Cleanup protocol for 226Ra-contaminated cobbly soil at UMTRA Project sites

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1994 · Health Physics; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199401000-00011· OSTI ID:5500079

Gonzales, D E; Millard, J B; Miller, M L; Metzler, D ^[1]

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1. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

The nonuniform distribution of 226Ra and other radiological contamination of cobbly soil encountered on several Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project sites is presented and discussed, and the concomitant challenges to the intent and implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's soil cleanup standards are noted. In response to technical assessments and information presented to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently resolved the dilemma by concluding that compliance with Environmental Protection Agency soil cleanup standards for cobby soil at Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project sites would be adequately attained using bulk radionuclide concentrations, instead of requiring that the radionuclide concentration of the finer soil fraction passing a No. 4 mesh sieve met the standards. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission-approved procedure developed for cobbly soil remediation is outlined and discussed. The site-specific implementation of this procedure at Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project sites containing cobbly soil is estimated to save millions of dollars.

• OSTI ID: 5500079
• Journal Information: Health Physics; (United States), Vol. 66:1; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
MILL TAILINGS
REMEDIAL ACTION
POLLUTION LAWS
COMPLIANCE
RADIUM 226
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
SOILS
URANIUM MINES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
LAND RECLAMATION
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MINES
NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
540230 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)