ML19207B599
| ML19207B599 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | CALIFORNIA, UNIV. OF, LOS ANGELES, CA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909040273 | |
| Download: ML19207B599 (1) | |
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August 10, 1979 lob ANGELES gas UNIs!ERSITY OF UFFICF OF travikuNMdNT AL ME ALTH LUd ANGELtd CA 90024 Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Dulletin
.b. 79-19 w' 'ch requires action by you with regard to your liRC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions re-quired of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, u, j. a-,+u w j :y j
gu P. H. Engelken Director
Enclosure:
IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 O
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Accession No:
7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMM MSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AhT) ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Descript'on of Circumstances:
Low-level r.dioactive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of th ee waste burial facilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreement States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington.
On July 10, 1979, the Gove nors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and r.peated disregard for rules governing the shipments of low-level radioactive sastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and NRC rules follom Improperly packaged uranium fines igniting packaged liquid scintillation vials in combustible waste is believed to have caused a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty, Nevada burial facility on May 14, 1979.
On July 2, 1979, three of twelve steel containers shipped to the Beatty burial facility were found to be leaking radioactive material. The material was described on t'ae bill of lading as being a solid inorganic salt (evaporator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility. The Governor of the State of Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
On July 30, the first shipment into the reopened Beatty facility contained free liquid in " solid" material. The radioactive contents were sand filters used at an insitu leacaing process at a urann mill.
Forty-three shipments with sixty-three 'eficiencies were observed during the package inspection program between April 10 and July 5, 1979, by the Agreement State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility. The shipments were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.
On June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor tatuity proposing a $10,000 fine for truck contamina-ryWg, ~g g*gg g *y g y' -
f tionresultingfromimproperclosuresonge for improper loading of the drums on the DUPLICATE DCW"aT These are a few examples of shipments of r
,_3 r.. q facilities which did not fully meet NRC, Entiredocumentpreviously"NYeled which were developed to protect the heal into system under:
Governors of the thret States with licen that if the siturtion is not rectified' h b7 ANO would deny use of the three bertal sites No. of pages:
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