HEALTH CONSULTATION
Kelly Air Force Base
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
CERCLIS No. TX2571724333
August 23, 2000
Prepared by:
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Atlanta, GA 30333
BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF ISSUES
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) regional office in Dallas,Texas (Region VI) requested that ATSDR headquarters review recent radiological data collectedat Kelly Air Force Base (KAFB). This review was to determine if radiological contaminationlevels were within acceptable limits for release to the public or if additional actions would beneeded prior to its release. Previous information supplied to the ATSDR Region VI officeindicated that at least 2 facilities at the base appeared to be contaminated with radioactivesubstances. The purpose of the performed surveys was to determine if other buildings werecontaminated and which buildings could be released to the public for unrestricted use.
The data reviewed for this public health consultation consist of radiation surveys performedduring 1999 in 14 buildings associated with KAFB. The buildings surveyed included formerradium paint shops, storage, shipping and receiving areas, and maintenance facilities. Thisdocument discusses the pertinent issues associated with those surveys which were supplied toATSDR as draft documents (1).
DISCUSSION
The radiological surveys for these facilities were designed to detect radiological contaminationon surfaces (walls and floors) and, if present, to determine if the contamination was in a formthat was easily removed (radiological smears). The survey designs followed the protocoldescribed by the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSIMM) (2). Other types of analyses performed included gamma radiation exposure rates and evaluationof radiation levels based on the computer model RESRAD-BUILD. The RESRAD family ofcomputer codes were developed at Argonne National Laboratory for the U.S. Department ofEnergy to calculate site-specific residual radioactive material guidelines as well as radiation doseand excess lifetime cancer risk to individual and/or collective receptors. RESRAD-BUILD isdesigned to perform residual radioactive material dose assessments in buildings for one or moreindividuals. To assist in the survey design and implementation, the survey group interviewed theKAFB Radiation Safety Officer and reviewed historical site documents.
ATSDR did not verify the model results for these facilities as we did not have the specific knowledge of each facility. However, the agency did compare the survey results with regulatory guidelines in place for surface contamination limits. These guidelines included the regulations of the Department of Energy, codified in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 835 and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines originally published by the former Atomic Energy Commission in 1974 (3).
This public health consultation only pertains to the following buildings or locations: Building129; Building 133; Building 306; Building 326; Building 329; Building 374; Building 375 andits service area 2LM; Building 385; Building 620; Building 1420; Building 1470; Building 1562and; Building 3810.
CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS
ATSDR has reviewed the findings of the survey team and has agreed with their results. A brief summary of the survey appears in Table I with the complete survey in Table II of this public health consultation. For those buildings that ATSDR believes additional surveying should performed, the following recommendations as listed in Table I are put forth:
| Building | ATSDR Conclusions and Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Building 129; Building 133 | Recommending additional surveys when hanger structuresremoved |
| Building 306 | Can be released for public use. |
| Building 326 | Recommend radon monitoring |
| Building 329 | Can be released for public use |
| Building 374 | Follow recommendations of survey team and recommend radonmonitoring |
| Building 375; service area 2LM | Can be released for public use |
| Building 385 | Recommend that drains be checked; if negative, can be releasedfor public use |
| Building 620 | Can be released for public use |
| Building 1420 | Can be released for public use |
| Building 1470-I | Can be released for public use |
| Building 1562 | Can be released for public use |
| Building 3810 | Can be released for public use |
| Building | Use | Survey Results | ATSDR findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building 129;Building 133 | Radium paint shop;demolished in the 1930s/40stime frame for hangerconstruction | No contamination found;however, could not adequatelysurvey the hanger facilitiesbecause of existing structures | Recommendingadditional surveys whenhanger structuresremoved |
| Building 306 | Former radioactive wasteoffice | No contamination found. | Can be released forpublic use. |
| Building 326 | Former radium paint shop | Radioactive materials levels arein excess of surfacecontamination guidelinesmentioned above | Recommend radonmonitoring |
| Building 329 | Electrical shop storage area;Thought that Cesium 137 orKrypton 85 may have been inbuilding | Scans showed no values inexcess of release criteria orbackground measurements. | Can be released forpublic use |
| Building 374 | Former radium paint shop | Unable to characterize becauseof floor construction | Followrecommendations ofsurvey team andrecommend radonmonitoring |
| Building 375; service area 2LM | Former instrument room,tool/parts crib, cafeteria,breakroom; refurbisheddepleted uraniumcounterweights | No contamination found. | Can be released forpublic use |
| Building 385 | Aircraft wash rack - somediscussion that depleteduranium-containing partsmay have been washed | No contamination found abovesurface contamination limits Did not sample floor drains | Recommend that drainsbe checked; if negative,can be released forpublic use |
| Building 620 | Sludge digesters storageroom | No contamination found abovesurface contamination limits | Can be released forpublic use |
| Building 1420 | Mixing room for depleteduranium and epoxy | No contamination found abovesurface contamination limits | Can be released forpublic use |
| Building 1470-I | Fenced storage area andshipping/receiving area | No contamination found | Can be released forpublic use |
| Building 1562 | Shipping/receiving areadestroyed by a tornado in1989, only concrete padremains at site | No contamination found | Can be released forpublic use |
| Building 3810 | Depleted uranium storage | No loose contamination found;no radioactivity abovebackground. | Can be released forpublic use |
Paul A. Charp, Ph.D.
Senior Health Physicist
REFERENCES
1. Transmittal letter from Charles R. Williams, chief of Environmental CompliancePrograms, Kelly Air Force Base to Michael L. Carrillo, Environmental ProtectionAgency, Region VI, Dallas, Texas.
2. MARSIMM (1997). Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual.Nuclear Regulatory Commission NUREG-1575 and US Environmental ProtectionAgency EPA 402-R-97-016.
3. Atomic Energy Commission (1974). Termination of Operating Licenses for NuclearReactors, Regulatory Guide 1.86. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, D.C.,June 1974.
