NUREG/CR-1775 SAI01380-469LJ / F Environmental Assessment of Consumer Products Containing Radioactive Material Prepared by D. W. Buckley, R. Belanger, P. E. Martin, K. M. Nicholaw, J. B. Swenson Science Applications, Inc. Prepared for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission I NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, or any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third party's use, or the results of such use, of any information, apparatus product or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use by such third party would not infringe privately owned rights. Available from GPO Sales Program Division of Technical Information and Document Control U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555 and National" Technical Information Service Springfield, Virginia 221611" NUREG/CR-1775 SA101380-469LJ/ F Environmental Assessment of Consumer Products Containing Radioactive Material Manuscript Completed: October 1980 Date Published: October 1980 Prepared by D. W. Buckley, R. Belanger, P. E. Martin, K. M. Nicholaw, J. B. Swenson Science Applications, Inc. 1200 Prospect Street La Jolla, CA 92038 Prepared for Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 NRC FIN No. B0280 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1 INTRODUCTION ...... .................. * . 1-2 1.1 Objective .......... 1.2 Approach ........... 1-4 1.3 Discussion ......... 1.4 Summary . ....... 1-4 2 RADIOLUMINOUS TIMEPIECES . 2-1 2.1 Product Description and Background. 2-1 2.2 Environmental Impact ........... 2-8 2.3 Alternatives ..... ............ 2-56 2.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit .... 2-58 2.5 Future Use .................. 2-66 2.6 Summary ..... ............... 2-67 2.7 References for Section 2 ........ 2-68 3 STATIC ELIMINATORS .... .............. 3-1 3.1 Product Description and Background... 3-1 3.2 Environmental Impact .............. 3-7 3.3 Alternatives .............. ....... 3-24 3.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit ........ 3-26 3.5 Future Use .................. .. 3-27 3.6 Summary ... ................ 3-28 3.7 References for Section 3 ........... 3-29 4 DENTAL PRODUCTS ...... ............... 4-1 4.1 Product Description and Background... 4-1 4.2 Environmental Impact..... ......... 4-7 4.3 Alternatives ..... ............... 4-19 4.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit ........ 4-20 4.5 Future Use.... ..... ........... 4-22 4.6 Summary ...... ................ 4-24 4.7 References for Section 4 ........... 4-25 5 INCANDESCENT GAS MANTLES 5.1 Product Description and Background. 5-1 5.2 Environmental Impact .............. 5-3 5.3 Alternatives ..... ............... 5-27 5.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit ........ 5-27 5.5 Future Use ....... ............. 5-30 5.6 Summary ..... .......... ........ 5-30 5.7 References for Section 5 ........... 5-31 iii Section Page 6 THORIATED TUNGSTEN WELDING RODS ..... ........... 6-1 6.1 Product Description and Background ......... 6-1 6.2 Environmental Impact ........ .... ........ 6-4 6.3 Alternatives ........ ............ 6-21 6.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit ............. ... 6-22 6.5 Future Use ..... ......... ... .... ........ 6-23 6.6 Summary ........ .................. .' 6-23 6.7 References for Section 6 ............... ... 6-24 7 OPHTHALMIC LENSES ..... ........... ....... 7-1 7.1 Product Description and Background .... ...... 7-1 7.2 Environmental Impact.. ................ ... 7-5 7.3 Alternatives ...... .................. ... 7-16 7.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit ............. ... 7-17 7.5 Future Use .... ...... ............... ... 7-22 7.6 Summary .......... .................... .. 7-22 7.7 References for Section 7...... ............ 7-23 8 GLASSWARE AND CERAMIC TABLEWARE.. .... ....... 8-1 8.1 Product Description and Background ........... 8-1 8.2 Distribution ......... .................. 8-1 8.3 Radiological Impact ........ .............. 8-3 8.4 Summary .............. .................. 8-5 8.5 References for Section 8 ........ ....... ... 8-6 9 ELECTRON TUBES ........ ................... .. 9-1 9.1 Product Description and Background ........... 9-1 9.2 Environmental Impact .................. ... 9-2 9.3 Alternatives ...... .................. ... 9-13 9.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit......... ..... 9-13 9.5 Future Use ...... ..... .............. .. 9-14 9.6 Summary ....................... ........ .9-14 9.7 References for Section 9 ............... ... 9-15 10 FLUORESCENT'LAMP STARTERS.. ..... .......... 10-1 10.1 Product Description and Background.. ......... 10-1 10.2 Environmental Impact. ............. 10-6 10.3 Alternatives ........................... ... 10-13 10.4 Cost and Risk Versus Benefit ............. ... 10-14 10.5 Future Use ...... ........ ....... 10-19 10.6 Summary .......... ...................... 10-19 10.7 References for Section 10 .... ........... ... 10-20 iv Section Page II IONIZATION CHAMBER SMOKE DETECTORS.. ..... ..... .. 11- 11.1 General . .l......... ................... 11-1 11.2 Summary .......... ................... 11-1 11.3 References for Section 11 ............. 11-4 12 OTHER PRODUCTS ...... ................... .. 12-1 12.1 Miscellaneous Radioluminous Products ....... 12-1 12.2 Piezoelectric Ceramics ............... ... 12-3 12.3 Military Surplus Commodities ............. 12-3 12.4 Educational Products ................... 12-4 12.5 Photographic Toner .................. ... 12-6 12.6 Ion Generators ...... ................ .. 12-6 12.7 Uranium in Pottery Products and Glass Enamel Frits ..... ................. ... 12-6 12.8 Summary .............................. 12-8 12.9 References for Section 12 .............. .. 12-9 APPENDIX A - DOSE CALCULATIONAL METHODS ........ .. A-] APPENDIX B - RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH EFFECTS ......... B-1 APPENDIX C - REGULATIONS AND SAFETY CRITERIA. C-l APPENDIX D - DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTS WITH REFUSE . D-l v vi LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1.1 Radiological Data for Nuclides of Interest. ......... .. 1-5 1.2 Summary of Consumer Products with Radioactive Materials . 1-6 2.1 Total Distribution (Domestic and Import) of Luminescent Timepieces Containing Tritium ...... ............. 2-4 2.2 Distribution of Backlit (Tritium Light Tube) Watches ....... 2-5 2.3 Total Distribution (Domestic and Import) of Timepieces Con- taining Pm-147 ........ ........................ .. 2-6 2.4 Distribution of Timepieces Containing Ra-226.... ......... 2-7 2.5 Summary of Occupational Exposures in Various Tritium Time- piece Plants ........ ............ .................... 2-13 2.6 Occupational Exposures at Seven Swiss Tritium Dial Painting Plants ............... ............................ 2-14 2.7 Distribution of Doses to Workers Using Tritiated Luminous Compounds and Tritium Gas in the United Kingdom ......... ... 2-16 2.8 Average Annual Occupational Exposures in the U.S. Tritium Luminous Compound Timepiece Industry.. ............... ... 2-17 2.9 Annual Occupational Exposure in the U.S..Gaseous Tritium Light Source Timepiece Industry ..... ............... .. 2-18 2.10 Summary of Occupational Exposure Data for Radium in the United Kingdom .............. ........................ 2-21 2.11 Collective Dose Associated with Annual Processing of 1.2 mCi of Radium ........... .......................... .. 2-23 2.12 Radiation Doses to Humans during Distribution of Radioluminous Timepieces .......... .......................... .. 2-24 2.13 Doses Due to Timepiece Distribution as a Function of Activity and Timepiece Number ......... ........... ....... 2-26 2.14 Assessment of Doses to Nonusers from Tritium Watches ..... .. 2-28 2.15 Bremmstrahlung Dose Rates in Air at 5 cm from Gaseous Tritium Light Sources ............... ........................ 2-30 vii LIST OF TABLES (Continued) TABLE PAGE 2.16 Dose Estimates to Wearers of 107 Gaseous Tritium Light Source Watches and to Bystanders..... ..... ................ ... 2-33 2.17 Collective Doses to Users of Pm-147 Wristwatches and Clocks. 2-35 2.18 Collective Organ Doses from Exposure to 3.7 Million Watches and 4.4 Million Clocks Containing Pm-147 .... ............. ... 2-36 2.19 Radiation Doses from Radium Wristwatches of Different Activi- ties ......................... ........... ........ 2-38 2.20 Collective Organ Doses from Exposure to 107 Radium Clocks. 2-40 2.21 Total Body Doses to Waste Collection Population from Radio- luminous Timepieces ......................... ...... 2-42 2.22 Ingested Activity from Reference Case Landfill Disposal of Radioluminous Timepieces ........... ....... ........... 2-44 2.23 Ingested Activity as a Function of Various Parameter Values for Landfill Disposal of Radioluminous Timepieces ........... 2-45 2.24 Fifty-year Inhalation Dose Commitments from Incineration of Radioluminous Timepieces ........ ................... ... 2-46 2.25 Individual Doses (rem per person present) Resulting from Tri- tium Tube Breakage In Enclosed Space . ... ............ ... 2-48 2.26 Fifty-year Dose Commitments Resulting from Combustion of Radio- luminous Timepieces in Residential Fires .............. .... 2-50 2.27 Fifty-year Dose Commitments Resulting from Combustion of Radio- luminous Timepieces in WarehouseFires .... ............ ... 2-52 2.28 Total Estimated Health Effects from Annual Manufacture, Use and Disposal of Radioluminous Timepieces .... ....... ...... ... 2-54 2.29 Total Number of Estimated Health Effects from Radioluminous