ML19207B602
| ML19207B602 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | PUERTO RICO, UNIV. OF, MAYAGUEZ, PR |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909040282 | |
| Download: ML19207B602 (1) | |
Text
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~m UNITED ST ATES
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'o, NUCLEAR REGUL ATORY COMMISSION
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/' 7, REGION 11 c!. 7,,J ' [E 101 MARIETT A ST., N VV, SUITE 3100 ATLANT A, GEORGIA 30303 o,
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j AUG 101979 PUtHTu KlCU, UNIVtMSITY OF UtPANTMtNT UF DIULUGy UtPAMTMLNT OF DluLUGY Mlu PIEUHA3 PR 00931 Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you with regard to your NRC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Eulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, n
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Q James P. O'Reilly Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months 70432A 700004023 2
Accession No:
7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Dessription of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial facilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreement States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington. On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disregard for rules governing the chipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and NRC rules follow:
Improperly pa daged 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 fac<lity were found to be leaking radioactive material. The material was described on the 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 cut 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 leaching process at a uranium mill.
Forty-three shipments with sixty-three deficiencies 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 facility proposing a $10,000 fine for truck contamina-tion resulting from improper closures on f
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for improper loading of the drums on the D N C E DO N N These are a few examples of shipments of facilities which did not fully meet NRC, Entire document previously entered which were developed to protect the heal into system under:
Governors of the three States with licen OFo?056 that if the situation is not rectified, ANO would deny use of the three burial siter.
No. of pages:
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