Download or read book Improving the Regulation and Management of Low Activity Radioactive Wastes written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-05-24 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The largest volumes of radioactive wastes in the United States contain only small amounts of radioactive material. These low-activity wastes (LAW) come from hospitals, utilities, research institutions, and defense installations where nuclear material is used. Millions of cubic feet of LAW also arise every year from non-nuclear enterprises such as mining and water treatment. While LAW present much less of a radiation hazard than spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive wastes, they can cause health risks if controlled improperly. Improving the Regulation and Management of Low-Activity Radioactive Wastes asserts that LAW should be regulated and managed according to the degree of risk they pose for treatment, storage, and disposal. Current regulations are based primarily on the type of industry that produced the waste-the waste's origin-rather than its risk. In this report, a risk-informed approach for regulating and managing all types of LAW in the United States is proposed. Implemented in a gradual or stepwise fashion, this approach combines scientific risk assessment with public values and perceptions. It focuses on the hazardous properties of the waste in question and how they compare with other waste materials. The approach is based on established principles for risk-informed decision making, current risk-informed initiatives by waste regulators in the United States and abroad, solutions available under current regulatory authorities, and remedies through new legislation when necessary.

Download or read book Low Level Radioactive Waste Management and Disposition written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-06-05 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE) is responsible for the safe cleanup of sites used for nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) is the most volumetrically significant waste stream generated by the DOE cleanup program. LLW is also generated through commercial activities such as nuclear power plant operations and medical treatments. The laws and regulations related to the disposal of LLW in the United States have evolved over time and across agencies and states, resulting in a complex regulatory structure. DOE asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to organize a workshop to discuss approaches for the management and disposition of LLW. Participants explored the key physical, chemical, and radiological characteristics of low-level waste that govern its safe and secure management and disposal in aggregate and in individual waste streams, and how key characteristics of low level waste are incorporated into standards, orders, and regulations that govern the management and disposal of LLW in the United States and in other major waste-producing countries. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Download or read book The Impact of Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Policy on Biomedical Research in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-02-09 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Research Council's Committee on the Impact of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Policy on Biomedical Research in the United States was called on to assess the effects of the low-level radioactive waste management policy on the current and future activities of biomedical research. This report provides an assessment of the effects of the current management policy for low-level radioactive waste (LLRW), and resulting consequences, such as higher LLRW disposal costs and onsite storage of LLRW, on the current and future activities of biomedical research. That assessment will include evaluating the effects that the lack of facilities and disposal capacity, and rules of disposal facilities, have on institutions conducting medical and biological research and on hospitals where radioisotopes are used for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Download or read book Managing the Nation s Commercial High level Radioactive Waste written by United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Disposition of High Level Radioactive Waste Through Geological Isolation written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-10-07 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the next several years, decisions are expected to be made in several countries on the further development and implementation of the geological disposition option. The Board on Radioactive Waste Management (BRWM) of the U.S. National Academies believes that informed and reasoned discussion of relevant scientific, engineering and social issues can-and should-play a constructive role in the decision process by providing information to decision makers on relevant technical and policy issues. A BRWM-initiated project including a workshop at Irvine, California on November 4-5, 1999, and subsequent National Academies' report to be published in spring, 2000, are intended to provide such information to national policy makers both in the U.S. and abroad. To inform national policies, it is essential that experts from the physical, geological, and engineering sciences, and experts from the policy and social science communities work together. Some national programs have involved social science and policy experts from the beginning, while other programs have only recently recognized the importance of this collaboration. An important goal of the November workshop is to facilitate dialogue between these communities, as well as to encourage the sharing of experiences from many national programs. The workshop steering committee has prepared this discussion for participants at the workshop. It should elicit critical comments and help identify topics requiring in-depth discussion at the workshop. It is not intended as a statement of findings, conclusions, or recommendations. It is rather intended as a vehicle for stimulating dialogue among the workshop participants. Out of that dialogue will emerge the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the National Academies' report.

Download or read book Nuclear Waste Management and the Use of the Sea written by United States. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Report of the Task Force on Low Level Radioactive Waste written by United States. Task Force on Low-Level Radioactive Waste and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Radioactive Waste Management written by and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ratification of interstate compacts for low level nuclear waste management written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Partnerships Under Pressure written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1989 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Southeast Interstate Low level Radioactive Waste Management Compact written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Disposition of High Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-07-05 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focused attention by world leaders is needed to address the substantial challenges posed by disposal of spent nuclear fuel from reactors and high-level radioactive waste from processing such fuel. The biggest challenges in achieving safe and secure storage and permanent waste disposal are societal, although technical challenges remain. Disposition of radioactive wastes in a deep geological repository is a sound approach as long as it progresses through a stepwise decision-making process that takes advantage of technical advances, public participation, and international cooperation. Written for concerned citizens as well as policymakers, this book was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and waste management organizations in eight other countries.

Download or read book Managing Commercial High level Radioactive Waste written by United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book H R 5632 a Bill to Prohibit the Importation of Certain Low level Radioactive Waste Into the United States written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Management of Intermediate level Radioactive Wastes in the United States written by and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While used extensively, the term intermediate-level waste is not a clearly defined waste category. Assuming the ILW includes all radioactive wastes requiring shielding but not ordinarily included in a high-level waste canister, its major sources include power plant operations, spent fuel storage, and spent fuel reprocessing. While the volume is approx. 102 greater than that of high-level waste, ILW contains only approx. 1% of the radioactivity. Power plant waste, constituting approx. 87% of the waste volume, is generally nontransuranic waste. The other approximately 13% from fuel reprocessing is generally transuranic. Intermediate-level wastes fall into the general categories of highly radioactive hardware, failed equipment, HEPA filters, wet wastes, and noncombustible solids. Within each category, however, the waste characteristics can vary widely, necessitating different treatments. The wet wastes, primarily power plant resins and sludges, contribute the largest volume; fuel hulls and core hardware represent the greatest activity. Numerous treatments for intermediate-level wastes are available and have been used successfully. Packaging and transportation systems are also available. Intermediate-level wastes from power plants are disposed of by shallow-land burial. However, the alpha-bearing wastes are being stored pending eventual disposal to a geologic repository or by other means, e.g., intermediate-depth burial, sea disposal. Problem areas associated with intermediate-level wastes include: disposal criteria need to be established; fixation of organic ion exchange resins from power plant operation needs improvement; and reprocessing of LWR fuels will produce ILW considerably different from power plant ILW and requiring different treatment.

Download or read book Management Compacts on Low level Radioactive Waste written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Nuclear Waste Disposal written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 760 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: