ML19249B274
| ML19249B274 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | GEORGE MASON UNIV., FAIRFAX, VA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909040221 | |
| Download: ML19249B274 (1) | |
Text
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hG pm Rico UNITED ST ATES f,
o, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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AUG 101079 GEUNGE MASUN UNIVERSITY 4400 UNIVEH31TY ORIVE FA!AFix VA 22030 Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you vith regard to your NRC license.
Should you have questiens regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sineerely, B
W
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Q James'P. O'Reilly Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months 703C43) i 7 90904 0 c;xc' _ \\
Accession No:
7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES NCCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADIDA:TIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURI AL Description of Circumstanr:s:
Low-level radioactive vaste 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 Governors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disregard for rules governing the shipments of low-level radioactive vastes 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 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 (evaporator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) fro = 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 intitu leaching process at a uranium mill.
Forty-three shipments with sixty-three deficiencies were obser..a during the package inspection progcam 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-
'j phgggg tion resulting from improper closures on
- *ggggNDbw w"g-:;g' -.r for improper loading of the drums on the w
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 State. with licen hWb7O5G that if the situation is not rectified, ANO would deny use of the three burial sites No. of pages:
.