ML19254A861
| ML19254A861 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | EMVTMX |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909060195 | |
| Download: ML19254A861 (1) | |
Text
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'o, UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION l'
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REGION ll
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101 MARIETT A ST., N W, SulTE 3100
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o, ATL ANT A, GEORGI A 30303 AUG 1019/9 1MX LTD.
P.u. tsOX 597 UAYlMUN PR 00619 Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you with regard to your NRC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, B
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Q James P. O'Reilly \\
Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months 7909060 / 9 17 /l[j 2h) 7, ~ ~ -
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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 waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial facilities which are located ia and licensed by the Agreement States of Nevada, Sc.uth Carolina, and Wasbiagton.
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:
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 sclid 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 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 Highway Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor facility propo v A ^^^_M.
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