TDY Industries, Inc. (dba Wah Chang)

This site description was provided by the cognizant Agreement State, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) makes no claim regarding the validity of the information provided. See our Site Disclaimer for more information.

1.0 Site Identification

Type of Site:	Complex Decommissioning Site
Location:	Albany, OR
License No.:	ORE-90001
Docket No.:
License Status:	Unknown

2.0 Site Status Summary

The Wah Chang site (formerly known as Teledyne Wah Chang), located in Albany, Oregon is an active licensee under ORE-90001 license to extract rare minerals from zircon sand (zirconium, hafnium and niobium), using a proprietary chemical separation process. Under the ORE-90001 license, Wah Chang manufactures ingots of rare metals to contract specifications for use in aircraft, military and industrial processes. Decommissioning and cleanup of any vacated or modified spaces is required during any renovations or clearance of identified areas with fixed contamination or deposited materials from prior practices to utilize residues for construction use onsite.

Prior cleanup of the site has been coordinated with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to also address chemical and hazardous material contaminations at this licensed site.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

Periodic cleanup activities are undertaken to remove contaminated materials from this site whenever structures are upgraded or construction of new buildings takes place on this site. Prior to siting new buildings, the area under the former surface is excavated and sampled to evaluate potential chemical or radiological contamination under supervision of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Public Health Division. Gamma spectroscopy analysis is used to determine contamination levels and release limits for materials removed during these remedial activities in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.