Risk-Based Minimum Detectable Concentrations for Radiological Analysis of Environmental Media at the Savannah River Site

Authors

G. T. Jannik, B. S. Crandall, P. D. Fledderman

Abstract

Other than for drinking water, there is no definitive guidance in existing federal or state regulations concerning the appropriate minimum detectable concentrations (MDCs) that should be achieved for radiological analysis of environmental media. At the Savannah River Site (SRS), it was decided that the MDCs for environmental samples should be risk-based. Calculations were performed to determine radionuclide concentrations in environmental media that equated to a potential lifetime risk of 1.0 × 10–6, by using 1) applicable and reasonable pathways to humans; 2) maximally exposed individual usage rates appropriate for the SRS area; 3) U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved dose factors; 4) dose-to-risk factors from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 60 (7.3 × 10–2 total risk Sv–1 (7.3 × 10–7 total risk mrem–1)); and 5) a 30-yr exposure time. This paper describes the process used to determine the appropriate MDCs for selected environmental media. Also, a comparison of the risk-based MDCs with the current SRS environmental media MDCs is provided and discussed.

Meeting

This abstract was presented at the 37th Annual Midyear Meeting, "Air Monitoring and Internal Dosimetry", Effluent and Environmental Monitoring Session, 2/8/2004 - 2/11/2004, held in Augusta, GA.

 
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