Progress update at Weldon Spring; focus on buildings demolition

Uranium and thorium were processed at the Weldon Spring site from 1957 through 1966. Operations contaminated the 44 buildings, surrounding land areas, and waste pits. The site is being cleaned up to meet the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An important phase of the remedial action has been occurring for the past year: the decontamination and demolition of the most highly contaminated uranium and thorium processing facilities. Work involves asbestos abatement, cleanup of chemical contaminants such as PCBs, removal of radioactive product residues, and building wash down, followed by demolition. The health physics aspects of this work present some atypical challenges. These include controlling airborne emissions given physical limitations on the use of engineering controls in dilapidated buildings, the need to superimpose asbestos abatement regulations on radiological work, and management of the large volume of waste generated, including mixed waste. This paper discusses the method of accomplishing the work and operational health physics practices used to keep environmental release of radioactive material and worker exposures ALARA