Decommissioning of
a University's Neutron Generator Laboratory
Work Description
– General:
Chase Environmental Group, Inc. (Chase) was contracted to
perform remedial activities and a final status survey to support
license termination of an obsolete research laboratory. The
project included disassembling the facility's 14 MeV deuterium/tritium
neutron generator and subsequently shipping the item and associated
support equipment to a licensed waste processing facility
in TN for volume reduction. Additionally, the laboratory was
currently being utilized as an interim storage location for
other radioactive and mixed wastes that had to be identified,
segregated, and transferred to appropriate handling facilities.
After removal of the laboratory's contents and prior to
commencing the final survey, extensive tritium (H-3) and
Cs-137 contamination had to be removed from the laboratory's
concrete surfaces. Personnel in full anti-contamination
clothing and respirators located offending areas and employed
an aggressive decontamination campaign that included the
use of jackhammers, scrabbles, and HEPA equipped vacuum
cleaners.
Once remediation was complete, Chase performed a final
status survey using the guidance provided in the Multi-Agency
Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM).
The survey consisted of surface beta-gamma and alpha scans,
systematic fixed and removable measurements for the same,
and a comprehensive program of collecting wet wipes to make
evaluations regarding the presence of tritium.
Preliminary planning included developing a dose/risk based
release criterion and acting as a liaison with regulatory
authorities to reach an agreement upon an acceptable survey
methodology. The University's curators knew little regarding
either the origin of the equipment or the experiments and
operations conducted in the laboratory, so Chase conducted
a detailed historical site assessment (HSA) that provided
the foundation for the Final Status Survey Report.
Location:
McNeese State University, Lake Charles LA
Regulatory Basis:
LA Department of Environmental Quality, MARSSIM, DOT, RCRA
