LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND
DISPOSITION
Proceedings of a Workshop
Jennifer Heimberg, Rapporteur
Planning Committee on Low-Level Radioactive Waste
Management and Disposition:
A Workshop
Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Cooperative Agreement DOE DE-EM0001172 with the Department of Energy. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-45678-4
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-45678-9
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/24715
Additional copies of this publication are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2017 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management and Disposition: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24715.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.national-academies.org.
Reports document the evidence-based consensus of an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and committee deliberations. Reports are peer reviewed and are approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Proceedings chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other convening event. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and have not been endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit nationalacademies.org/whatwedo.
WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE1
JOHN S. APPLEGATE, Chair, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
LARRY W. CAMPER, Advoco Professional Services, LLC, Montgomery Village, Maryland
REBECCA A. ROBBINS, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
NINA D. ROSENBERG, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Staff
JENNIFER HEIMBERG, Study Director
TONI GREENLEAF, Administrative/Financial Associate
DARLENE GROS, Senior Program Assistant
___________________
1 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s workshop planning committees are solely responsible for organizing the workshop, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. The responsibility for the published Proceedings of a Workshop rests with the workshop rapporteur and the institution.
NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD
ROBERT C. DYNES, Chair, University of California, San Diego
JAMES A. BRINK, Vice Chair, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
GEORGE E. APOSTOLAKIS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (emeritus), Cambridge
DAVID J. BRENNER, Columbia University, New York
MARGARET S. Y. CHU, M.S. Chu & Associates, LLC, New York
TISSA H. ILLANGASEKARE, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
CAROL M. JANTZEN, Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina
MARTHA S. LINET, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
NANCY JO NICHOLAS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
HENRY D. ROYAL, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
DANIEL O. STRAM, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
WILLIAM H. TOBEY, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge, Massachusetts
SERGEY V. YUDINTSEV, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
Staff
KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Director
JENNIFER HEIMBERG, Senior Program Officer
OURANIA KOSTI, Senior Program Officer
TONI GREENLEAF, Administrative and Financial Associate
LAURA D. LLANOS, Administrative and Financial Associate
DARLENE GROS, Senior Program Assistant
Reviewers
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published Proceedings of a Workshop as sound as possible and to ensure that the Proceedings of a Workshop meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this Proceedings of a Workshop:
- John S. Applegate, Indiana University
- Miklos (Mike) Garamszeghy, Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO)
- Christine Gelles, Longenecker and Associates
- Roger Seitz, Savannah River National Laboratory
- Mark Yeager, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the Proceedings of a Workshop before its release. The review of this Proceedings of a Workshop was overseen by Patricia J. Culligan, Columbia University. She was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this Proceedings of a Workshop was carried out in accordance with institu-
tional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this Proceedings of a Workshop rests entirely with the rapporteur and the institution.
Contents
Communication among Stakeholders
Diversity of Low-Level Waste Type, Source, and Hazard
Integration of Knowledge Gained from Operations
Organization of the Proceedings
2 DESCRIBING THE UNIVERSE OF LOW-LEVEL WASTE
The Scope of the LLW Challenge
Classification, Categories, and Characteristics of LLW
Discussion: Classification, Categories, and Characteristics of LLW
Regulations, Standards, Orders, and Guidance Criteria
Discussion: Regulations, Standards, Orders, and Guidance Criteria
3 SUCCESSFUL DISPOSITION CASE STUDIES
Discussion: Key Characteristics of LLW and Challenging LLW Waste Streams
Discussion: The Common Themes Approach
Challenging Low-Level Waste Streams
Summaries from Breakout Sessions
Final Thoughts: Review of the Common Themes Approach
B BIOGRAPHIES OF PLANNING COMMITTEE AND STAFF
D LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSITION: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Entities Responsible for the Management and Disposal of Low-Level Waste
Classification of Low-Level Waste
Current Low-Level Waste Disposal Options
Current Regulatory Landscape for Low-Level Waste
Case Studies and Examples of Challenging Low-Level Wastes
Challenging Low-Level Waste Streams
