Characterization of organics in leachates from low-level radioactive waste disposal sites

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5510875· OSTI ID:5510875

Francis, A J; Iden, C R; Nine, B; Chang, C

Low-level radioactive wastes generated by the nuclear industry, universities, research institutions, and hospitals are disposed of in shallow-land trenches and pits. In 1962 the first commercial disposal site was opened in Beatty, Nevada. Since then, the industry has grown to include three private companies operating six disposal areas located in sparsely populated areas: at Maxey Flats (Morehead), Kentucky; Beatty, Nevada; Sheffield, Illinois; Barnwell, South Carolina; West Valley, New York; and Richland, Washington. Although the facilities are operated by private industry, they are located on public land and are subject to federal and state regulation. Although inventories of the radioactive materials buried in the disposal sites are available, no specific records are kept on the kinds and quantities of organic wastes buried. In general, the organic wastes consist of contaminated paper, packing materials, clothing, plastics, ion-exchange resins, scintillation vials, solvents, chemicals, decontamination fluids, carcasses of experimental animals, and solidification agents. Radionuclides such as /sup 14/C, /sup 3/H, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 134/ /sup 137/Cs, /sup 60/Co, /sup 241/Am, and /sup 238/ /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu have been identified in leachate samples collected from several trenches at Maxey Flats and West Valley. The purpose of this report is to identify some of the organic compounds present in high concentrations in trench leachates at the disposal sites in order to begin to evaluate their effect on radionuclide mobilization and contamination of the environment.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA); State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-02-0016
• OSTI ID: 5510875
• Report Number(s): BNL-NUREG-27235; CONF-790602-93
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON 14
CARBON ISOTOPES
CESIUM 134
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DATA FORMS
DISSOLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GROUND WATER
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
KENTUCKY
LEACHATES
LEACHING
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC WASTES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOUTHEAST REGION
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
TABLES
TRITIUM
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES