ML19282E112
| ML19282E112 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Seyfrit K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Brigham Young University, PROVO, UT |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19282E113 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008220262 | |
| Download: ML19282E112 (1) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES 7
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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611 RYAN PLAZA DRIVE, $UITE 1000
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,e ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76012 Augus: 10, 1979 N2. g }p3 Ll- } lc
- sR IGM Ast YOUNG UN!vERSITY i
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l Gentlenen:
Enclosed is II Sulletin No. 79-19, which requires ac:1on by you with regard to your NRC license.
Should ycc have questions regarding thi: Bulletin or the ac:1ons required of you, please con:ac: this office.
Sincerely, f.' b.
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Se[yfrl:44,ON l)
Karl V.
Direc:or Inclosures:
1.
II Bulletin No. 79-19 2.
List of Sulletins Issued in 1.ast 3ix. Mon:hs 8 008220 QQ
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 IE Bulleti' No. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 1 of 3 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR 1RANSPORT AND BUR 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 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) 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, South Carolina burial facilit7 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-tion resulting from improper closures on 55 gallon drums of LSA material and for improper loading of the drums on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shipments o:
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facilities which did not fully meet JRC DUPLICATE DOCUMENT which were developed to protect the hea.' '
Governors of the three States with lice Entire document previously that if the situation is not rectified, 4 entereo, into system under:
would deny use of the three burial site:
ANO O M% T/
N o.
of pages:
94 71o ir o1o S I B