RADIOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE JULY 27, 2007 TANK 241-S-102 WASTE SPILL AT THE HANFORD TANK FARMS

We provide a radiological risk assessment of the July 27, 2007 Tank 241-S-102 waste spill at the Hanford tank farms. We describe hazard identification, and conduct an exposure assessment including dose rate and calculations of the risk associated with each dose, demonstrating the risk associated for each exposed worker. Our conclusions are that the spill was preventable, the risk posed to workers relatively small, the accident response had numerous problems, and was less than ideal. While there was minimal risk to manage as a result of the accident, we offer lessons for future tank retrieval to mitigate against and prevent a future spill and worker exposure.