Oak Ridge Reservation: Rala, Iodine-131 & Cesium-137: Introduction

DOE Openness: Human Radiation Experiments: What's New
Finding Aids

Finding Aids

Epidemiologic Studies

Rala, Iodine-131 & Cesium-137

OAK RIDGE RESERVATION VOLUME III
RECORDS RELATING TO RALA, IODINE-131, AND CESIUM-137 AT THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY AND THE OAK RIDGE OPERATIONS OFFICE: A GUIDE TO RECORD SERIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ITS CONTRACTORS

INTRODUCTION

Overview
TThe purpose of this guide is to describe each of the documents and record series pertaining to the production, release, and disposal of radioactive barium-lanthanum (RaLa), iodine-131, and cesium-137 at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. History Associates Incorporated (HAI) prepared this guide as part of DOE's Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project, which seeks to verify and conduct inventories of epidemiologic and health-related records at various DOE and DOE contractor sites.

This introduction briefly describes the Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project and HAI's role. It provides information on the history of the DOE-Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), particularly ORNL. Specific attention is given to the production of RaLa and the fission products iodine-131 and cesium-137. RaLa production for nuclear weapons development reached its height during the late 1940s and early 1950s, which resulted in rarely monitored or restricted releases of iodine-131 and other short-lived fission products. ORNL also manufactured iodine-131 and cesium-137 for therapeutic use in the private sector and its own research needs. The production and onsite use of these nuclides resulted in both deliberate and unplanned environmental releases. Moreover, these nuclides were prevalent in the large quantities of liquid waste and airborne contaminants that have been discharged and monitored at the ORR since the 1940s.

This introduction also describes the methodologies HAI used in the selection and inventorying of documents and record series pertaining to RaLa, iodine-131, and cesium-137, and in the production of this guide. Concluding paragraphs describe the arrangement of the record series, explain the information contained in the record series descriptions, and indicate restrictions on access to the records.

The Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project
The Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project reflects DOE Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary's efforts to support openness initiatives in the areas of environment, safety, and health. In view of the importance of various administrative, organizational, and operational records to epidemiologic and health-related studies, a moratorium on the destruction of such records has been in effect since 1989.

In May 1992, the DOE Office of Epidemiology and Health Surveillance (EH-42), responsible for coordinating all epidemiologic activities throughout the Energy complex, directed each DOE site and DOE contractor to prepare an inventory of all records pertinent to worker or community health-related studies. EH-42 prepared and furnished each site with guidelines that defined epidemiologic records, provided instruction for describing record series, outlined the site's role in inventorying epidemiologic records, and discussed the relationship of the epidemiologic inventory to DOE's comprehensive records inventory. These inventories should be completed in 1995.

In August 1993, DOE selected History Associates as its support services contractor for the Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project. HAI, a professional records management, archives, and historical research services firm incorporated in 1981, has provided records management, historical research, and technical support for a number of DOE projects. HAI's role in this project includes verifying the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and quality of existing inventories, providing guidance to site records management teams, and, in some cases, conducting additional inventories.

As part of its task to verify and conduct inventories of epidemiologic and health related records at DOE and DOE contractor sites, HAI performed a pilot study at the DOE-Oak Ridge Reservation. The primary purpose of this project was to assist DOE in responding to information needs identified in a March 1994 meeting among representatives of DOE, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), and other stakeholders. These groups expressed interest in records relating to RaLa, iodine-131, cesium-137, and in the Y-12 Mercury Task Force Files. History Associates began this task by inventorying and describing the record series contained in the Y-12 Mercury Task Force Files that pertained to operations that used large quantities of mercury and, subsequently, produced a guide to that collection. With the production of this guide to selected ORNL and Oak Ridge Operations (ORO) records and another guide to records concerning cesium-137 located at the Oak Ridge K-25 plant, DOE will be providing valuable assistance to health researchers interested in using its records.

BACKGROUND

The Oak Ridge Reservation
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was one of three sites established by the Manhattan Project during World War II for the development of the first atomic weapons. Selected on September 19, 1942, the Clinton Engineer Works (CEW), later called the Oak Ridge Reservation, was the site of three major production facilities, which were known by the code-names X-10, Y-12, and K-25. The X-10 site, which later expanded to become the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, housed the country's first full-scale graphite reactor. Known then as the Clinton Pile, the graphite reactor provided irradiated uranium slugs from which plutonium and other nuclear fuels could be separated at the X-10 pilot plant. The Y-12 facility produced enriched uranium-235 by means of electromagnetic separation, and the K-25 plant, also known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP), produced enriched uranium-235 by a gaseous diffusion process.(1)

The Oak Ridge facilities produced significant amounts of hazardous waste and by-products, leading the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include Oak Ridge on its National Priorities List of Superfund hazardous waste sites in November 1989. In 1991 DOE signed the Oak Ridge Health Agreement which provides funds to the state of Tennessee for independent health assessment studies of Oak Ridge operations and the surrounding population.(2)

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory evolved from the Clinton Laboratory, or X-10, the first laboratory built as part of the CEW in 1943. The laboratory housed the graphite reactor for the irradiation of uranium slugs and chemical processing facilities for the separation of plutonium and other nuclear fuels from enriched uranium. In 1948, the Clinton Laboratory became known as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL continued to process fuel for nuclear weapons and develop new processing technologies. The mission of ORNL also expanded to include the production of radioisotopes for commercial and medical uses, research into the biomedical effects of radiation, and the operation of other experimental reactors. Currently, the laboratory operates as a multidisciplinary facility, conducting research and development in conjunction with governmental agencies, private industry, and academia. In recent years, ORNL has focused its research on magnetic fusion, nuclear fission, biological and environmental research, conservation and renewable energy, fossil energy, and basic research in the physical sciences.(3)

RaLa Production, 1944-1956
From 1944 to 1956, ORNL produced radioactive barium-lanthanum (RaLa) for nuclear weapons research at the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico. Los Alamos scientists used RaLa to study the possible use of implosion, an inward burst of energy, as a triggering mechanism for an atomic blast. Researchers placed RaLa, which decays with a half-life of 40.22 hours by the release of energetic gamma rays, at the center of the test instrument and measured the radiation following detonation of the device to characterize the movement of the weapon's components.(4)

Processes to produce RaLa involved large quantities of irradiated uranium reactor fuel that had been allowed to decay, or cool so that it was less radioactive, for a short period of time. RaLa was known as a short-decay fuel. The parent fission product for RaLa was barium-140, which because of its 12.8 day half-life, had to be reprocessed soon after removal of the uranium slugs from the reactor. In the early stages of RaLa production, ORNL used slugs irradiated both onsite and at Hanford, Washington; however, after 1949, only slugs irradiated at Hanford were used in RaLa production at ORNL. Reports from that period indicate that the decay period of the slugs ranged from one to five days following a 40-day irradiation period. After the decay period, the slugs were dissolved and the barium-140 was extracted and evaporated into dry form for shipment to Los Alamos where it was "milked" for lanthanum-140. In 1949, full scale RaLa runs involved up to 1,728 slugs, or 34.5 batches of 50 slugs each.(5)

Following Los Alamos' request for RaLa in April 1944, ORNL developed the processing technology and conducted early operations in building 706-C, where an existing laboratory was converted for RaLa operations within five months. The first RaLa run in the 706-C facility was completed in September 1944 and nine shipments were sent to Los Alamos. Originally designed for small-scale fission product separation, the 706-C facility was inadequate to fulfill requests for larger amounts of RaLa. In May 1945, ORNL completed the construction of building 706-D designed to meet the increasing demands for RaLa. By March 1949, 706-D produced 31 shipments of barium-140 for Los Alamos, each averaging over 2,000 curies.(6)

In late 1949, Los Alamos again began to request greater amounts of RaLa from ORNL. Production goals increased from 10,000 curies per shipment in July 1950 to as high as 50,000 curies in the early 1950s. After the addition of an ion exchange process in the final stage of separation and purification, ORNL processed and shipped up to 64,805 curies to Los Alamos in January 1954. In that year, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) decided to build a new RaLa production facility in Idaho, and in 1956, ORNL completed its final RaLa run (number 68). In all, ORNL dissolved at least 30,000 slugs and provided over 500,000 curies of barium-140 for the development of nuclear weapons at Los Alamos.(7)

RaLa Waste and Disposal, 1944-1956
The entire RaLa production process, from the initial cooling of the uranium slugs to the extraction and evaporation of barium-140, released several fission products. The early days of RaLa production witnessed minimal use of control devices on off-gas lines and exhaust stacks to restrict the release of these fission products. Until 1946 Building 706-D exhausted through a local 30-foot-high fan stack house; off-gas was routed to a central pilot plant stack. As production increased throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, ORNL recognized that radioactive airborne contamination from RaLa production was a problem. Typically, a dissolving batch of 50 slugs produced 2,500 curies of xenon-133, 1,300 curies of iodine-131, and less than one curie of krypton-85.(8)

In 1948 ORNL equipped the stacks and off-gas lines associated with both the RaLa building and the graphite reactor with charcoal filters. By 1950 ORNL had routed off-gas releases from 706-D to a 250-foot brick stack that served most of the site. Known as the "900 area" stack, the new central off-gas line included particulate filters and an electrostatic precipitator, but no scrubbers specifically designed for iodine-131. Despite these measures, a 1954 study revealed that RaLa operations continued to be the major contributor to airborne radioactivity at ORNL.(9)

In addition to airborne particulate contamination, RaLa production also yielded liquid wastes, which added to the overall waste management problem at ORNL. Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, ORNL produced 7,000 gallons daily of liquid waste that was precipitated in concrete gunite tanks before discharge into White Oak Creek. During the precipitation phase, many short-lived fission products were released, including iodine-131 and barium-140.(10)

Iodine-131
ORNL produced significant quantities of iodine-131 for medical and scientific research. In August 1946 the laboratory first produced iodine-131 for commercial distribution by irradiating tellurium. In that year, ORNL produced 2,650 curies of iodine-131. By the end of the decade, production had increased ten-fold. By 1951, the demand for iodine-131 exceeded that for any other radionuclide produced at ORNL. (11)

ORNL developed a method for separating pure fission-product iodine from graphite reactor slugs in the late 1940s, and an iodine production plant became operational in Building 706-C in September 1948. By June 1949, iodine-131 production involved 23 irradiated uranium slugs per month, yielding shipments of about 10.4 curies. Within three years, the 706-C facility had produced 1,000 curies for commercial distribution. Slightly elevated air contamination in the building sometimes resulted from small leaks during material transfers. At that time, the central exhaust treatment facility and stack had not yet been completed.(12)

Cesium-137
Cesium-137 is a radioactive metal with a half-life of approximately 30.17 years. It is one of the main fission by-products of the chemical processes that yield plutonium and other enriched nuclear fuels. From the early 1940s to the 1960s, ORNL produced sizable quantities of the nuclide. Cesium-137 is also a major component of the fallout from a nuclear explosion. Because of its strong gamma emission, cesium is a useful tool in radiation therapy. Its intense gamma radiation also means that uncontrolled exposure can be hazardous. At room temperature, cesium is a liquid that reacts violently with other materials. It bonds predominantly with chlorides to create cesium salts that are extremely soluble in water.(13)

Since the 1950s, ORNL has shipped some of its liquid waste containing cesium-137 to the nearby K-25 plant for treatment and disposal. However, ORNL also discharged much of its cesium-contaminated liquid waste into area waterways, such as the Clinch River and White Oak Creek. Cesium-137 damages the ecology of these waterways, as it settles into riverbed sediments, contaminating aquatic vegetation, and depositing in the tissue of fish and other aquatic animals. Cesium-137 makes its way into the human community by consumption of the food grown in contaminated soil and fish pulled from contaminated waterways. Chemically similar to potassium and sodium, cesium-137 may deposit in the body in ways similar to these elements, particularly in the tissues of the stomach, large and small intestines, liver, spleen, and muscle.(14)

ACCESS
Although the majority of documents described in this guide have been declassified, a DOE "Q" clearance is required to enter the ORNL Laboratory Records vault, the ORNL Record Center, and the ORO Records Holding Center; otherwise, researchers must request to review documents outside these areas. Although a "Q" clearance is not required for access to the Atlanta Federal Records Center (AFRC) and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) repositories, their collections may contain classified documents that require a "Q" clearance for review. There are no restrictions on the use of the Radiation Research Collection at the University of Tennessee. For information on access to these repositories and their collections, please contact the following individuals:
ORNL Laboratory Records Vault and Records Holding Center
Juli Stewart, Site Records Program Manager, 615-576-5061

Atlanta Federal Records Center, East Point, GA
Gladys Mitchell, Service Branch Chief, 404-763-7474

National Archives and Records Administration-Southeast Branch, East Point, GA
Charlie Reeves, Assistant Director, 404-763-7477

National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD
Military Reference Branch, 202-501-5385

ORO Records Holding Center, Oak Ridge, TN
Bill Hatmaker, Facilities Manager, ORO, 615-576-0601
Cathy Marciante, Information Management Specialist, 615-576-0944

Special Collections, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Nick Wyman, Archivist, 615-974-4480

METHODOLOGY

Establishment of Search Criteria
To establish criteria for identifying and selecting records pertaining to RaLa, iodine-131, and cesium-137, HAI conducted extensive background research into the processes involved in the RaLa operations, isotope production, and waste disposal. HAI based its research on documents obtained from the ORNL Laboratory Records, through the DOE Library at Germantown, MD, the Oak Ridge Health Studies Phase I Report prepared by ChemRisk in 1993, the Site History of Oak Ridge Reservation prepared by HAI in January 1993, the research materials gathered for that report, and ORNL organizational charts. From these sources, HAI identified the steps in the production and disposal processes of RaLa and radioisotopes, the specific building locations of these operations, the division that administered these operations, the principal individuals who participated in these operations, the waste disposal practices and sites connected to these operations, and the time frame of these operations. HAI summarized its research into lists of key words, divisions, and personnel related to RaLa operations, isotope production, and waste disposal which it used to review indexes and databases onsite at ORNL.

These lists included key words, such as lanthanum, barium, stacks, discharges, and effluents; divisions, such as Operations, Health Physics, Isotopes Development, Chemistry, and Director's Office; personnel, such as E. J. Witkowski (Chemical Separations), L. B. Emlet (Operations), K. Z. Morgan (Health Physics), A. F. Rupp (Isotope Development), and C. N. Rucker (ORNL Director); and locations, such as 706-D Building (RaLa operations), 706-C Building (isotope separations), White Oak Creek (waste disposal), and Clinch River (waste disposal). As HAI reviewed documents, however, new search terms and concepts emerged, enabling HAI researchers to narrow and modify their search strategies, reflecting those new terms and concepts.

ORNL Laboratory Records
The ORNL Laboratory Records is an extensive collection of correspondence, memoranda, annual reports, progress reports, technical reports, and laboratory notebooks that date back to the origin of ORNL in 1943. The ORNL Laboratory Records are divided into those located in the ORNL Laboratory Records vault and the ORNL Records Center. The ORNL Laboratory Records vault is a two-tiered room. On the first floor are located the various indexes to the laboratory records and laboratory notebooks. Correspondence, memoranda, and reports organized by numbers beginning with CF (for Central Files), and annual reports and other technical reports organized by numbers beginning with ORNL are located on the second floor. Central File numbers represent the year and month and the order in which the Laboratory Records received the document. Similarly, the ORNL number represents the order in which Laboratory Records received the report. Both the Central Files records and the ORNL reports are arranged sequentially on open shelves. The ORNL Records Center, which is located in three rooms in Building 4500 North, holds inactive records that either may be recalled by the originating office or transferred to the Atlanta Federal Records Center in East Point, GA.

In March 1994, HAI met with the management and staff of the ORNL Information Management Services (IMS) and toured the ORNL Laboratory Records vault and the ORNL Records Center areas. At this time, IMS agreed to furnish HAI with a printout of the Record Center holdings from the BLUEREC database, photocopies of inventory sheets from its ongoing records inventory, and organizational charts from the 1940s to the present. HAI also familiarized itself with the various finding aids located in the ORNL Laboratory Records vault. Using the BLUEREC database and its lists of key words, personnel, and divisions, HAI identified records to be inventoried in the Records Center. HAI selected boxes that contained relevant correspondence of directors, managers, or supervisors, laboratory notebooks, logbooks from isotope production facilities, and construction records pertaining to specific facilities.

In June and August 1994, HAI conducted its inventory of records onsite at the ORNL. HAI began by examining the indexes and various finding aids in the ORNL Laboratory Records vault, and searching the Technical Information Document Database (TIDD), against its lists of keywords, divisions, and personnel. From the indexes and database to the Central Files and ORNL reports, HAI obtained the numbers to specific documents relevant to RaLa operations, isotope production, and waste disposal, pulled them from the shelf, and grouped similar records into series. Documents that could not be grouped into a series were inventoried individually. To facilitate HAI's search for documents, IMS furnished researchers with a list of documents examined by ChemRisk. Laboratory notebooks stored as part of the Laboratory Records were surveyed, as well as those that were being reviewed for declassification. Locating specific documents in the Central Files is difficult, since the Central Files are in constant use; files are pulled from the shelves frequently, and refiling is not prompt.

In its inventory of the ORNL Records Center, HAI thoroughly examined the boxes identified in its earlier review of the BLUEREC database. During its June inventory, HAI found that laboratory analytical records and environmental analytical records often included sampling of iodine-131 and cesium-137. HAI did not include these records in its first analysis of the BLUEREC database, but in the interim between the June and August inventories, HAI identified the boxes containing analytical data and information relating to environmental assessments. HAI completed its inventory of the ORNL Records Center in August, with its inventory of the boxes containing records directly referring to iodine-131 and cesium-137.

Atlanta Federal Records Center/National Archives and Records Administration-Southeast Branch, East Point, GA
Many of the inactive records of the ORNL and the ORO are located at the Atlanta Federal Records Center and the Southeast Regional National Archives and Records Administration in East Point, GA. Records retired from the ORO contain original material from the ORO as well as copies of correspondence, memoranda, and reports sent to the ORO from divisions within ORNL, Y-12, and K-25. These records are grouped by accession numbers and are stored in one cubic foot boxes or archival Hollinger boxes. Within the boxes, the records are arranged by the AEC filing system, a subject filing system, or chronologically.

To identify accessions for inventory, HAI used Standard Form 135 (SF-135) forms and Accession Number Master (01) Lists. HAI obtained SF-135 forms for the AFRC from the DOE Records Holding Center and the 01-Lists from the AFRC. HAI selected accessions based on the lists of key words, divisions, and personnel developed in the early stages of the project, as well as its experience inventorying records at ORNL and the K-25 plant. HAI selected relevant accession groups or single boxes from accessions that contained pertinent material.

In late September and early October 1994, HAI conducted its inventory of records at the AFRC and Southeast Regional Archives. HAI reviewed the contents of each box and inventoried records at both the document and series level.

ORO Records Holding Center, Oak Ridge, TN
Other inactive records of the ORNL and the ORO are located at the ORO Records Holding Center in Oak Ridge, TN. Similar to the records maintained at the Atlanta Federal Records Center and the Southeast Regional Archives, the records in the DOE Records Holding Center contain original material from the ORO as well as copies of correspondence, memoranda, and reports created by ORNL, Y-12, K-25, and other facilities. These records are arranged by accession numbers and are stored in one cubic foot boxes. Within the boxes, the records are arranged by the AEC filing system, subject, or chronologically.

IHAI identified records from boxlists and SF-135 forms obtained from the ORO Records Holding Center. Once onsite in late October and early November, however, HAI discovered several hundred boxes of records that were not described on the boxlists and SF-135s. Some of these boxes, known as the Records Holding Task Group (RHTG) and located in the classified vault of the Record Holdings Center, contained classified records that had been pulled from boxes in the unclassified section. An electronic database, maintained in the Record Holdings Center, which is classified as Secret Restricted Data, permits a document level search of the RHTG records. Each box contains a printout from the database of its contents. To conduct a thorough review of the RHTG boxes, HAI searched the database for records specifically concerning RaLa, iodine-131, and cesium-137, in addition to physically examining the contents of each box.

National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in College Park, MD, contains inactive records pertaining to the early development and activities of the ORNL when it was under the administration of the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and the AEC. Records of the MED are part of the Records of the Corps of Engineers in Record Group (RG) 77. In May 1994, HAI consulted with archivists associated with this record group and inventoried relevant record series.

Special Collections, J.D. Hoskins Library, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
The papers of Alexander Hollaender, the first director of the ORNL Biology Division, are located as part of the Radiation Research Collection at the University of Tennessee Special Collections in Knoxville. The ORNL Biology Division used cesium-137 in its study of the biomedical effects of ionizing radiation. HAI reviewed records in the Hollaender collection, but did not find any records that pertained to the inventory.

SCOPE

This guide reflects work completed during HAI's inventory site visits to ORNL in June and August 1994; to the Federal Records Center and National Archives in East Point, GA and the ORO Records Holding Center in October and November 1994. Because of the nature of the organization and arrangement of the ORNL Central Files, that is, individual documents and reports arranged by a numerical system, HAI either inventoried records at the document rather than the series level, or inventoried a broad sample of documents and assembled them into records series. In some cases, HAI has described single reports with accession groups at the ORNL Records Center, Federal Records Center, and the ORO Records Holding Center. Record collections at ORNL are not static; new documents are added to the Laboratory Records continually, and inactive records are sent to the Federal Records Center in East Point, GA.

Production and Use of the Guide
After completing its inventory at the various repositories, HAI researchers analyzed their inventory forms to create record series. Descriptions of their contents include the title of the series, inclusive dates, location, status (active or inactive), access restrictions, accession or other identification number, total volume, and the numbers of the record containers. The record series descriptions also note the medium in which the records exist (paper, electronic disk, microfilm), their suitability for electronic scanning, their physical condition, the availability of finding aids, the arrangement of the records, the originating office, any known duplication, and the disposition authority.

arrange

ARRANGEMENT

History Associates grouped the record series descriptions into twenty-one categories in order to facilitate their use by researchers. The categories, which roughly correspond to groups of documents that were generated by various divisions at ORNL and ORO, are as follows:

Section A: ORNL

I.     Indexes and Databases

II.    Analytical Chemistry Division

III.   Central Management Office

IV.    Chemical Technology Division

V.     Chemistry Division

VI.    Director's Office

VII.   Engineering Division

VIII.  Environmental Sciences Division

IX.    Health Division

X.     Health Physics Division

XI.    Office of Environmental Compliance and Documentation

XII.   Operations Division

XIII.  Technical Division

XIV.   Other Divisions

Section B: ORO Records Holding Center

XV.    Central Management Office
XVI.   Nuclear Division
XVII.  Reactor Division
XVIII. Research and Development Division
XIX.   Research and Technical Support Division
XX.    Safety and Environmental Control Division
XXI.   Other Divisions

Data Items in Record Series
This guide provides descriptions of electronic and nonelectronic record series, containing eleven and fifteen major categories of information, respectively. Each of the categories is explained below. (Categories specific to electronic record series are noted.)

Title and Inclusive Dates
Each record series description begins with a title that reflects the broad content of the record series and the inclusive dates of the records.

-Location
Information on the physical location of the record series and an indication of its status, active or inactive, is provided here. Active records are necessary to conduct current business and are generally maintained in an office. Inactive records are those no longer needed for current business and are generally transferred to records storage areas for eventual disposition.

Location of Codebooks and Manuals (electronic)
This section tells where to find codebooks and manuals pertinent to the record series.

Location/Volume of Storage Media (electronic)
Information on the location, volume, and type of storage media is provided here.

Access Restrictions
Access restrictions apply to some of the record series found within this guide. To assist researchers in understanding the types of classified information and the restrictions that govern access to them, the following excerpts from the DOE's Understanding Classification (June 1987) are provided:

Categories of Classified Information
There are three categories of classified information: Restricted Data; Formerly Restricted Data; and National Security Information.

1. RESTRICTED DATA (RD) is a special category of classification with which the Department of Energy is principally concerned. The Restricted Data category is defined in the Atomic Energy Act as follows:

"The term RESTRICTED DATA means all data concerning (1) design, manufacture, or utilization of atomic weapons; (2) the production of special nuclear materials; or (3) the use of special nuclear material in the production of energy, but shall not include data declassified or removed from the Restricted Data category pursuant to section 142."

2. FORMERLY RESTRICTED DATA (FRD) is information which has been removed from the Restricted Data category after the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense (DOD) have jointly determined that the information related primarily to the military utilization of atomic weapons and can be adequately safeguarded in the same manner as National Security Information in the United States. This is known as transclassification. Such data may not be given to any other nation except under specially approved agreements.

3. NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION (NSI) is information which requires protection against unauthorized disclosure in the interest of the national defense or foreign relations of the United States and has been determined to be classified in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 12356 or a prior Executive order.

Levels of Classified Information
There are three levels of classified information: Top Secret; Secret; and Confidential.

1. TOP SECRET is the level assigned to information of utmost importance to the national defense and security. Its unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security.

2. SECRET is the level for information which, in the event of an unauthorized disclosure, could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security.

3. CONFIDENTIAL is the level for information which, in the event of an unauthorized disclosure, could reasonably be expected to cause damage to national security.

For further information, see also DOE Office of Safeguards and Security Headquarters, Security Education Overview Handbook (DOE/SA-0004).

System Control or Other ID No. (electronic)
If applicable, this information is provided here.

Hardware/Software (electronic)
The type of computer and program storing the data is identified here.

Estimated Activity (electronic)
A qualitative estimation of the use of the database is indicated here.

Office/Program Supported by the System (electronic)
The office or program supported by the system is identified here.

Volume
Records in the ORNL central files are stored on open shelves and their volume is given in linear feet. Records in the ORNL Records Center, the Atlanta Federal Records Center, National Archives, and ORO Records Holding Center are stored in boxes and their volume is given in cubic feet. One cubic foot, on the average, is equal to 24 file folders.

Accession/Other Identification Number
Individual records in the ORNL central files have either a Central File number or an ORNL number. Records in the ORNL Records Center have MMES schedule numbers. The Atlanta Federal Records Center, National Archives, and ORO Records Holding Center assign accession numbers to their collections.

Condition
HAI judged the physical condition of the record series, categorizing them as either good, fair, or poor. If the records were judged to be in poor condition, an explanation is provided.

Container Number
The records in the ORNL Records Center, Atlanta Federal Records Center, National Archives, and ORO Records Holding Center are in boxes whose numbers are given, while the records in the ORNL Central Files are on open shelves and not further designated.

Medium
The physical nature of the records, such as paper, microfilm, electronic, or audiovisual, is noted.

Scanning Suitability
HAI has provided a statement concerning the suitability of records for electronic scanning purposes. Factors which may effect scanning suitability, including paper size, weight, ink and paper colors, type font, and the presence of handwritten data, graphs, diagrams, and photographs are noted under this heading. Depending on future state-of-the-art scanning technology and equipment, this statement may or may not remain accurate.

Duplication
HAI has provided a statement concerning the suitability of records for electronic scanning purposes. Factors that may affect scanning suitability, including paper size, weight, ink and paper colors, type font, and the presence of handwritten data, graphs, diagrams, and photographs are noted under this heading. Depending on future state-of-the-art scanning technology and equipment, this statement may or may not remain accurate.

Arrangement
The arrangement of the record series, for example, numerical, chronological or alphabetical, is described when possible.

Originating Office
The office of the organization (e.g., Health Physics Department, Radiation Safety Division, or Union Carbide Company) which produced the records is provided here. In some cases, as in Technical Reports, Technical Memoranda, and Quarterly Reports, for example, several organizational departments and divisions contributed documents to the record series, and the term "various departments and divisions" is used.

Finding Aids
If finding aids exist, they are listed.

Disposition Authority
Disposition authority refers to the NARA General Record Schedules (GRS) and the DOE Record Schedules. The majority of records inventoried have not been assigned a disposition schedule and are cited as "unscheduled." When records have been scheduled, however, the schedule number is noted. Although retention periods vary, a moratorium on the destruction of records relevant to epidemiologic and health-related studies has been in effect since 1989.(16)

Data Elements
In accordance with the guidelines in Information Required by the Department of Energy for Epidemiologic and Health Studies, DOE developed a list of 123 (later revised to 85) data elements to assign to record series descriptions. In general, the data elements consist of terms pertaining to contractor organizations, individual employees, industrial hygiene activities, facility characteristics, and environmental monitoring efforts that help categorize and describe the information contained each record series. The data elements assigned to each record series are listed as numbers that correspond to the data elements found in Appendix�A.

NOTES