ML19207B606
| ML19207B606 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | WILLIAM & MARY, COLLEGE OF, WILLIAMSBURG, VA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909040301 | |
| Download: ML19207B606 (1) | |
Text
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,o, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Ib
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REGION 13
$. ' ' 'hd ' [E 101 MARIETT A ST., N.W., SUIT E 3100 l;[c$'
ATLANT A GEORGIA 30303 o,
AUG 101979 MILLIAM ANU MANY COLLLGE OF cluLOGY ULPANTMLNT UF~
VA 23185 hlLLIAM35UHG Enclosed is IE Eulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you with regard to your NM license.
Should you have questions regarding this Eulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, N,
[' Y."
Q James P. O'Reilly Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Eulletin No. 79-19 2.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months
'i'O.1331 79090403 0 T
Accession No:
7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES NUCLEAP, REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND EhTORCEMENI WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Description of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that vaste 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 G:vernors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disregard for rules governing the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and NRC rules follow:
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 ccntainers shipped to the Beatty burial facility 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 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 leachirg 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 BarnweII, 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-
- e<w m N.w. g*.gis m y:;y ybd*E-tion resulting from improper closures on - g#
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DG for improper loading of the drums on the DUPLICATE DOCUMENT These are a few examples of shipments of
> m - q.e facilities which did not fully meet NRC, EntiredocumentpreviouslyenNred which were developed to protect the healt into sys, tem under:
Gcvernors of the three States with licent ANOKO70765/6 that if the situation is not rectified, t-would deny use of the three burial sites No of pac 1s:
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