor was contaminated from 500 cpm to >100,000 cpm. Contamination on the Registrant’s face measured 1,000 cpm. Air count results were 376% of the MPC.
1965: The Registrant was involved in an extensive plutonium fire incident. Studies of the plutonium fire aerosol showed that the material was highly refractory, and thus retained in the lungs and not responsive to intravenous chelation treatment. Surface contamination indicated small particle sizes: 0.12 µm count median diameter (0.4 µm CMAD) and 0.32 µm mass median diameter (1.0 µm AMAD). Plutonium air contamination in the Registrant’s work area was >90,000 dpm/m3 (1.5 kBq/m3) based on an 8-hour sampling period and the Am:Pu mass ratio was 1830 ppm.
Health Physics
While employed at Rocky Flats, this worker provided 48 urine samples. These were analyzed for uranium, gross alpha, 239Pu, and/or 241Am. Plutonium results ranged from 1 dpm/24-hr to <MDA. Most of the plutonium results were <MDA.
Eleven chest and three lung in-vivo analyses were performed. The 241Am activity measured in these chest counts ranged from 0.16 to 0.66 nCi, corresponding to an inferred 1.6 to 5.1 nCi 239Pu. The maximum permissible lung burdens (MPLB) at that time were 16 nCi 239Pu and 15 nCi 241Am.
One whole body count, four liver counts, and fourteen wound counts were performed. None of the wound counts exceeded background.
The Registrant’s total external (penetrating) radiation dose was 16.8 rem (168 mSv).
Autopsy and Pathology
The Registrant died at age 83 y from a malignant neoplasm of the prostate and bronchopneumonia.
Contemporary Dose Estimates
Based upon 1980 bioassay measurements, site personnel estimated 239/240Pu and 241Am body burdens of 0.55 nCi and 0.66 nCi, respectively1.
References
1. Elliston, J. T., Glover, S.E., Filby, R.H. The Distribution of Uranium in Human Tissues Chapter 4: Preparation of tissues for the determination of uranium and other actinides from a whole body donor, United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries case 0425. Ph.D. Dissertation: Washington State University, Department of Chemistry. August 2001.
2. United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries Registrant hard file.
To use USTUR narrative data, please cite:
USTUR 0425: Rocky Flats — 1965 Acute Inhalation (Fire) — Refractory 239Pu: Narrative. United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries. August 12 2009. Washington State University: College of Pharmacy. Accessed 23 November 2009. Available at: http://www.ustur.wsu.edu/Case_Studies/Narratives/0425_Narrative.php.
This page was last updated on July 8, 2009. usturwebmaster@tricity.wsu.edu