Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor Vol. 20 No. 24
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Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor
Article 10 of 13
June 10, 2016

DOE Proposes Amended Rule for Beryllium Exposure Program

By Alissa Tabirian

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday issued a proposal to amend regulations for its Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program, which covers DOE and contractor employees who have been exposed to beryllium while working at DOE sites.

Beryllium metal is used in nuclear reactors at various DOE facilities, including the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee and the Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, as part of the production of nuclear weapons. Beryllium inhalation or exposure could cause sensitization and chronic beryllium disease, a sometimes fatal respiratory disease.

An epidemiological study released last year concluded that workers at the DOE’s Hanford Site with the greatest exposure to beryllium were the most likely personnel to develop chronic beryllium disease. Although use of the material in fuel rods for the Washington state site’s reactors ended in 1986, contamination remained in buildings that previously hosted the beryllium fuel work.

Proposed provisions intend to clarify the definition of beryllium under the rule, limit worker access to beryllium-containing areas, implement work practice controls to prevent atmospheric release of the material, and offer medical surveillance to monitor exposed workers’ health. In particular, amendments include a lower exposure limit from 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 0.05 micrograms/m3; a mandatory requirement for medical and periodic evaluations for personnel who work with beryllium; and revisions to the training requirements and consent forms for those workers.

The proposed rule would revise the definition of beryllium to include the material’s elemental, oxide, and alloy forms, but exclude its mineral forms, which have not conclusively been linked to the same health effects of exposure.

It would also require employers to demarcate beryllium regulated areas and prevent unauthorized personnel from entering those areas via signs, locked access doors, and other security measures. To prevent dispersion of beryllium particles into the atmosphere, the rule would require employers to follow industrial hygiene control measures such as prohibiting the blowing or shaking of protective clothing and equipment.

A reduced action level of 0.05 micrograms/m3 would introduce protective measures at lower levels of worker exposure and for a greater number of workers. Proposed exposure monitoring rules would require quarterly monitoring of workers for the first year, followed by reduced monitoring if the employer demonstrates for six months that the airborne concentration of beryllium falls below the exposure limit.

Meanwhile, medical evaluations for beryllium workers would be mandatory rather than voluntary, and would be provided to personnel without requiring the use of vacation or sick leave. Employers would also be required to provide training to beryllium workers on topics such as the potential health risks posed to worker family members, as well as retraining in the event a worker lacks the necessary proficiency to conduct safe beryllium work.

The department expects the proposed rule to reduce medical costs and improve quality of life for its workers, the amendment said. The proposed rule would cost an estimated $13.6 million to $17.2 million annually, and could lead to cost savings at DOE sites, the quantities of which have not yet been estimated.

DOE is requesting public comment on several parts of the proposed rule, including the health effects associated with different forms of beryllium and the proposal to lower the action level to 0.05 micrograms/m3.

Public hearings will be held on the proposed rule from June 28-30 in Richland, Wash.; July 12-14 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.; July 27-28 in Las Vegas, Nev.; and Aug. 11 in Washington, D.C. The comment period on the proposed rule ends Sept. 6. Comments may be submitted in several different ways, including via regulations.gov or by email to Rulemaking.850@hq.doe.gov.

DOE will then prepare a final rule incorporating the input received throughout the comment process. The final rule may then be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, after which it will be published as a final rule in the Code of Federal Regulations.

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NEW: Via public records request, I’ve been able to confirm reporting today that a warrant has been issued for DOE deputy asst. secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition Sam Brinton for another luggage theft, this time at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid airport. (cc: @EMPublications)

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