Bear Lodge Plan of Operations - page 383

Preliminary Public Dose Evaluation in Support of the Development of November, 2012
Rare Element Resources, Inc. Bear Lodge Project
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Table of Contents
Section 1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Project Overview ............................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Report Objective ............................................................................................................. 3
1.3 Naturally Occurring Sources of Radiation and Radioactivity ........................................ 3
1.3.1 Sources of Naturally Occurring Radiation................................................................ 3
1.3.2 Units of Radioactivity and Dose ............................................................................... 7
1.3.3 Background Radiation Doses in the United States ................................................... 7
1.4 Radiological Issues at Rare Earth Facilities.................................................................... 8
Section 2 Project Description.................................................................................................... 9
2.1 Bull Hill Mine ................................................................................................................. 9
2.2 Physical Upgrade Plant ................................................................................................... 9
2.3 Hydrometallurgical Plant .............................................................................................. 10
2.3.1 Tailings Storage Facility ......................................................................................... 12
2.4 Radionuclide Content of Ore and Concentrates............................................................ 12
2.4.1 Bull Hill Ore ........................................................................................................... 12
2.4.2 PUG process............................................................................................................ 13
2.4.3 Hydromet Process ................................................................................................... 13
Section 3 Regulatory Background .......................................................................................... 14
3.1 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.......................................................................... 14
3.2 Guidance on Public Exposures to NORM or TENORM.............................................. 15
3.2.1 American National Standards Institute, Inc. ........................................................... 16
3.2.2 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement................................. 17
3.2.3 National Academy of Science-National Research Council .................................... 17
3.2.4 Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors ............................................. 17
3.2.5 International Guidance............................................................................................ 17