Decontamination & Decommissioning

The Radiation Safety Academy has years of experience conducting decommissioning surveys and assisting licensees terminate licenses or clear facilities formerly utilizing radioactive materials. Our staff will design and conduct Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) type final status surveys for facilities undergoing closure. The Academy specializes in conducting decommissioning surveys of research laboratory and medical facilities. We prepare site-specific decommissioning cost estimates. MARSSIM type surveys of building infrastructure include, but are not limited to, sinks and drains, fume hoods, floors, fixed equipment and bench tops, and other building surfaces to document that any residual radioactive contamination levels do not exceed acceptable limits.

The Academy will provide professional certified health physicists (CHPs), staff health physicists, support staff, and analytical expertise to enable successful completion of the project. Our equipment includes a Ludlum model 239-1F floor monitor with scaler ratemeter model 2224; three Ludlum model 43-68 GP detectors with scaler ratemeter model 2224; pressurized ion chambers, and others to conduct contamination and dose rate measurements throughout.

Following MARSSIM guidance, we will conduct an Historical Site Assessment (HSA) to identify potential radiological contaminants. Based on the results of the HSA and in accordance with MARSSIM guidance, we will develop a Survey Plan describing the scanning, sampling, and analytical approach of the survey, creating data quality objectives, setting derived concentration guideline levels, identifying survey units and classifications for impacted areas, and determining the number of sample and/or measurement locations required in each survey unit for nonparametric statistical hypothesis testing.

The Academy will then conduct the final site survey, analyze the results in accordance with the Survey Plan. If needed, the Academy will decontaminate building surfaces and equipment. The Academy can also coordinate disposal of contaminated materials.

Lastly the Academy will prepare a Final Status Survey report as described in MARSSIM. This report shall serve as a stand-alone, technically-defensible record of the radiological status of the site which, assuming that the survey results demonstrate that no remediation is necessary, would satisfy U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Agreement State, or Department of Energy decommissioning requirements. Academy staff can meet with regulators to discuss the decommissioning activities as needed.

Project History

The Academy has completed the following decommissioning projects:

• Perkin-Elmer Life Sciences
• National Institutes of Health (NIH), Building 6
• National Institutes of Health (NIH), Building 36
• National Institutes of Health (NIH), Park-5 Labs
• James Madison University, Miller Hall Research Labs
• Shire Laboratories
• UC, Santa Cruz, Baskin Engineering Building
• Catholic University waste storage facility
• Boehringer Ingelheim radiosynthesis lab