A Review of the Dose Reconstruction Program of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (2003) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix D: Responses to Committee's Questions
Appendix D: Responses to Committee's Questions
Pages 305-334
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Appendix D Responses to Committee's Questions
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Till: APPENDIX D SEP 2 8 2001 This is in reply to your letter dated September 6, 2001. The following responses are provided with respect to the questions posed by the National Research Council Committee to Review the Dose Reconstruction Program of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Board on Radiation Effects Research.
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committed dose equivalent to target organ introduced 1983 1984 Statistical application of military unit film badge readings in lieu of missing film badge readings introduced 1985 Standardized NTPR guidance for dose assessment published in the Federal Register (32 CFR 218) FIIDOS computer code applied to internal dose methods 1986 Generic internal dose screen developed - no impact on individual organ doses from intake of fallout for VA claims 1987 Defense Nuclear Agency consolidates service NTPR teams into a centralized DNA program 1988 Dose reconstruction applied to periods of incomplete film badge coverage 1989 Upper-bound dose from individual film badge readings applied Doses extended to VA-defined operational test periods as published in
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dose reporting emphasized NAS Five Series Study Dose Methodology Report details applied to specific test series 1997 Skin dose reconstruction added in response to VA review of scientific literature 1998 Limited one-time plutonium urine bioassay conducted - no impact on internal doses 2000 2001 PC tables are not, and has never been used by DTRA's Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) program.
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nuclear testing program. As a result, the company maintained an archive of dose records, historical source documents, and original film badges for DOE and DoD participants in both atmospheric and underground nuclear testing.
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atmospheric nuclear test participants. DOE continues to provide DTRA dosimetry documents and extant film badge analysis support.
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However, the increased complexity of the reconstructions, due to both the incorporation of additional historical information as well as new tasks into the scope of the program (internal doses, skin doses, etc.) has resulted in a need for increased levels of detail in the veteran's participation statements.
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Study Director Dear Dr. Till: 313 I am responding to your request of September 7, 2001, seeking answers to certain questions from the NRC committee to review the dose reconstruction program of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
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Information can be extracted concerning the number of granted and denied claims in different categories, such as grants and denials of claims based on atmospheric nuclear testing on a non-presumptive basis and grants and denials of claims on the basis of the presumptive provisions of Pub.
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report of "Film Badge Dosimetry in Atmospheric Nuclear Tests" (1989) (see excerpts enclosed)
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From this application, the "lower, mean, and upper" entries are produced for each film badge entry in each of the file printouts. The code next applies the methodologies and considerations of pages 67 through 72 of the 1989 NAS report to combine the uncertainties of the individual film badges.
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Enclosed are the supporting materials for the answers to your questions. Question 1 - Specific Statements regarding REDWING Film Badge Damage: Regarding the statements about damaged film badges at REDWING in files 321458,489573, 199993, we cite two passages from the 1989 NAS film badge report and one reference entitled, "Operation REDWING, Radiological Safety," WT-1366 [EX]
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, available upper bound doses were drawn from DNA-published dose reconstruction reports for major participating military units, In 1989, after the NAS film badge report, upper bound doses on film badge became available and then were reported. From 1989 to 1992, upper bounds were reported on the individual components making up the veteran's total dose, i.e.
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The screen reports provide an underlying scientific methodological basis which augments the principal FIIDOS internal dose methodology. The dose screens were prepared as generic internal dose estimates for groups of participants belonging to common military units, but never implemented because the focus of Public Law 98-542 and its implementing regulations issued by VA and DTRA (38 CFR part 3.311 and 32 CFR part 218)
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Question 8 - Support of Individual Dose Reconstructions: SAIC is funded under a level-of-effort subcontract through Jaycor Corporation, the prime contractor to DTRA for the NTPR veterans support program. The subcontract contains a maximal annual ceiling for dose reconstruction support.
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, a teamed contract with Jaycor Corporation and SAIC, to conduct historical research on veterans participation activities and to determine radiation doses related to those activities. DTRA reviews and approves the results of the contract effort before submitting them to the VA Regional Office.
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Michael Schaeffer Program Manager Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program Technology Development Directorate
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in support of individualized dose reconstruction provides the evidence of damaged film badges. Question 2 -Fixed Rate Compensation for Dose Reconstruction: SAIC never received fixed rate compensation for the performance of dose reconstructions.
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Question 5 - Use of 20 Micron Particle Sizes: To the best of our knowledge, we instituted the practice of using 20 micron particle sizes to maximize internal organ doses sometime in the late 1980s. Question 6 - Top Level Quality Assurance Guidance: Quality Assurance has always been a key element in our management and direction of the NTPR program.
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The following summary illustrates the comprehensive quality assurance actions implemented in the program' s three key task areas. Database Management Application Development · Requirements review by working groups, team leader, program manager · Application testing by selected users and team leaders · Major modifications review by team leaders LAN Administration · Standard procedures review by team leader · Enhancements review by team leader, corporate LAN engineers, program manager Database Administration / Analysis · Data entry review by Quality Assurance Specialist and team leader · Data structure modifications review by programmers, team leader, program manager · Dose data accuracy and database integrity review by data analyst and database administrator Documentation / Training · Training materials review by selected users and team leader · Training procedures review by team leader and program manager Radiation Dose Assessment Dose Triage · Correspondence case review by health physicist Radiation Exposure Data · Film badge review by health physicist · Film badge versus reconstructed dose analysis/review by dose analysts · Test series operational detail knowledge by dose analysts Technical Documentation · Assessments and technical documents review by senior scientist and senior historian/editor
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Michael Schaeffer Program Manager Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program Technology Development Directorate
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Al-Nabulsi: 327 Defense Threat Reduction Agency 8725 John J Kingman Road MSC 6201 Ft Belvoir, VA 22060-6201 August 30, 2002 In response to your 13 August 2002 letter, we provide responses to your six questions, concerning report SAIC - 0012024 "Methods and Applications for Dose Assessments of Beta Particle Radiation".
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Response: Neither should be implied. This statement was an interpretation relative to the ratio of the beta dose to gamma dose cited in Reference 1 and does not pertain to current skin dose methodology.
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Michael Schaeffer Program Manager Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program Technology Development Directorate
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Current DTRA policy requires that SAIC provide all doses prepared in support of VA claims. At one point in the NTPR Program before the current policy, there were cases where Jaycor applied available SAIC-prepared generic external dose reconstructions if the participation scenario for that reconstruction was applicable to the veteran' s participation scenario and if SAIC had previously determined the internal dose to a particular organ.
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Reply: Screening doses are used when a compensation claim requires a medical opinion on the likelihood that radiation exposure in service was responsible and when the CIRRPC report provides screening doses relevant to the veteran' s disease. The CIRRPC screening doses are applied after the case has been sent to the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards for a medical opinion.
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334 APPENDIX D Reply: The CIRRPC screening doses when applicable are used in formulating a medical opinion but other factors are considered as well. I hope these comments will be of assistance.
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