Development of a pilot safety information document (PSID) for the replacement of radioactive liquid waste treatment facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Abstract

Based on recent decisions made by Los Alamos National Laboratory concerning the development of site-wide National Environmental Policy Act documents, an effort was undertaken to develop a Pilot Safety Information Document (PSID) for the replacement Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility. The PSID documents risk analysis for the proposed facility and some of the alternatives, accident analysis, radioactive and hazardous material doses to off-site individuals, and the cumulative safety risk from adjacent facilities. In addition, this study also compared two methods for calculating the consequences of a radioactive spill. The methods compared were the Superfund model and the release fraction model. It was determined that the release fraction model gives a more realistic estimate of the doses incurred as the result of an accident, and that the Superfund model should be used for estimating the dose before and during the remediation effort. The cumulative safety risk was determined by calculating the exceedance probability if the individual dose from four geographically related facilities. The risk for cancer fatalities was determined to be within the DOE's Nuclear Safety Policy Goals.