State perspective on how clean is clean enough when radioactive materials are involved
- California Dept. of Health Services, Sacramento (United States)
The question of how much radioactive material can be left behind by a user of radioactive materials or how much radioactive material can be taken to a local sanitary landfill is not so much a scientific or technical question as it is a societal, philosophical, and, therefore, political issue. The issues are mired in the debates about nuclear power, nuclear weapons, big business, and distrust of government. Scientific and regulatory bodies add to the general public's true fears, concerns, uncertainties, and mistrust of radiation and things radioactive when they fail to act in a concise, logical, and at least coordinated manner. The bifurcation of standard setting responsibility at the federal level between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the agreement state system of regulating radioactive materials all add to the public's confusion and anxiety. The purpose of this paper is to point out from the viewpoint of a state regulatory agency problems that are seen as stumbling blocks to the implementation and acceptance of a below-regulatory-concern (BRC) policy.
- OSTI ID:
- 7150467
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-920606-; CODEN: TANSA
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 65; Conference: American Nuclear Society annual meeting, Boston, MA (United States), 7-12 Jun 1992; ISSN 0003-018X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Regulatory and Stakeholder Involvement is Key to Successful Project Completion
Nuclear power industry needs to know: How clean is clean
Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
CLASSIFICATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
IMPLEMENTATION
NUCLEAR POWER
PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC OPINION
PUBLIC POLICY
SAFETY
SANITARY LANDFILLS
US DOE
US EPA
US NRC
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POWER
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
054000* - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
052000 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management