U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposing dumping some nuclear wastes in landfills – a huge public health danger
NRC Proposes Allowing Nuclear Waste at Dumps, Recycling Sites https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-04-06/nuclear-waste/nrc-proposes-allowing-nuclear-waste-at-dumps-recycling-sites/a69794-1 April 6, 2020. BOISE, Idaho — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may change its rules to allow the nuclear industry to dump some of its waste in landfills. Opponents say the change poses a public health risk and would allow waste to go unmonitored. The proposal would enable the NRC to reinterpret the meaning of low-level radioactive waste so that it could be accepted at dumps and hazardous waste sites, rather than regulated storage facilities. Daniel Hirsch is president of Committee to Bridge the Gap, an organization that focuses on nuclear safety. He says a dump site in Idaho would benefit from this change. “In addition to the waste potentially going to everyone’s municipal landfill, the real focus of this is to allow the U.S. Ecology facility in Idaho to — without a license — start taking the material that up until today you’re required to have a license for,” he points out. On Friday, the public comment period was extended from April 20 to July 20. But Hirsch and other opponents say the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t allowing for proper scrutiny of the rule. They want it picked back up six months after the coronavirus crisis is over. Diane D’Arrigo, radioactive waste project director for the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, says the change would allow the industry to dispose of any waste other than irradiated fuel at landfills. That includes concrete, soil, clothing or any material where radiation still exists. The limit would be 25 millirem per year, a unit of absorbed radiation. D’Arrigo says the change poses a big public health risk. “There’s some so-called low-level waste that could give a lethal dose in 15 minutes if you’re exposed unshielded,” Terry Lodge, an attorney who works on nuclear safety issues, says the industry has been working for this change for decades because of the cost of disposing waste at radioactive-storage facilities. “The utilities build the expense of disposing of the waste into their electrical charges to us customers,” he points out. “So it’s not as though they don’t have the money. But there is a relentless search for quick and dirty solutions.” |
|
No comments yet.
-
Archives
- January 2023 (337)
- December 2022 (277)
- November 2022 (336)
- October 2022 (363)
- September 2022 (259)
- August 2022 (367)
- July 2022 (368)
- June 2022 (277)
- May 2022 (375)
- April 2022 (378)
- March 2022 (405)
- February 2022 (333)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
Leave a Reply