Radiation exposure for DOE and DOE contractor employees, 1980. Thirteenth annual report

A total of 85,465 DOE and DOE contractor employees were monitored for whole-body ionizing radiation exposures in 1980. This represents 62.1% of all DOE and DOE contractor employees and is a decrease from the number of individuals monitored in 1979. In addition to the employees 87,590 visitors were monitored. Of all employees monitored, 52.72% received a dose equivalent that was less than measurable, 45.51% a measurable exposure less than 1 rem, and 1.77% an exposure greater than 1 rem. The exposure received by 87.96% of the visitors to DOE facilities was less than measurable. Only 12.03% of the visitors received a measurable exposure less than 1 rem, and 0.01% of the visitors received an exposure greater than 1 rem. No employees or visitors received a dose equivalent greater than 4 rem. The collective dose equivalent for DOE and DOE contractor employees was 7405 person-rem. The collective dose equivalent for visitors was 619 person-rem. The total dose equivalent for employees and visitors combined was 8024 person-rem. The average dose equivalent for all individuals (employees and visitors) monitored was 46 mrem and the average dose equivalent for all employees who received a measurable exposure was 187 mrem. The highest average dose equivalent was observed for employees monitored at fuel processing facilities (333 mrem) and the lowest among visitors (7 mrem) to DOE facilities. These averages are significantly less than the DOE 5-rem/year radiation protection standard for whole-body exposures. Only five cases of internal depositions were reported in 1980. In all cases, these accidental depositions were less than the annual dose-equivalent standard