ML19254A867
| ML19254A867 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | ALASKA, UNIV. OF, FAIRBANKS, AK |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909060209 | |
| Download: ML19254A867 (1) | |
Text
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August 10, 1979 ALASKA FAIRBANKS, UNIVERSITY OF OChuuL OF AGRICULTURE AND LAND RESU FAlHbANKS AK 99701 Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin ;b. 79-19 which requires action by you with regard to your laC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions re-quired of you, please contact this office.
Sincercly,
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,g.t P. H. Engelken
[?fl'g)J Director
Enclosure:
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IE Bulletin ib. 79-19 7909080
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6820 UNITED STATES flVCLEAR REGULATORY COMiUSSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMErlT WASHIfiGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 PACKAGIttG 0F 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 Agreenent States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington.
On July 10, 1979, the Goverr. ors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disrecard for rules coverning the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and flRC rules follow:
Improperly packaged uraniur fines igniting packaged liquid scintillation vicls in combustible waste is believed to have cacced a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty, llevada burial f acility 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 inorcanic salt (evaporator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility. The Governor of tne State of Nevada ordered the druns 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 uraniun 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, m._ dical, industrial and military facilities.
On June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor facility prop %ing a $10,000 fine for truck contamina-tion resulting from improper closures on 5% gallon drums of LSA material and for improper loading of the drums on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shipments of radicactive material to burial facilities which did not fully meet f!RC, 00T and Agreement State requirements which were developed to protect the health and safety of the public.
The Governors of the three States with 1icensed burial facilities have indicated that if the situation is not rectified, they may have to initiate actions which would deny use of the three burial sites by violators.
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IE Bulletin tio. 79-19 Auoust 10, 1979 Page 2 of 3 Sources of Information:
The DDT regulatory reouirements can be found in 49 CFR Parts 170-179. The f1RC regulatory requirenents can be found in 10 CFR Parts 19 to 71.
The tiRC regu-latory requirements for Agreement State licensees in non-agreement states are in 10 CFR Part 150. Copies of the regulations may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office,tlashinoton, D.C. 20402.
Infomation about licensinq requirements for fiRC packages can be obtained from the tpc Transnortation Branch (301-427-4122).
Information about DDT packaginq and transport requirenents can be obtained by calling the DCT Office of Hazardcus Materials (202-426-2311).
Action To Be Taken By Licensees:
To assure the safe transfer, packaging, u d transport of 1r =l ew'1 radioactive waste, each licensee is expected to:
1.
Maintain a current set of DOT and 1RC regulations concerning the transfer, packaoing and transport of low 1 /' radioactive waste naterial.
2.
Maintain a current set of requirerents (license) placed on the waste burial firn by the Agreenent Stnte of i;evada, South Carolina, or Washinoton before packaging li. >1evel radioactive waste material for transfer and shipnent to the Agreement State licensee.
If a waste collection contractor is used, obtain the appropriate requirements from the contractor.
3.
Designate, in writing, people in your orcanization who are responsible for the safe transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive raterial.
4.
Provide management-approved, detailed instructions and operating procedures to all personnel involved in the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive material.
Special attention should be given to controls on the chemical and physical form of the low-level radioactive material and on the containment integrity of the packaging.
5.
Provide trainina and periodic retraining in the DOT and tiRC regulatory requirements: the waste burial license requirements, and in your instrut-tions and operatina procedures for all personnel involved in the transfer, packaging and transport of radioactive material.
Maintain a record of training dates, attendees, and subject naterial for future inspections by fiRC personnel.
6.
Provide training and periodic retrainino to those employees who operate the processes which generate waste to assure that the volume of low-level radioactive waste is minimized and that such waste is processed into acceptable chenical and physical form for transfer and shipnent to a low-level radioactive vaste burial facility.
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IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 7.
Establish and implement a managenent-controlled audit function of all transfer, packagina and transport activities to provide assurance that personnel, instructions and procedures, and process and transport equip-ment are functioning to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory requirements.
8.
Perform, within 60 days of the date of this bulletin, a nanaqenent-controlled audit of your activities associated with the transfer, packaging and trans-port of low-level radioactive waste.
Maintain a record of all audits for future insrectinas by NDC or DOT inseectors.
('!ote: I# you have an estab-lished audit function and have performed such an audit of all activities in Items 1-6 within the past six months, this audit requirement is satisf:ed.)
9.
Report, in writing within 45 days, your plan of action and schedule with regard to the above items.
In addition, provide responses to the three questions belcw.
Reports should be subnitted to the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office and a copy should be forwarded to the fiRC Office of Inspection and Enfarcement, Division of Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Inspection, Washington, D.C.
20555.
Provide answers for 1978 and for the first six months of 1979 to the following questions:
1.
How many low-level adioactive waste shipments did you make? What was the volume of low-level radioactive waste shipped?
(Power reactor licensees who report this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
2.
What was the quantity (curies) of low-level radioactive waste ~
shipped? What were the major isotopes in the low-level radioactive waste?
(Powerreactor licensees who repo,-t this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
3.
Did you generate liquid low-level radioactive waste?
If the answer is 'yes,' what process was used to solidify the liquid waste?
Licensees who do not generate low-level radioactive waste should so indicate in their responses and do not need to take other actions specified in the above items.
Approved by GAO, B180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-80.
Approval was given under a blanket clearance snecifically for idtntified generic problens.
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