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“Blending” of radioactive wastes will avoid safety requirements

“blending” would allow utilities, processors, and waste disposal sites to avoid existing environmental and safety requirements for how they dispose of the hotter waste……….the new “blended” waste has significantly higher concentrations of radioactivity than the typical lowest level radioactive waste…..

In the past year, state governments have also had to deal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s reclassification of Depleted Uranium (which becomes more radioactive over time) as Class A waste.

Obama Administration Should Say “No” to Blending Radioactive Waste, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Joseph DiCamillo, 12 June 2010, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will consider whether to allow for the first time nuclear waste processors to “blend” higher level radioactive waste with the lowest level radioactive waste at a hearing on June 17.

Low-level radioactive waste is generated by universities, hospitals, and commercial nuclear power plants, and is classified as Class A, B. or C depending on the concentration of the waste’s radioactivity (with Class A having the lowest concentration). The proposal before the Commission would allow Class A waste to be mixed with more radioactive Class B and C waste and still be classified as Class A.

If the proposal goes through, “blending” would allow utilities, processors, and waste disposal sites to avoid existing environmental and safety requirements for how they dispose of the hotter waste.

The problem is that the new “blended” waste has significantly higher concentrations of radioactivity than the typical lowest level radioactive waste. In fact evidence submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shows that “blended” waste would remain 450 times more radioactive than the current safety standard for the lowest level waste.

In the past year, state governments have also had to deal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s reclassification of Depleted Uranium (which becomes more radioactive over time) as Class A waste.
Blending on a large scale in commercial operations is a regressive process. It is an attempt to circumvent long-standing NRC regulations that establish classes of low-level radioactive waste. These classes were created to protect the public and the environment from higher and more hazardous concentrations of radioactivity………….the Obama Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should oppose industry efforts to allow blending and keep the current safety and environmental standards.

Joseph DiCamillo: Obama Administration Should Say “No” to Blending Radioactive Waste

June 12, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium