CONTAMINATED SRS TRU WORKER NOT LIKELY TO SUFFER LONG-TERM EFFECTS

A Savannah River Site worker who became internally contaminated with radioactive material last year is not expected to suffer any long-term negative effects as a result, SRS managing contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions said yesterday. According to SRNS, the worker received “a final Committed Effective Dose of 31.6 REM” as a result of a puncture wound that occurred while packaging transuranic waste. “Based on the estimated dose, there is no expected impact to the length or quality of the employee’s life,” SRNS said. The Committed Effective Dose “is the total dose that is estimated to be measured over a 50 year period, which in this case is considerably less than 1 REM/year,” SRNS said, noting that the Department of Energy’s annual dose limit is 2 REM per year. “The positive outcome of the final dose is attributed to the quick response taken to excise the wound and to provide chelation treatments, both immediately after and long term, following the event,” SRNS said.