ML19207C329

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Forwards IE Bulletin 79-19, Packaging of Low Level Radioactive Waste for Transportation & Burial. Action Required
ML19207C329
Person / Time
Site: 07001319
Issue date: 08/10/1979
From: James O'Reilly
NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To: Weaver S
U.S. NUCLEAR, INC.
References
NUDOCS 7909110270
Download: ML19207C329 (1)


Text

ff(

[pn necoq%

UNITED STATES 8'

, rf

'n NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

$'\\

E REGION il

' \\ > ' [d'[

101 MARIETT A ST., N.W., SUITE 3100 0,

A AT L ANT A, GEORGI A 30303 aUS 1 0 1979 In Reply Ref er To:

RII:JPO 70-1319 U. S. Nuclear, Inc.

Attn:

Dr. S. C. Weaver, President P. O. Box 680 Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 Gentlenen:

Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you vith regard to your NRC license.

Shoul. you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, pleas e contact this effice.

Sincerely, 4

~

Q James P. O'Reilly Director

Enclosures:

1.

IE Bulletin No. 79-19 2.

List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months 7909110

Accession No:

7908070515 SSINS No: 6820 UNITFD STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMEh7 WASHINGTON, D.C.

20555 August 10, 1979

.E Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BU 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 On July 10, the Agreement States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington.

1979, the Governors 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.

Exampies 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 containers shipped to the Beatty burial The material was facility were found to be leaking radioactive material.

described on the bill of lading as being a solid inorganic salt (evaporatorThe concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility.

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 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 The shipments State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility.

were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.

the Federal Higb ~ )_apjnistration issued a Notice of On June 28, 1979, Violation to a reactor facility p

~ 4

  • h P W n g 4.ontamina-tion resulting from improper clos DUPLICATE DOCUMENT for improper loading of the drums These are a few examples of shipm fnt ument previous 1Y entered system under:

facilities which did not fully m 79d gg gf7{

which were developed to protect ANO Governors of the three States wi that if the situation is not rec N-f pages:

[

would deny use of the three buri O, ji

I fi f