History of waste disposal

2J.H. Saling and A.W. Fentiman, “Radioactive Waste Management,” Second Edition, (Taylor & Francis, NY London) 2002.

3J.H. Saling and A.W. Fentiman, “Radioactive Waste Management,” Second Edition, (Taylor & Francis, NY London) 2002.

Old Disposal Sites

• Open trenches• No linings• Very little processing• No standards on containers• NO QA/QC• No records• Liquids

Results

• Broken containers• Collapsed containers• Leaks

Regulatory agencies

• ICRP• NCRP• NRC• DOT• DOE• EPA• ANSI• Agreement State

ICRP

• Publication 77- Radiation Protection Policy for Disposal of Radioactive Waste– Dose to the public from disposal of waste– Justification– Optimization– Collective dose

NCRP

• Publication 152- Performance Assessment of Near Surface Facilities for Disposal of Low-Level Radioactive Waste– Covers the scope of performance assessments– Conducting performance assessments– Components of performance assessment

• Cover performance• Concrete barrier• Flow and transport of surface and ground water• Source terms • Exposure pathways

NRC

• 10 CFR 20 Standards for Radiation Protection• Regulates the use and licensing of radioactive

material• Does not regulate disposal of the material

DoT

• Regulates packaging of waste– Placards– Paperwork– Packages• Type A• Type B • Casks

DoE

• Does not have to follow NRC and other agencies but does

• Responsible for all DoE generated wastes and well as civilian spent fuel Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) 1982

• Takes care of it s own waste• Develops new waste disposal techniques

EPA

• Regulates standards for off site releases of radioactive materials

• NWPA states that EPA will promulgate applicable standards for the protection of the environment– Air– Water

ANSI

• Standards for any process that involves radioactive waste

• 55.1-1979 Solid radioactive waste Processing systems for Light Water-Cooled Reactors

• 55.4-1979 Gaseous radioactive waste Processing systems for Light Water-Cooled Reactors

• 55.6-1979 Liquid radioactive waste Processing systems for Light Water-Cooled Reactors

Agreement States

• Agreement between the NRC and State that the State will regulate their own material.

• Some material is not regulated by State• Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy

Amendments Act (1985)• Made states responsible for waste disposal• Compacts

Questions