EPA radionuclide proposal prompts strong reaction

Journal Article · Fri May 20 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Energy Daily; (United States)

OSTI ID:7192285

Lobsenz, G

Amid criticism from an outside advisory panel, the Environmental Protection Agency released draft radioactive site cleanup rules that would limit exposure to the public from residual contamination to 15 millirems per year above natural background radiation levels. The draft rules, which cover federal nuclear facilities and operations licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, also would require cleanup of contaminated groundwater so that annual doses were no greater than 4 millirems per year. The proposal provides some leeway for heavily contaminated facilities by allowing access restrictions and engineered site controls - such as containment walls - where full cleanup is not practicable. However, site operators must assure that the controls limit annual doses to 15 millirems. Furthermore, they must show that doses will not exceed 75 millirems per year if all site controls fail. Such sites would be reevaluated periodically by regulatory agencies to ensure that adequate safeguards were still in place. EPA also said that, given current constraints on radioactive waste disposal capacity, it was considering allowing wastes generated during cleanup to remain on site. EPA officials said the general 15 millirem standard was designed to limit lifetime cancer risks for nearby residents to three in 10,000. The agency said it chose that risk level because it was within the range of health standards adopted by the agency for Superfund and other federal water, air and hazardous waste programs, as well as past cleanups done at various radioactive waste sites and an earlier EPA rulemaking on long-term disposal of high-level radioactive waste.

• OSTI ID: 7192285
• Journal Information: Energy Daily; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Daily; (United States) Vol. 22:96; ISSN 0364-5274; ISSN ENDADJ
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

056000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Legislation & Regulations-- (1987-)
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
CONTAMINATION REGULATIONS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REGULATIONS
REMEDIAL ACTION
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER