Krypton-85 health risk assessment for a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant

A health risk assessment was conducted to investigate the impact of implementing regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency's Final Environmental Statement - 40 CFR 190 - Environmental Protection Requirements for Normal Operation of Activities in the Uranium Fuel Cycle. Potential risks involved in the routine release of 85Kr from nuclear fuel reprocessing operations to the environment were compared to those resulting from the capture and storage of 85Kr. The average occupationally exposed worker was estimated to receive about 400 to 600 mrem/y from 85Kr recovery and immobilization activities. This dose is a factor of 20,000 to 30,000 higher than the estimated dose to the maximum offsite individual (0.02 mrem/y), and a factor of 130,000 to 200,000 higher than the dose received by the average member of the 50-mile population (0.003 mrem/y) from routine release of all 85Kr. Given the uncertainties in the models used to generate lifetime risk numbers (0.02-0.027 radiation induced fatal cancers expected in the occupational workforce and 0.017 fatal cancers in the general population), the differences in total risks cannot be considered meaningful. There is certainly no reason to conclude that risks from 85Kr routinely released to the environment are greater than those that would result from recovery, immobilization and storage of the noble gas. 22 references, 1 figure, 3 tables