Occupational Radiation Exposure at Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors and Other Facilities 2008: Forty-First Annual Report (NUREG-0713, Volume 30)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: January 2010
Date Published: January 2010

Prepared by:
D.E. Lewis
D.A. Hagemeyer*

Division of Systems Analysis and Regulatory Effectiveness
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

*Oak Ridge Associated Universities
210 Badger Avenue
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

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Abstract

This report summarizes the occupational exposure data that are maintained in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Radiation Exposure Information and Reporting System (REIRS). The bulk of the information contained in the report was compiled from the 2008 annual reports submitted by five of the seven categories¹ of NRC licensees subject to the reporting requirements of 10 CFR 20.2206. The annual reports submitted by these licensees consist of radiation exposure records for each monitored individual. These records are analyzed for trends and presented in this report in terms of collective dose and the distribution of dose among the monitored individuals. Because there are no geologic repositories for high-level waste currently licensed and no low-level waste disposal facilities in operation, only five categories will be considered in this report.

Annual reports for 2008 were received from a total of 194 NRC licensees. Compilations of the reports submitted by the 194 licensees indicated that 181,462 individuals were monitored, 86,169 of whom received a measurable dose (Table 3.2). The collective dose incurred by these individuals was 11,301 person-rem, which represents a 7% decrease from the 2007 value. The number of workers receiving a measurable dose also decreased, resulting in an average measurable dose of 0.13 rem for 2008. The average measurable dose is defined as the total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) divided by the number of workers receiving a measurable dose.² The figures and tables for commercial reactors in this report have been adjusted to account for transient reactor workers where specifically noted in footnotes.

In calendar year 2008, the average annual collective dose per reactor for light water reactor (LWR) licensees was 88 person-rem. This represents a 9% decrease from the value reported for 2007 (97 person-rem). The annual collective dose per reactor for boiling water reactors (BWRs) was 129 person-rem for 35 BWRs, and for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), it was 68 person-rem for 69 PWRs. Analyses of transient worker data indicate that 28,780 individuals completed work assignments at two or more licensees during the monitoring year. The dose distributions are adjusted each year to account for the duplicate reporting of transient workers by multiple licensees. In 2008, the average measurable dose per worker for all licensees calculated from reported data was 0.13 rem. The corrected dose distribution resulted in an average measurable dose per worker for all licensees of 0.18 rem.

¹ Commercial nuclear power reactors and test reactor facilities, industrial radiographers; fuel processors (including uranium enrichment facilities), fabricators, and reprocessors; manufacturing and distribution of byproduct material; independent spent fuel storage installations; facilities for land disposal of low-level waste; and geologic repositories for high-level waste. There are currently no NRC licensees involved in low-level waste disposal or geologic repositories for high-level waste.

² The number of workers with measurable dose includes any individual with a dose greater than zero rem and does not include doses reported as “not detectable.”