Starmet Fire Concord, MA - EPA Region I

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Starmet Fire Concord, MA - EPA Region I
OSC Frank Gardner Health Physicist Tony
Honnellio OSC Brent England
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Site Profile

• At approximately 2315 hrs on June 26, 2007,
  MassDEP notified EPA of a fire at Starmet
  Superfund Site in Concord, MA.
• NPL Site with history of involvement by EPA's
  removal and remedial programs.
• High degree of public awareness and interest in
  site

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Site Profile

• Constituents of concern at the Site have included
  depleted uranium and other radioactive materials.

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Site Profile

• Rad waste stored on site until recently
• Residual rad contamination still a concern

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Initial Response

• MassDEP requested EPA assistance with air
  sampling at the Site to determine whether
  radioactive materials had been released during
  the fire.
• EPA mobilized and integrated into the Unified
  Command

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Timeline

• 26 June 2007
• 2000 - Fire starts in Foundry Room
• 2030 - Fire largely extinguished by sprinklers
• 2100 - Local FD finished extinguishing fire
• 2345 - OSC Gardner mobilized to scene with EPA
  Health Physicist/Safety Officer Tony Honnellio
• 27 June 2007
• 0200 - START arrived on-scene with equipment to
  support the incident
• 0300 - Hazmat crews and facility reps. conducted
  entries to assess fire damage and return the
  alarms and sprinklers to service EPA/START
  support decon ops by conducting personnel
  clearance monitoring
• 0330 - EPA coordinated with the National
  Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) to
  prepare a computer-generated plume model based on
  current weather and site conditions.
• 0400 - Based on plume model, EPA/START set up 6
  air sampling stations for beta and alpha
  radiation around the perimeter of the site
• 0430 to 0600 - Initial air sample screening
  indicated no readings above background for alpha
  and beta radiation
• 0610 EPA START demobilized.

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Timeline

• 27 June 2007
• 1045 To account for decay of naturally-occurring
  radioisotopes (radon), EPA/START re-screened air
  samples. Results indicated no radiation levels
  above background conditions.
• 1200 - EPA removal and remedial staff PIOs met
  with the Unified Command at Concord FD to discuss
  public outreach and next steps.
• 28 June 2007 Air samples sent to EPAs NAREL
  lab for confirmatory analysis. Results confirm
  no radiation levels above background.

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Follow-up Actions

• Starmet staff segregated, containerized, and
  secured metal shavings involved in the fire.
• EPA START conducted field characterization
  using XRF.
• EPA removal and remedial programs continue to
  follow up with future site activities as
  appropriate.

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Follow-up Actions

• Hazard assessment was conducted by Concord FD,
  EPA, and START to identify immediate potential
  hazards.
• EPA START conducted full chemical inventory of
  facility.
• Issues with improper storage - incompatibility
• Current activities include radiological
  contamination assessment of hazardous materials.
• Consult w/ EPAs National Decon Team (NDT)

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Highlights Equipment Use

• Ludlum 2241-2 w/ pancake detector
• RADeCO High Volume Air Samplers
• Ludlum 3030 alpha/beta sample counter
• XRF for follow-up characterization

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RADeCO High Volume Air Samplers

• Designed to simplify air sampling procedures and
  provide higher accuracy to air sampling data.
• Includes an enclosed air-turbine which rotates at
  speeds proportional to the air velocity of the
  sampled air.
• The turbine's rotation is sensed by a reflective
  sensor/breaker disk.
• The microprocessor converts the signal to volume
  and displays the FLOW RATE, TOTAL VOLUME and
  ELAPSED TIME on the LCD readout.

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Ludlum 3030 a/ß Sample Counter

• Simultaneous Alpha/Beta sample counting
• SIZE 9"X 6" X 9"
• WEIGHT Approximately 40 lbs (18 kg)
• SOFTWARE PC based to perform setup and
  calibration routines. Logging of data is also
  available with software collecting and storing.

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Highlights Reachback/Support

• EPA Health Physicist/SO on Site
• NARAC National Atmospheric Release Advisory
  Center
• RERT - Radiological Emergency Response Team
• Tech Support during Response
• Confirmatory Sample Analysis at NAREL Lab in
  Montgomery, AL

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NARAC National Atmospheric Release Advisory
Center
The National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center,
NARAC, provides tools and services to the Federal
Government, that map the probable spread of
hazardous material accidentally or intentionally
released into the atmosphere. NARAC provides
atmospheric plume predictions in time for an
emergency manager to decide if taking protective
action is necessary to protect the health and
safety of people in affected areas. Located at
the University of California's Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, NARAC is a national support
and resource center for planning, real-time
assessment, emergency response, and detailed
studies of incidents involving a wide variety of
hazards, including nuclear, radiological,
chemical, biological, and natural emissions. In
an emergency situation (if lives are at risk),
event-specific NARAC support for non-NARAC
customers can be requested through the Department
of Energy Watch Office (202-586-8100).
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Radiological Emergency Response Team (RERT)

• Staff of Technical Specialists at Office of
  Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) in Las Vegas, NV
• National Air and Radiation Environmental
  Laboratory (NAREL) in Montgomery, AL

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Questions?