A team of independent experts led by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has issued its Report on Chemical Vapor Issues at the Hanford Tank Farm today. The report is available at srnl.doe.gov/documents/Hanford_TVAT_Report_2014-10-30-FINAL.pdf The ten-member team was formed in June 2014 at the request of Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), the contractor responsible for management and cleanup of nuclear and hazardous waste currently stored in underground tanks at Hanford. The report includes ten overarching recommendations and more than 40 supporting recommendations that are focused on improvements in the industrial hygiene programs at the tank farm facilities and, in the team’s view, will reduce the likelihood of personnel exposures to tank vapors. The team will also comment on the implementation plan being developed by WRPS. Dr. Bill Wilmarth of SRNL, the team lead, made the following statement: “This has been an independent, focused effort that we believe has identified improvements not only for the short term, but for the remaining lifecycle of the Hanford tank farms. “I appreciate the time and effort not only of the team, but also of all the people who helped us to gain an understanding of the Hanford operations. Further, I want to acknowledge the effort that WRPS made to review our draft report for factual accuracy. Our recommendations have not changed, but the review process has helped to clarify the report. “One of the key analyses that we accomplished was to apply a well-established set of criteria to determine whether there was a causal link between tank vapor exposures and the adverse health effects experienced by tank farm workers. The analysis indicated that this was the case. “The team used a combination of testimony from tank farm workers, engineering data and computational modeling to support the plausibility of a transient, acute exposure scenario. Verifying and quantifying transient acute exposure requires an approach different from traditional design of full-shift industrial hygiene monitoring. The team made recommendations for controlling and detecting these emissions, and protecting the workforce.”
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:20:33 +0000