ML19242E051
| ML19242E051 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | WASHINGTON & LEE UNIV., LEXINGTON, VA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909060224 | |
| Download: ML19242E051 (1) | |
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UNITED STATES e (' j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j
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101 MARIETTA ST., N W., $UITE 3100 6,
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ATLA *dT A, GEORGI A 30303 AUG 101979 M45HINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY PHYSICS DEPARTMENT LEXINGTON VA 24450 Inclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you vith regard to your NRC license.
Should you have questions regardir4 this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, 3
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Q James' [P. O'Reilly Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months
[b.N.7/
IE 7909060274/
Accession No: 7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES NU G AR 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 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 shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and NRC rules follow:
In. properly 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 the bill of lading as being a solid inorganic salt (3vaporator C
'%o concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor f acil: tty.
The Governor of the State of Nevada ordered the drums to be shippeu out v the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
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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 Higin,,
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