Waste package performance criteria for deepsea disposal of low-level radioactive wastes

Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:5430368

Colombo, P; Fuhrmann, M

Sea disposal of low-level radioactive waste began in the United States in 1946, and was placed under the licensing authority of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The practice stopped completely in 1970. Most of the waste disposed of at sea was packaged in second- hand or reconditioned 55-gallon drums filled with cement so that the average package density was sufficiently greater than that of sea water to ensure sinking. It was assumed that all the contents would eventually be released since the packages were not designed or required to remain intact for sustained periods of time after descent to the ocean bottom. Recently, there has been renewed interest in ocean disposal, both in this country and abroad, as a waste management alternative to land burial. The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (PL 92-532) gives EPA the regulatory responsibility for ocean dumping of all materials, including radioactive waste. This act prohibits the ocean disposal of high-level radioactive waste and requires EPA to control the ocean disposal of all other radioactive waste through the issuance of permits. In implementing its permit authorities, EPA issued on initial set of regulations and criteria in 1973 to control the disposal of material into the ocean waters. It was in these regulations that EPA initially introduced the general requirement of isolation and containment of radioactive waste as the basic operating philosophy. 37 refs.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AI01-88NE46129
• OSTI ID: 5430368
• Report Number(s): EPA-520/1-88-009; ON: DE91017925
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CONTAINERS
COOPERATION
IAEA
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PACKAGING
PERFORMANCE
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REGULATIONS
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES