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DOE OSTI2020

Transfer Factors for the FRMAC Assessment Manual and Turbo FRMAC to Improve Radiological Dose Assessment

The Turbo FRMAC analysis tool is used to perform complex calculations to quickly evaluate radiological consequences and aid in decision making during an emergency response by assessing impacts to the public, workers, and the food supply. Turbo FRMAC calculations are based on methods established by the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC). To be able to assess impacts, input data called transfer factors that describe radionuclide uptake by local plants and animals are required. During the code application exercises in late 2016, identifying, finding, and validating nonstandard transfer factors proved to be time consuming and diverted the teams’ activity away from other critical tasks. As a result, a task was undertaken to dramatically expand the list of available transfer factors (food and non-food) and incorporate these factors into Turbo FRMAC. This will ultimately result in improved efficiency of the assessment team to perform calculations during times when the FRMAC is activated and provide more defensible, vetted data from which to calculate results. As a result of these and subsequent exercises, transfer factors were needed for the following items: bell peppers, Christmas tree, deer, flowers, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, grapefruit, lichens, mushrooms, oranges, snap beans, squash, strawberries, sugarcane for sugar and seed, sweet corn, tea, tobacco, tree bark, and watermelon. To expand the applicability of the information tables, generic transfer data were also provided for common categories and recommendations were made for expanding the list of chemicals based on chemical similarity. The data presented in this report were compiled from recent literature with most of the data encompassing the period from 2000 to 2018. The following radionuclides were targeted during the literature search: elements associated with reactor accidents or nuclear detonations (Sr 89/90, Cs 134/137, Ce 141/144, Ru 103/106, I 129/131/133, Pu 238/239, Am 241, Zr 95, and Nb 95) and elements associated with industrial accidents or dirty bombs (Ir 192 and Co 60). Data from other elements were evaluated if they were identified during the literature search. In addition, reports were evaluated that were recommended by the research consultants. For each plant or animal transfer factor, the goal was to determine the geometric mean, the geometric standard deviation, the minimum, the maximum, and the number of measurements used. If only one measurement was available that was presented as the mean. Concentration ratios with large geometric standard deviations (GSDs) were generally the result of a paucity of measurements or a few disparate measurements. Measurement disparity was observed for data from different soil types. The geometric mean (GM) is a good reference value for planning and responses purposes, but the location-specific concentrations are unlikely to be similar to the model results. Recommendations for further work include: segregating the data to reflect the influence of soil type, developing approaches to incorporate animal data based on aggregated transfer measurements, and including data for foliar deposition on plants.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2015

FRMAC Familiarization Workshop: Interacting with FRMAC

Presentation to CDC personnel on function of FRMAC [Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center] in assisting local responders and interacting with other agencies or DOE organizations during an emergency response.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2020

RadResponder Nationwide Drill 2020: FRMAC participation After Action Report

On February 11th, 2020 FRMAC participated in the 2020 RadResponder nationwide drill involving survey data review and approval. During this drill, dozens of organizations from across the country participated in uploading simulated survey results to their own RadResponder event and reviewing those data given some "best-practice" guidelines. FRMAC participated in this drill to learn how this process is carried out in RadResponder and to determine some areas of improvement that will make FRMACs use of RadResponder more effective and efficient. As drill participants, the four FRMAC staff each set up their own RadResponder events so they could work independently to work through each step. Each were given an import file with 60 survey measurements to import and review. At the end of the drill a hotwash was held where users were able to ask questions and receive feedback from Chainbridge and FRMAC participants. In summary, several areas for improvement have been identified and will be categorized as items that need immediate attention (Bugs), areas for improvement in the near-term (change requests), and ideas on how the overall process can be improved (feature requests). The items presented in this report by no means reflect all the required changes FRMAC Monitoring and Sampling and Assessment will need to carry out their procedures in RadResponder but do represent a step in the right direction. A full review and exercise of the FRMAC process will need to be conducted with more subject matter experts to discover all the required features FRMAC needs to carry out their mission.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2025

FRMAC Laboratory Analysis Manual Volume 1, Revision 0

The Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) is an operational center, available on request by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to respond to nuclear and radiological incidents as described in the National Response Framework (NRF). Under the Federal Interagency Operational Plan for Response and Recovery’s Nuclear/Radiological Annex, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has the responsibility to maintain the operational readiness of the FRMAC during the emergency phase of an event. FRMAC is initially established and managed by the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) and serves as an interagency operations center with representatives from various federal, state, and local radiological response organizations. The purpose of the FRMAC is to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments (SLTT) in their mission to protect the health and well-being of their citizens with: • Verified radiation measurements. • Interpretations of radiation distributions based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or local Protective Action Guidelines (PAGs). • Characterization of overall radiological conditions. Once a declaration to respond to a radiological emergency has been made, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Headquarters will coordinate the response in consultation with the cognizant NNSA Regional Coordinating Office (RCO). Each of the eight RCOs maintain a 24-hour response capability for radiological emergencies that may occur in states served by its region. When a FRMAC is established, it operates under the parameters of the Incident Command System (ICS), as defined in the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) construct. The Consequence Management Home Team (CMHT) will be activated immediately during normal business hours (Pacific Time Zone), and within two hours otherwise. The Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT) is prepared for deployment within six hours after activation. Along with the assets, FRMAC provides an operational framework for coordinating of all federal off-site radiological monitoring and assessment activities during a response to a radiological emergency to support the coordinating agency and SLTT governments. Potential radiological emergencies that fall within FRMAC vary widely in terms of the area affected, the nature of the contamination, and the scope of the government’s response. Detonation of a nuclear device, accidental release of radiation from a nuclear power plant, and a terrorist threat are just a few of the many possible scenarios FRMAC must be prepared to address. Through all this, supporting the state, local, and tribal organizations in the protection of the public remains the primary goal of the federal response.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Summary of Observations from the 2017 Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Laboratory Analysis Training and Capstone Event

On August 15th thru 17th, 2017 the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Laboratory Analysis division, the FRMAC Fly Away Laboratory (FAL), the FRMAC Assessment division, and the Mobile Environmental Response Laboratory (MERL) held a training and capstone event for staff from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). LAB-100, "Sample Control Training", LAB-200 "QA Specialist Training", and LAB-300 "Laboratory Analysis Manager Training" was given the first two days of the event. The purpose of the training and capstone event was to meet training requirements for billeted FRMAC Lab Analysis staff from RSL, LLNL, and SNL as well as raise awareness of the FRMAC Lab Analysis process with EPA staff as part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency — Nuclear Incident Response Team (FEMA-NIRT) laboratory standardization project. An objective of the standardization project was to help improve the transition of operations from DOE to EPA during a response. To do this effectively, detailed knowledge of the FRMAC Lab Analysis process by the EPA is needed. This training provided a good opportunity for this knowledge transfer. A capstone was held after the two-day training event to allow participants to practice the skills they learned in a realistic scenario. A scenario that was previously developed for a quarterly Consequence Management drill (i.e. Dark Phoenix) was used as the basis for the capstone, with laboratory analysis focused injects used to drive the exercise play. Each position within the FRMAC Lab Analysis Division exercised to specific objectives and helped to uncover gaps in the established processes. The lessons learned during this capstone are broken out in the following categories: Sample Control, In-Situ Gamma Spectroscopy, Analysis Request Forms (ARF), Shipping, QA/QC, Fly Away Laboratory (FAL), and Management.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2014

Proposed Method to Calculate FRMAC Intervention Levels for the Assessment of Radiologically Contaminated Food and Comparison of the Proposed Method to the U.S. FDA’s Method to Calculate Derived Intervention Levels

This report reviews the method recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for calculating Derived Intervention Levels (DILs) and identifies potential improvements to the DIL calculation method to support more accurate ingestion pathway analyses and protective action decisions. Further, this report proposes an alternate method for use by the Federal Emergency Radiological Assessment Center (FRMAC) to calculate FRMAC Intervention Levels (FILs). The default approach of the FRMAC during an emergency response is to use the FDA recommended methods. However, FRMAC recommends implementing the FIL method because we believe it to be more technically accurate. FRMAC will only implement the FIL method when approved by the FDA representative on the Federal Advisory Team for Environment, Food, and Health.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2018

FRMAC Laboratory Analysis RadResponder Gap Analysis and Web Portal Enhancements

The Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) relies on accurate and defensible analytical laboratory data to support its mission. FRMAC Laboratory Analysis personnel are responsible for (1) receiving samples, (2) managing samples, and (3) providing data quality assurance. Currently, the RadResponder software application does not meet all these needs. With some modifications, RadResponder could meet the needs for sample receiving functions, but it does not meet the needs of sample management and data quality assurance functions. The FRMAC Laboratory Analysis team has discussed and reviewed the following options moving forward: Option 1: Make minor revisions to RadResponder to improve sample receiving capability, purchase and configure a commercial laboratory information management system (LIMS) to perform sample management and data quality assurance, and build an interface between RadResponder and the commercial-off-the-shelf LIMS. Option 2: Make major revisions to RadResponder for all FRMAC Laboratory Analysis functions to support required sample management and data quality assurance activities. Option 3: Create a custom-built LIMS system to interface with RadResponder. Note: All three options will require the development of a Laboratory Analysis web portal and will require funding for ongoing maintenance and training. The FRMAC Laboratory Analysis team highly recommends Option 1 as the best and most efficient path forward. Commercial-off-the-shelf LIMS products have been proven successful in the laboratory community for decades. Option 1 leverages these proven technologies and takes advantage of RadResponder's current strengths.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2023

FRMAC Assessment Manual Volume 1 - Assessment Division Operations

In the event of a major radiological incident or accident, the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) will coordinate the federal agencies that have various statutory responsibilities and/or capabilities for responding to such incidents (Ref. FRMAC10). The FRMAC is responsible for coordinating all environmental radiological monitoring, sampling, and assessment activities for the response. For less severe radiological incidents, elements of the Department of Energy (DOE) Consequence Management (CM) program, such as the CM Response Team (CMRT) or CM Home Team (CMHT) may be activated to provide similar support activities to regional or local response assets. This manual describes the roles and responsibilities of the Assessment Division of the FRMAC during a response to a radiological incident. Every effort will be made in this manual in accordance with the Implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)/Incident Command System (ICS) in the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) – Emergency Phase (Ref. RSL07) to use terminology consistent with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for Incident Command System (ICS) organizations, planning processes, and leadership positions (Ref. FEMA17). This manual also applies to smaller scale CM responses that may involve the CMRT or CMHT elements without the formation of a FRMAC. It details the concept of operations for the Assessment Division, including common tasks performed by the Division. This manual also describes the organizational structure of the Assessment Division and roles of the personnel within the Division.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Turbo FRMAC 2021 v.11.0.0

The Turbo FRMAC analysis tool performs complex calculations to quickly evaluate radiological hazards during an emergency response by assessing impacts to the public, workers, and the food supply. Turbo FRMAC can be used to evaluate the hazard from a wide variety of radiological incidents. Turbo FRMAC calculations are based on methods established by the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment (FRMAC). Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2021-10713 O

Whitener, Dustin↗

DOE OSTI2015

Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Assessment Manual, Volume 1: Overview and Methods

The Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Assessment Manual is the tool used to organize and guide activities of the FRMAC Assessment Division. The mission of the FRMAC Assessment Division in a radiological emergency is to interpret radiological data and predict worker and public doses. This information is used by Decision Makers to recommend protective actions in accordance with Protection Action Guides (PAGs) issued by government agencies. This manual integrates many health physics tools and techniques used to make these assessments. Volume 1 contains the scientific bases and computational methods for assessment calculations. These calculations are broken up into sections: Section 1 – Public Protection; Section 2 – Emergency Worker Protection; Section 3 – Ingestion Pathway Analysis; and, Section 4 – Supplemental Methods. FRMAC’s broad-based staff is the key to achieving Assessment's objectives. The staff is drawn from multiple agencies and has a variety of skills. The staff includes health physicists, data analysts, cartographers, modelers, meteorologists, and computer scientists. These professionals facilitate the analysis, interpretation, presentation and preservation of incident specific radiological data. These individuals are primarily drawn from the NNSA and the EPA. However, staff also includes members from the NRC, USDA, FDA, CDC, and other Federal agencies. State, Local, and Tribal scientific specialists are also invited to participate.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2017

Summary Report for the Evaluation of Current QA Processes Within the FRMAC FAL and EPA MERL.

The Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) relies on accurate and defensible analytical laboratory data to support its mission. Therefore, FRMAC must ensure that the environmental analytical laboratories providing analytical services maintain an ongoing capability to provide accurate analytical results to DOE. It is undeniable that the more Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) measures required of the laboratory, the less resources that are available for analysis of response samples. Being that QA and QC measures in general are understood to comprise a major effort related to a laboratory’s operations, requirements should only be considered if they are deemed “value-added” for the FRMAC mission. This report provides observations of areas for improvement and potential interoperability opportunities in the areas of Batch Quality Control Requirements, Written Communications, Data Review Processes, Data Reporting Processes, along with the lessons learned as they apply to items in the early phase of a response that will be critical for developing a more efficient, integrated response for future interactions between the FRMAC and EPA assets.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Deposition Velocity Modeling for Turbo FRMAC

The Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) has two major assets it uses to perform it responsibilities for responding to a radiological emergency. These are the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (NARAC) and Turbo FRMAC. Recently NARAC updated their deposition model to the state of the art Petroff and Zhang model leading to a significant discrepancy between these two assets in regards to deposition modeling. This report describes the investigation into an appropriate deposition model for Turbo FRMAC to bring the two assets back into line. The ultimate conclusion is that Petroff and Zhang is too complicated for Turbo FRMAC, but the model of Feng is not and is equal to Petroff and Zhang in predictive capability.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Turbo FRMAC Cloud Solutions

The software team that develops Turbo FRMAC (TF) at Sandia National Labs has continued to look for technologies to add Cloud-enabling features to Turbo FRMAC. The Amazon AppStream service has now matured into a viable low-cost solution with quick turnaround potential to create a Cloud version of Turbo FRMAC. This service would allow both a Desktop and Cloud version of Turbo FRMAC to exist without duplicate efforts to support both instances. The only software needed to run is a modern Web Browser — no downloads and no installation necessary.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Turbo FRMAC Implementation of IAEA Radiological Assessment Methodologies for Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies: Ingestion Pathway and Skin and Thyroid Monitoring

This report documents the findings of an assessment of the Turbo FRMAC© software’s ability to implement International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidance for calculating operational intervention levels (OIL) for nuclear and radiological emergencies. This assessment is a continuation of previous work that considered IAEA OIL1 and OIL2 for evacuation and relocation protective actions. The IAEA OIL and U.S. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) derived response and intervention level methodologies were compared for ingestion and skin and thyroid monitoring pathways. This comparison revealed significant differences in IAEA versus FRMAC handling of these pathways, which precluded an assessment of Turbo FRMAC’s ability to implement the IAEA approach.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2017

FRMAC Assessment Manual Volume 1 Overview and Methods

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2020

FRMAC Assessment Manual Volume 1 (Overview and Methods)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Turbo FRMAC Implemetation of IAEA Radiological Assessment Methodologies for Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies.

This report documents the findings of an assessment of the Turbo FRMAC software's ability to implement International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidance for calculating Operational Intervention Levels (OIL) 1 & 2 for nuclear and radiological emergencies. The IAEA OIL and U.S. Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Derived Response Level methodology and implementation in respective tools were compared, as demonstrated through benchmarking activities for a nuclear power plant source term and potential radionuclides of concern for radiological dispersal devices. This comparison revealed some shortcomings in Turbo FRMACs ability to perform IAEA OIL calculations and resulted in recommended software modifications to be considered for future development.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2019

FRMAC Laboratory Analysis Rad Responder Enhancements Requirements

This document will describe the requirements for improvements to the Rad Responder platform to meet the needs of FRMAC Lab Analysis and other users of the sample control and lab analysis modules. The report is broken down into specific sections and organized by the specific deliverables under the FY19 FEMA-NIRT project. This report describes requirements that go beyond what was originally funded under the FY19 FEMA-NIRT project since auxiliary funding is being used on top of FEMA-NIRT funding through the DOE eFRMAC working group. This document describes all the lab analysis requirements for FRMAC Lab Analysis operations. Under each section the reader will find specific user "stories" or use-cases along with specific and technical requirements for each feature. Mock ups and data models will be provided as needed.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗