Relevance of biotic pathways to the regulation of nuclear waste disposal

Conference · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:6724476

Kennedy, Jr, W E; McKenzie, D H; Cadwell, L L

Alternatives for licensing and regulating low-level waste burial sites need to be selected on the basis of reasonable evaluations of risk. With regard to low-level sites, biotic transport processes must be evaluated along with other transport processes (e.g. groundwater, agricultural food chains) if the consequences of alternative courses of action are to be understood. Biotic transport (amounts and rates or radionuclide transport by biota) at waste facilities is poorly understood when compared to current understanding of routes and movements of radionuclides through agricultural food chains. This presentation includes work on Phase I of this research program conducted for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1). Our objective was to assess current biotic transport modeling. Our efforts have focused on evaluating the relevance of biotic transport to the assessment of impacts of waste disposal on humans and their environment. Our assessment considered available dose pathway analysis computer models and the potential applications of biotic transport models at low-level waste (LLW) disposal sites. An identification and review of biotic transport mechanisms and processes for terrestrial systems was provided. Current efforts are to estimate the comparative magnitude of dose to man resulting from biotic transport. The final report for Phase I will contain: (1) a critical review of available modeling techniques; (2) an assessment of the possible significance of biotic transport of radionuclides from low-level waste disposal sites to man; and (3) if appropriate, a summary of additional investigations needed to apply biotic transport modeling to regulatory concerns effectively.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6724476
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-10701; CONF-820854-19; ON: DE83002044
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
510302 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ABSORPTION
ANIMALS
BIRDS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FOOD CHAINS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INTRUSION
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MAMMALS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RISK ASSESSMENT
ROOT ABSORPTION
SITE SELECTION
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UPTAKE
VERTEBRATES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES