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Low-level waste

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185: 96: 215:. The Barnwell and the Clive locations are operated by EnergySolutions, the Richland location is operated by U.S. Ecology, and the Andrews County location is operated by Waste Control Specialists. Barnwell, Richland, and Andrews County accept Classes A through C of low-level waste, whereas Clive only accepts Class A LLW. The DOE has dozens of LLW sites under management. The largest of these exist at DOE Reservations around the country (e.g. the 36: 246:, reproduced in the table below. These are not all the isotopes disposed of at these facilities, just the ones that are of most concern for the long-term monitoring of the sites. Waste is divided into three classes, A through C, where A is the least radioactive and C is the most radioactive. Class A LLW is able to be deposited near the surface, whereas Classes B and C LLW have to be buried progressively deeper. 154:, then it has a special status as mixed low-level waste (MLLW) and must satisfy treatment, storage, and disposal regulations both as LLW and as hazardous waste. While the bulk of LLW is not highly radioactive, the definition of LLW does not include references to its activity, and some LLW may be quite radioactive, as in the case of radioactive sources used in industry and medicine. 165:. This waste typically consists of contaminated protective shoe covers and clothing, wiping rags, mops, filters, reactor water treatment residues, equipments and tools, luminous dials, medical tubes, swabs, injection needles, syringes, and laboratory animal carcasses and tissues. The radioactivity can range from just above 249:
In 10 C.F.R. § 20.2002, the NRC reserves the right to grant a free release of radioactive waste. The overall activity of such a disposal cannot exceed 1 mrem/yr and the NRC regards requests on a case-by-case basis. Low-level waste passing such strict regulations is then disposed of in a landfill with
176:(IAEA) provides recommendations. Some countries, such as France, specify categories for long-lived low- and intermediate-level waste. U.S. regulations do not define the category of intermediate-level waste. 195:
Depending on who "owns" the waste, its handling and disposal is regulated differently. All nuclear facilities, whether they are a utility or a disposal site, have to comply with
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Jorge L. Contreras, "In the Village Square: Risk Misperception and Decisionmaking in the Regulation of Low-Level Radioactive Waste", 19 Ecology Law Quarterly 481 (1992) (
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other garbage. Items allowed to be disposed of in this way include glow-in-the-dark watches (radium) and smoke detectors (americium).
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found in nature to very highly radioactive in certain cases such as parts from inside the reactor vessel in a nuclear power plant.
560:(TRU). These require different disposal pathways. TRU wastes from the U.S. nuclear weapons complex is currently disposed at the 687: 228: 243: 232: 196: 189: 561: 184: 62: 568:, though other sites also are being considered for on-site disposal of particularly difficult to manage TRU wastes. 762: 577: 236: 158: 711: 200: 123: 212: 139: 172:
The definition of low-level waste is set by the nuclear regulators of individual countries, though the
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nuclides with a half life greater than 5 years; any more than 100 nCi, and it must be classified as
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Classes of wastes are detailed in 10 C.F.R. § 61.55 Waste Classification, enforced by the
147: 623:"Classification of Radioactive Waste : a Safety Guide. Safety Series No. 111-G-1.1" 483: 756: 550: 504: 451: 119: 356: 260: 216: 747: 553: 486: 208: 17: 520: 467: 435: 373: 419: 390: 325: 308: 275: 142:. In essence, it is a definition by exclusion, and LLW is that category of 161:
with radioactive material or have become radioactive through exposure to
291: 199:(NRC) regulations. The four low-level waste facilities in the U.S. are 138:(TRU), or certain byproduct materials known as 11e(2) wastes, such as 734: 546: 183: 94: 712:
Official online version of 10 C.F.R. § 61.55 Waste Classification
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that do not fit into the other categories. If LLW is mixed with
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Nuclear waste that does not fit into the categorical definitions
677:"New Federal Waste Facility Opens with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony" 29: 45:
deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a
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that does not fit into the categorical definitions for
54: 651:"Disposal of Commercial Low-Level Radioactive Waste" 252: 730:. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2002. Second ed. 545:(SNF). C Class low level waste has a limit of 100 43:The examples and perspective in this article 8: 274:Total of all nuclides with less than 5-year 726:Fentiman, Audeen W. and James H. Saling. 99:NRC graphic of a low-level waste facility 81:Learn how and when to remove this message 614: 491:with a half life greater than 5 years 269:Class C (Ci/m) (upper limit for LLW) 7: 632:. Vienna: IAEA. 1994. Archived from 157:LLW includes items that have become 583:Mixed waste (radioactive/hazardous) 188:Low-level waste storage pit at the 748:NRC description of low-level waste 174:International Atomic Energy Agency 25: 239:, to name the most significant). 537:LLW should not be confused with 34: 229:Los Alamos National Laboratory 1: 686:. 6 June 2013. Archived from 244:Nuclear Regulatory Commission 233:Oak Ridge National Laboratory 197:Nuclear Regulatory Commission 190:Nevada National Security Site 728:Radioactive Waste Management 562:Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 112:low-level radioactive waste 57:, discuss the issue on the 779: 578:Low Level Waste Repository 684:Waste Control Specialists 342:Ni-63 in activated metal 237:Idaho National Laboratory 655:Nuclear Energy Institute 438:(Nb) in activated metal 422:(Ni) in activated metal 406:C-14 in activated metal 201:Barnwell, South Carolina 124:intermediate-level waste 211:; and as of June 2013, 192: 100: 213:Andrews County, Texas 187: 140:uranium mill tailings 98: 566:Carlsbad, New Mexico 205:Richland, Washington 63:create a new article 55:improve this article 549:Curies per gram of 221:Savannah River Site 217:Hanford Reservation 721:General references 593:Spent nuclear fuel 543:spent nuclear fuel 193: 144:radioactive wastes 132:spent nuclear fuel 101: 763:Radioactive waste 630:RADWASS Programme 598:Transuranic waste 588:Radioactive waste 558:transuranic waste 535: 534: 167:background levels 163:neutron radiation 150:as classified by 136:transuranic waste 91: 90: 83: 65:, as appropriate. 16:(Redirected from 770: 714: 709: 703: 702: 700: 698: 692: 681: 673: 667: 666: 664: 662: 647: 641: 640: 638: 627: 619: 539:high-level waste 253: 225:Nevada Test Site 148:hazardous wastes 128:high-level waste 86: 79: 75: 72: 66: 38: 37: 30: 21: 778: 777: 773: 772: 771: 769: 768: 767: 753: 752: 744: 723: 718: 717: 710: 706: 696: 694: 690: 679: 675: 674: 670: 660: 658: 649: 648: 644: 639:on 15 May 2005. 636: 625: 621: 620: 616: 611: 606: 574: 490: 266:Class B (Ci/m) 182: 104:Low-level waste 87: 76: 70: 67: 52: 39: 35: 28: 23: 22: 18:Low level waste 15: 12: 11: 5: 776: 774: 766: 765: 755: 754: 751: 750: 743: 742:External links 740: 739: 738: 731: 722: 719: 716: 715: 704: 693:on 23 May 2014 668: 642: 613: 612: 610: 607: 605: 602: 601: 600: 595: 590: 585: 580: 573: 570: 551:alpha-emitting 533: 532: 529: 527: 524: 517: 516: 513: 511: 508: 501: 500: 497: 495: 492: 484:Alpha emitting 480: 479: 476: 474: 471: 464: 463: 460: 458: 455: 448: 447: 444: 442: 439: 432: 431: 428: 426: 423: 416: 415: 412: 410: 407: 403: 402: 399: 397: 394: 387: 386: 383: 380: 377: 370: 369: 366: 363: 360: 353: 352: 349: 346: 343: 339: 338: 335: 332: 329: 322: 321: 318: 315: 312: 305: 304: 301: 298: 295: 288: 287: 284: 281: 278: 271: 270: 267: 264: 257: 181: 178: 89: 88: 49:of the subject 47:worldwide view 42: 40: 33: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 775: 764: 761: 760: 758: 749: 746: 745: 741: 736: 732: 729: 725: 724: 720: 713: 708: 705: 689: 685: 678: 672: 669: 656: 652: 646: 643: 635: 631: 624: 618: 615: 608: 603: 599: 596: 594: 591: 589: 586: 584: 581: 579: 576: 575: 571: 569: 567: 563: 559: 555: 552: 548: 544: 540: 530: 528: 525: 522: 519: 518: 514: 512: 509: 506: 505:Plutonium-241 503: 502: 498: 496: 493: 488: 485: 482: 481: 477: 475: 472: 469: 466: 465: 461: 459: 456: 453: 452:Technetium-99 450: 449: 445: 443: 440: 437: 434: 433: 429: 427: 424: 421: 418: 417: 413: 411: 408: 405: 404: 400: 398: 395: 392: 389: 388: 384: 381: 378: 375: 372: 371: 367: 364: 361: 358: 355: 354: 350: 347: 344: 341: 340: 336: 333: 330: 327: 324: 323: 319: 316: 313: 310: 307: 306: 302: 299: 296: 293: 290: 289: 285: 282: 279: 277: 273: 272: 268: 265: 262: 258: 256:Radionuclide 255: 254: 251: 247: 245: 240: 238: 234: 230: 226: 222: 218: 214: 210: 206: 202: 198: 191: 186: 179: 177: 175: 170: 168: 164: 160: 155: 153: 149: 145: 141: 137: 133: 129: 125: 121: 120:nuclear waste 117: 113: 109: 105: 97: 93: 85: 82: 74: 71:December 2010 64: 60: 56: 50: 48: 41: 32: 31: 19: 727: 707: 695:. Retrieved 688:the original 683: 671: 659:. Retrieved 657:. April 2014 654: 645: 634:the original 629: 617: 564:(WIPP) near 536: 531:20000 nCi/g 357:Strontium-90 248: 241: 194: 171: 159:contaminated 156: 115: 111: 107: 103: 102: 92: 77: 68: 44: 554:transuranic 526:2000 nCi/g 515:3500 nCi/g 487:transuranic 209:Clive, Utah 604:References 521:Curium-242 510:350 nCi/g 499:100 nCi/g 468:Iodine-129 436:Niobium-94 374:Cesium-137 541:(HLW) or 494:10 nCi/g 420:Nickel-59 391:Carbon-14 326:Nickel-63 320:No limit 317:No limit 309:Cobalt-60 303:No limit 300:No limit 286:No limit 283:No limit 276:half life 259:Class A ( 59:talk page 757:Category 572:See also 489:nuclides 180:Disposal 53:You may 292:Tritium 134:(SNF), 130:(HLW), 126:(ILW), 473:0.008 261:Curies 697:9 May 691:(PDF) 680:(PDF) 661:8 May 637:(PDF) 626:(PDF) 609:Notes 547:nano- 523:(Cm) 507:(Pu) 478:0.08 454:(Tc) 441:0.02 385:4600 376:(Cs) 368:7000 362:0.04 359:(Sr) 351:7000 328:(Ni) 311:(Co) 118:) is 110:) or 61:, or 735:SSRN 699:2015 663:2015 470:(I) 457:0.3 446:0.2 430:220 396:0.8 393:(C) 365:150 348:700 337:700 331:3.5 314:700 294:(H) 280:700 263:/m) 152:RCRA 116:LLRW 425:22 414:80 382:44 345:35 334:70 297:40 108:LLW 759:: 682:. 653:. 628:. 462:3 409:8 401:8 379:1 235:, 231:, 227:, 223:, 219:, 207:; 203:; 737:) 701:. 665:. 114:( 106:( 84:) 78:( 73:) 69:( 51:. 20:)

Index

Low level waste
worldwide view
improve this article
talk page
create a new article
Learn how and when to remove this message

nuclear waste
intermediate-level waste
high-level waste
spent nuclear fuel
transuranic waste
uranium mill tailings
radioactive wastes
hazardous wastes
RCRA
contaminated
neutron radiation
background levels
International Atomic Energy Agency

Nevada National Security Site
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Barnwell, South Carolina
Richland, Washington
Clive, Utah
Andrews County, Texas
Hanford Reservation
Savannah River Site
Nevada Test Site

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