ML19242E048
| ML19242E048 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIV., BLACKSB |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909060220 | |
| Download: ML19242E048 (1) | |
Text
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/pa ancoy fo, UNITED STATES E'
s-ff' j NUCLEAR REGULATO3Y COMMISSION
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REGION 11
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101 M ARIETT A ST., N.W., SUIT E 3100 o,,
E ATLANTA, GEORGIA 303C3
'N-AUG 101979 VINGINIA PULYTLCNNIC INSTITUTE STATL UNIVLR31lY DLA(KSouki
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NUCLEAR ENG. GP, VA 24061 Enclosed is IE N11etin No. 79-19, which requires action by you with regard to your NEC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, 4
w
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Q JamesP. O'Reilly Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of N 11etins Issued in Last Six Months 921 241 WW 79090B0 M o
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 Description of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that war.te which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial facilities which are lo:ated in and licensed by the Agreement States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington. On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the three states notified hRC 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.
02 On July 2, 1979, three of twelve steel containers shipped to the Beatty burial g)
The material was pq facility were found to be leaking radioactive material.
described on the bill of lading as being a solid inorganic salt (evaporator eq concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility.
The DJ Governor of the State of Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the
[w 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. Tbe 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 f rom 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-
- S W m 6 %rr tion resulting from improper closu
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for improper loading of the drums These are a few examples of shipme facilities which did not fully mee Entire document previously entered which were developed to protect th into system under:
79o 7o6/5' Governors of the three States with that if the situation is not recti ANO would deny use of the three burial h
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