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Speech Entitled Disposal of Slightly Contaminated Radioactive Wastes from Nuclear Power Plants, Presented at 19th Midyear Topical Symposium of Hps
ML20206H609
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Issue date: 06/19/1986
From: Branagan E, Congel F
NRC
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NUDOCS 8606260220
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"

. . Proceedings of the 19th Midyear Topical Symposium of the Health Physics Society

. DISPOSAL OF SLIGHTLY CONTAMINATED RADIOACTIVE WASTES i FROM NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

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Edward F. Branagan, Jr. , and Frank J. Congel"

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U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission '

Washington, D.C. 20555 ABSTRACT Current NRC regulations, with one exception, do not provide minimum levels of radioactivity in solid wastes which may be disposed of in a manner other than as radioactive waste. The exception (Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.306) allows licensees to dispose of specified concentra-tions of tritium and carbon-14 used in liquid scintillation counting and in animal tissue without regard to radioactivity. However, this exception is of minimal use to nuclear power plant licensees. Current. NRC regulations require that licensees dispose of even very slightly radioactively contaminated solid materials, with little flexibility as to the small quantities involved, at Ifcensed low-Icvel waste disposal sites or on a case-by-case basis pursuant to 10 CFR 20.302. On February 24, 1983 the NRC staff published Office of j Inspection and Enforcement Information Notice No. 83-05, " Obtaining. Approval for Disposing of Very-Low Level Radioactive Waste - 10 CFR Section 20.302."

Since that time, the staff has reviewed and approved about 20 requests for disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials. This paper de- .

scribes the characteristics of the disposed wastes, the review process and the staff's dose guidelines.

INTRODUCTION In its Policy Statement on Low-Level Waste Volume Reduction (Ref. 1),

the NRC recognized the need to minimize the quantity of waste generated and shipped to commercial waste-disposal sites. Although current NRC regulations

, (10 CFR 20.306, Ref. 2) permit the disposal of liquid scintillation fluid and '

-- animal tissue containing less than' 0.05,pci/s of tritium or carbon-14 without r-regard to their radioactivity, there are no similar minimum levels of radio- '

activity in solid waste. Consequently,. nuclear power plant licensees must .

dispose of solid waste with any licensee generated contamination at commer-cial waste disposal sites or on a case-by-case basis under the provisions of 10 CFR 20.302 (Ref. 3). In February,1983 the NRC staff published Office of -

Inspection and Enforcement Information Notice No. 83-05. entitled " Obtaining Approval for Disposing of Very-Low Level Radioactive Waste - 10 CFR Sec-  :

tion 20.302" (Ref. 4). This information notice encouraged nuclear power -

. plant licensees to apply on a case-by-case basis for alternative methods for  !

disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials (i.e., methods other L than disposal at coassercial wastes sites). Since the incineration of wastes is subject to different requirements, it is not discussed in this paper.

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I CHARACTERISTICS OF LISPOSED WASTES During the past two years the NRC staff has reviewed and approved about 20 requests for disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials from nuclear power plants. Table I contains examples of the disposed waste applications 3that illustrate the characteristics of the wastes. The types .

of waste disposed include the following slightly contaminated materials:

soil, sandi sedinent from onsite settling ponds, sewage sludge, wood, spent resips used for cleaning the secondary side of pressurized water reactors (PWRs), roofing materials, and scrap metal from feedwater heaters

used in the secondary side of PWRs. l The principal nuclides in the disposed wastes are co-58, co-60, Cs-134, and Cs-137, with total activity concentrations in the range of about I to 50 pCi/g. These nuclides have by and large been in an immobile form.

Disposal methods have included disposal of wood in a municipal landfill, burial of resins on-site, burial of sludge in a chemical waste disposal

landfill, mixing of sewage sludge in an anaerobic digester and shipment to a j sanitary landfill for burial. Although most of the requests have been for a one-time disposal, the NRC staff has approved a request for disposal of limited quantities of contaminated wood on an annual basis, and a request for disposal of secondary-side resins about every 5 years. In most cases, it is expected that no member of the public will receive more than 1 mrem /yr from the disposal.

i 1 REGULATORY REVIEW PROCESS i

Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.302 contains only general .

guidance for obtaining approval of proposed disposal procedures. In addition, there is no Regulatory Guide that describes specific methods i

acceptable to the NRC staff for obtaining approval of proposed disposal procedures. This section briefly describes the regulatory review process, and the types of information that NRC reviewers look for in an application for disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials from nuclear power plants pursuant to 10 CFR 20.302.

Applications should be submitted to the Office of Nuclear Reactor

, Regulation (NRR). Under 10 CFR 20.302,. licensees may request disposal of ,

- specific material on a case-by-case basis or. licensees may request permission -

for routine disposal of specific types of wastes on an annual basis using i

approved procedures and systems. Topical reports describing systems to be t

used for waste segregation and monitoring may be incorporated by reference in the request when such reports have been reviewed and approved by the NRC.

However, at this time no topical reports have been submitted to NRC for review. For disposal of radioactive. materials in non-Agreement States, the application is reviewed solely by NRC.. For disposal of radioactive material

on or off the reactor site in an Agreement State, approval is needed from the Agreement State. After the NRC staff's review of the request, then l the staff will grant approval, if. appropriate, subject to approval of the i-i i

disposal by the Agreement State.

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7atile i Esamples of Disposed Waste Applications

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qj Description of Weste Disposal Euclest ?- Tr,tal Conc. Total Power (pCi/sm Fla% ,

  • Activity Principal Volume or Mass or 3,Cs/cc) mci kuclides (1) 7 set!.od Site
3. Saa Onofre~ Sand at bottoe 0.5/sm 0.05-0.2 Cs 137 Backfill sith clean Onsite of escavated pit, soil 300 m3
2. Oyster Creek Soil, 480 as -10 5 Co-60(50) Relocate the Onstte Cs-137(30) material and ha-54(15) cover */ 6" Cs-134(5) layer of clean soil, pave over with asphalt
3. N.B. Robinson So11, 1.5 38 7.4/sm 0.014 11r.it 2 Co-60(63) Stabilire in place Onsite, along Cs 137(23) aleeg the bettee the bcttom of Cs 134(10) of a drainage a drainage ditch by covering ditch with a minimus 6" layer of clesa sell
4. Naboldt Bay Sludge, 39 m8 12.6/cc 0.49 Co-60(62) Dried bottoes Onatte Co-137(36) sent to chemical saste disposs! landfill, 330" sell cover .
5. Oconee, Sewage eludge. 0.63/cc 0.07 IJaits I, 2 120 as Cs-131(45) Diluted with etber Offsite sad 3 Co-6C(27) eludge, dried, seat sanitary to landfill landfill C. N.B. Robisson Sett1 tat pond 30/p 1700 Co-60 Transfer to ash IJatt 2 sediseat Onatte 60,000 mg wet sediment (over pond, 6" thich sell fossil ash life et cover with poed ash pond) wegetation F. R.E. Cinea Reefing materiale 14/p 1.4 Unit 1 70 teos Cs-137 (64) Municipal Landfill Offsite Co-60 (20)

Cs-134 (16)

8. McGuire 3 & 2 b'estewater = 0.24 0.1 residue sludge, Co-54 (50) 1.aedspread, Onsite 240 to 340 m3 /yr Co-60 (50) topoeil cover with vegetation j
9. Oceaee Feedveter heaters: 13/p 6.5 1,2&3 high activity Co-60(79) Burial ta 7'-12' Campany ces-tube bundles, Co 137(15) deep treaches, trolled area 360 taas 3' close sell cover outside security fence
10. Ocease Sand, 45 as - 50/p 4.3 8,2&3 Cs 137 tuttal la 7'-12' campsey ree-Co 134 deep treaches, 3' trelled aree Co 60 eleaa soil cover outside Ma 56 security fence II. Ocease 1, 2 bleed,12 21 as 35/p 0.6 to Assumed

& 3118cGuire ! per plaat per Campactice & bestel Offsite,

& Sg and 0.7 per Co-60 to landfill, 6" Semitary year year per Catewha 1 & 2 (100) close soil cover leadfill staties

12. Davie Sesse Seceedery-side 8.7/tc 8.5/every Co 13?(36) reatne, 150 m* Tressfer Ceepeer 5 years Ce-54(34) restas to owned lead every 5 yeste Co-134(27) easite settling Co-60(3) basis, dilute with cleae waste, lead spread dredgings e

every 5 years.

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Lictnsre's submittnic chould id:ntify cnd d;scrib2 tha w:ste, dispacc1 site, pathways of exposure, and estimate doses from the principal pathways of exposure. The information regarding the waste for each planned request should include: (1) a brief description of the item to be disposed including the approximate volume or masa; (2) identification of the principal nuclides expectedsto be in the waste; (3) estimates of the concentrations of the nu- .

clides inithe waste; (4) estimates of the total activity of nuclides in the waste; and (5) the basis for the estimated concentrations and total activities (i.e., the number of samples measured, the representativeness of the samples, and the appropriateness of the instruments used to measure the activity in samples). Information regarding the disposal site should include: (1) the method of disposal (e.g., diluted with other sludge, burial in deep trenches, land spread and cover with " clean" soil, etc.); (2) the location of the disposal site (e.g., a legible map of the disposal site with compass direction and scale); (3) local land use (e.g., nearby residences, wells, etc.); and (4) any physical or administrative barriers to prevent present and/or future use of the site for other than its intended purpose.*

The licensees submittal should briefly discuss the potential pathways of exposure, and estimate doses to individuals from the principal pathways of exposure. Doses should be estimated for both a maximally exposed member of the public, and for a maximally non-occupationally exposed worker. If a particular pathway is not of concern (e.g., groundwater), then this should be stated and the basis for the statement provided (e.g., the nuclides are in an immobile form, and there are no wells within a certain distance of the disposal site). Pathways that are typically of concern include: (1) external exposure from standing or living above the disposal site for a stated number of hours per year; (2) inhalation of resuspended radionuclides if the radioactive material is not covered promptly; (3) external and internal exposure to an inadvertent intruder; (4) external and internal exposure of an individual from assumed recycling of the disposed material at the time the disposal site is released from regulatory control; and (5) internal exposure from ingestion of food grown on the disposal site.

DOSE GUIDELINES In performing its safety evaluations and environmental impact l appraisals for these licensee submittals, the staff of the Office. of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) has developed draft dose guidelines for use by NRR reviewers. These guidelines are intended to ensure that potential radiation doses that may result from the proposed method of disposal are maintained as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA). The waste to which these guidelines I are intended to apply are typical solid wastes from reactor facilities slightly contaminated with radionuclides with halflives less than 35 years.

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The draft dose guidelines were drveloped bssed en thz follcwing principles:

First, the annual dose to a member of the public from exposure to the dis-posed material should be a small fraction of annual exposure to natural background radiation. Second, the annual dose to a member of the public,from exposure to the disposed material should be no greater than the annual dose a maximally exposed individual would receive from exposure to radioactive ef-fluents fr6minormal operations at light water reactors. Third, concentrated ,

sources ofkradioactivity that might pose a health hazard before or after the time of release of the disposal site from all regulatory controls should not

The draft guidelines follow:

1. The radioactive material should be disposed in a manner such that it is  ;

unlikely that the material would be recycled.

2. Doses to the total body and any body organ of a maximally exposed indi-vidual (a member of the general public or a non-occupationally exposed worker) from the probable pathways of exposure to the disposed material 1 I

should be less than 1 mrem /yr.

3. Doses to the total body and any body organ of an inadvertent intruder from the probable pathways of exposure should be less than 5 mres/yr.
4. For onsite disposal, the dose to the total body and any body organ of an individual from assumed recycling of the disposed material at the time the disposal site is released from regulatory control from all likely pathways of exposure should be less than 1 ares /yr.
5. For disposal in a sanitary landfill, the dose to the total body and any body organ of an individual from assumed recycling of the disposed material at the time of disposal from all likely pathways of exposure should be less than 5 arem/yr.

The preceding guidelines are subject to change, and the NRC staff is i still considering questions regarding the total quantity (i.e., mass, volume, and activity) that should be permitted to be disposed at one site,

. safeguards to prevent recycling of disposed materials, and the regulatory interface between the NRC's jurisdiction and Agreement States's jurisdiction.

.For disposal of radioactive materials in non-Agreement States, the- "

licensee's application is reviewed solely by'the NRC. For disposal of radioactive materials in an Agreement State, the NRC staff grants . approval, '

if appropriate, subject to approval of the disposal by the Agreement State.

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REFERENCES

1. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, " Policy Statement on Low-Level Waste Volume Reduction", 46 Federal Register, 51100, October 16, 1981,
2. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20I306, " Disposal of Specific Wastes," January 1,1985.
3. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.302, "Hethod for Obtaining Approval of Proposed Disposal Proce-dures," January 1,'1985.
4. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Inspection and Enforce-ment, JE Information Notice No. 83-05, " Obtaining Approval for Disposing of Very-Low Level Radioactive Waste - 10 CFR Section 20.302," Febru-ary 24, 1963.

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, Proceedings of the 19th Midyear Topical Symposium of the Health Physics Society DISPOSAL OF SLIGHTLY CONTAMINATED RADI0 ACTIVE WASTES i) FROM NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS 7

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Edward F. Branagan, Jr. , and Frank J. Congel' U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 ABSTRACT Current NRC regulations, with one exception, do not provide minimum levels of radioactivity in solid wastes which may be disposed of in a manner other than as radioactive waste. The exception (Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.306) allows licensees to dispose of specified concentra-tions of tritium and carbon-14 used in liquid scintillation counting and in animal tissue without regard to radioactivity. However, this exception is of minimal use to nuclear power plant licensees. Current NRC regulations require that licensees dispose of even very slightly radioactively contaminated solid materials, with little flexibility as to the small quantities involved, at licensed low-level waste disposal sites or on a case-by-case basis pursuant to 10 CFR 20.302. On February 24, 1983 the NRC staff published Office of Inspection and Enforcement Information Notice No. 83-05, " Obtaining. Approval for Disposing of Very-Low Level Radioactive Waste - 10 CFR Section 20.302."

Since that time, the staff has reviewed and approved about 20 requests for disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials. This paper de-scribes the characteristics of the disposed wastes, the review process and the staff's dose guidelines.

INTRODUCTION In its Policy Statement on Low-Level Waste Volume Reduction (Ref. 1),

the NRC recognized the need to minimize the quantity of waste generated and shipped to commercial waste-disposal sites. Although current NRC regulations

., (10 CFR 20.306,. Ref. 2) permit the disposal of liquid scintillation fluid and

- animal tissue containing less than'O.05,pCi/g of tritium or carbon-14 without r-regard to'their radioactivity, there are no similar minimum levels of radio-activity in solid waste. Consequently, nuclear power plant licensees must dispose of solid waste with any licensee generated contamination at commer-cial waste disposal sites or on a case-by-case basis under the provisions of 10 CFR 20.302 (Ref. 3). In February,1983 the NRC staff published Office of Inspection and Enforcement Information Notice No. 83-05. entitled " Obtaining Approval for Disposing of Very-Low Level Radioactive Waste - 10 CFR Sec- .

tion 20.302" (Ref. 4). This information notice encouraged nuclear power -

plant licensees to apply on a case-by-case basis for alternative methods for I

-- disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials (i.e., methods other '

than disposal at commercial wastes sites). Since the incineration of wastes is subject to different requirements, it is not discussed in this paper.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF DISPOSED WASTES i

During the past two years the NRC staff has reviewed and approved about 20 requests for disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials from nuclear power plants. Table I contains examples of the disposed waste i applicationsithat illustrate the characteristics of the vastes. The types

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of waste d[,sposed include the following slightly contaminated materials: ,

soil, sand, sedinent from onsite settling ponds, sewage sludge, wood, spent resins used for cleaning the secondary side of pressurized water reactors (PWRs), roofing materials, and scrap metal from feedwater heaters used in the secondary side of PWRs.

The principal nuclides in the disposed wastes are Co-58, Co-60, Cs-134, and Cs-137, with total activity concentrations in the range of about I to 50 pCi/g. These nuclides have by and large been in an immobile form.

Disposal methods have included disposal of wood in a municipal landfill, burial of resins on-site, burial of sludge in a chemical waste disposal landfill, mixing of sewage sludge in an anaerobic digester and shipment to a sanitary landfill for burial. Although most of the requests have been for a one-time disposal, the NRC staff has approved a request for disposal of limited quantities of contaminated wood on an annual basis, and a request for disposal of secondary-side resins about every 5 years. In most cases, it is expected that no member of the public will receive more than I mrem /yr from the disposal.

REGULATORY REVIEW PROCESS Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.302 contains only general .

guidance for obtaining approval of proposed disposal procedures. In addition, there is no Regulatory Guide that describes specific methods acceptable to the NRC staff for obtaining approval of proposed disposal procedures. This section briefly describes the regulatory review process, and the types of information that NRC reviewers look for in an application for disposal of slightly contaminated radioactive materials from nuclear power plants pursuant to 10 CFR 20.302.

Applications should be submitted to the Office of Nuclear Reactor

, Regulation (NRR). Under 10 CFR 20.302, licensees may request disposal of I

specific material on a case-by-case basis or licensees may request permission -

for routine disposal of specific types of wastes on an annual basis using approved procedures and systems. Topical reports describing systems to be

'used for waste segregation and monitoring may be incorporated by reference t in the request when such reports have been reviewed and approved by the NRC.

However, at this time no topical reports have been submitted to NRC for review. For disposal of radioactive. materials in non-Agreement States, the application is reviewed solely by NRC.. ,For disposal of radioactive material on or off the reactor site in an Agreement State, approval is needed from the Agreement State. After the NRC staff's review of the request, then the staff will grant approval, if. appropriate, subject to approval of the e disposal by the Agreement State.

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e Table 1 tsamples of Dispeed Waste Applicatione

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Descripties of Waste Disposal Total Cent. Total Power (pC1/se plant .~

  • Activity priseipel Volure or Mass or pCn/ce) eC1 Wuclides (1) lie t!.e4 Sue 1, See Onetre' Seed at bettes 0.5/se 0.05-0.2 Ca*l37 of excavated pit, Backfill with clese Onsate nell 300 o'
2. Oyster Creek Seil 480 as - 10 $ Co-60(50) Releeste the Desite Co-137(30) esterial and Me-54(15) cover */ 6" Ca-134(5)- layer of clean soil, pave ever with esphalt
3. M.S. Roblesse Seil. 1.5 e8 tk.it 2 7.4/se 0.014 Co 60(63) stabstire in place onsste, along Cs 137(23) along the bettee the bettee of Co 334(10) of a dreisate e drainage ditch by eeveries ditch with a einlaue 6" layer of elean sell f'

4 Numboldt Say Stadt e, 39 e8 12.6/cc 0.49 Co-40(62) Dried bottoes Oneite Co-137(36) sees to chemical maste disposal landfill,

>30" soil tower S. Oceaee, Sevase eludge. 0.63/ce 0.07 Cs-137(45)

Units I, 2 120 e8 911sted with other Offsite and 3 Co-60(27) eludge, dried, seat semitory to leadf!!! landfill

6. N.B. Sebinson Sett!!as peed Unit 2 30/se 1700 Co-60 Transfer to eek mediment Deatte 60,000 e5 wet medieret (over paed, 6" thith sell fesell ash Inte of cover with poed ash peed) wegetattes
7. R.E. Giese Reefing esteriale 84/ge 1.4 Co 137 (64) nuaicipal Landfill OfIstte Unit t 70 tese Co-60 (20)

Cs-134 (36)

8. Mc0 wire I & 2 Westewater . 0.24 col Co-56 (50) landerreed, Desite residue elodge, 240 to 300 m3 /yr Co-60 (50) tepeell eever with wegetaties

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9. Ocease 1,2&3 Feedwater besters: IS/se 6.S Co-60(79) Burial to 7'-12' high activity Co-137(IS)

Ceepeer eee-tebe bundles, deep treaches, tre!!ed area 360 toes 3' eleoe soil cover outside necerity feece

14. Ocease Seed, 45 as .SO/pe 1,2&3 6.3 Co 137 Borial se 7'-12' Ceepesy eee-Co 134 deep tresebes 3' trolled stee Co-60 slees sell tower outside sto-54 eecerity feete
11. Deense 1, 3 Wood, 12 21 es 3S/se 0.4 to Assumed Ceepecties & buriel Offette,

& St IIctuire I per pleet per 4.1 per Co-40 8 al med peer te leedfill, 4" Semitory year per (100)

Catawba 1 & I statten etees sett eever leadfill

12. Devia tesee Secondary side 8.7/cc 8.5/every Co 137(34)

' restes, ISO es Treaefer Campeer S years Co-$4(34) reelee to every 5 yeste eased lead Co 134(27) emette settttes Co 60(3) beste, dilute with close weste, lead spread dredginge ,

every 3 yeere.

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Licen co'c cubmittals sh:uld id:ntify tnd d:scriba tha wast 2, dicprocl site, pathways of exposure, and estimate doses from the principal pathways of exposure. The information regarding the waste for each planned request should include: (1) a brief description of the item to be disposed including the approximate volume or mass; (2) identification of the principal nuclides expected $o be in the waste; (3) estimates of the concentrations of the nu-clides in_the waste; (4) estimates of the total activity of nuclides in the waste; and (5) the basis for the estimated concentrations and total activities (i.e., the number of samples measured, the representativeness of the samples, and the appropriateness of the instruments used to measure the activity in samples). Information regarding the disposal site should include: (1) the method of disposal (e.g., diluted with other sludge, burial in deep trenches, land spread and cover with " clean" soil, etc.); (2) the location of the disposal site (e.g., a legible map of the disposal site with compass direction and scale); (3) local land use (e.g., nearby residences, wells, etc.); and (4) any physical or administrative barriers to prevent present and/or future use of the site for other than its intended purpose.*

The licensees submittal should briefly discuss the potential pathways of exposure, and estimate doses to individuals from the principal pathways of exposure. Doses should be estimated for both a maximally exposed member of the public, and for a maximally non-occupationally exposed worker. If a particular pathway is not of concern (e.g. , groundwater), then this should be stated and the basis for the statement provided (e.g., the nuclides are in an immobile form, and there are no wells within a certain distance of the disposal site). Pathways that are typically of concern include: (1) external exposure from standing or living above the disposal site for a stated number of hours per year; (2) inhalation of resuspended radionuclides if the radioactive material is not covered promptly; (3) external and internal exposure to an inadvertent intruder; (4) external and internal exposure of an individual from assumed recycling of the disposed material at the time the disposal site is released from regulatory control; and (5) internal exposure from ingestion of food grown on the disposal site.

t DOSE GUIDELINES In performing its safety evaluations and environmental impact appraisals for these licensee submittals, the staff of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) has developed draft dose guidelines for use by NRR reviewers. These guidelines are intended to ensure that potential radiation doses that may result from the proposed method of disposal are maintained as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA). The waste to which these guidelines are intended to apply are typical solid wastes from reactor facilities slightly contaminated with radionuclides with halflives less than 35 years.

  • Note: Tor wastes containing mobile radionuclides (e.g., H-3), detailed information on geology and hydrology may be necessary.

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e Tha dreft dosa guidelinea were d:v21:p:d b:zrd en th2 fellcwing principles:

First, the annual dose to a member of the public from exposure to the dis-posed material should be a small fraction of annual exposure to natural background radiation. Second, the annual dose to a member of the public from exposure to the disposed material should be no greater than the annual dose a maximally exposed individual would receive from exposure to radioactive ef-fluents frbm: normal operations at light water reactors. Third, concentrated '

sources offradioactivity that might pose a health hazard before or after the time of re, lease of the disposal site from all regulatory controls should not -

be permitted to be disposed under 10 CFR 20.302.

The draft guidelines follow:

1. The radioactive material should be disposed in a manner such that it is unlikely that the material would be recycled.
2. Doses to the total body and any body organ of a maximally exposed indi-vidual (a member of the general public or a non-occupationally exposed worker) from the probable pathways of exposure to the disposed material should be less than 1 mrem /yr.
3. Doses to the total body and any body organ of an inadvertent intruder from the probable pathways of exposure should be less than 5 mrem /yr.
4. For onsite disposal, the dose to the total body and any body organ of an individual from assumed recycling of the disposed material at the time the disposal site is released from regulatory control from all likely pathways of exposure should be less than 1 mres/yr.
5. For disposal in a sanitary landfill, the dose to the total body and any body organ of an individual from assumed recycling of the disposed material at the time of disposal from all likely pathways of exposure should be less than 5 mrem /yr.

The preceding guidelines are subject to change, and the NRC staff is 4

still considering questions regarding the total quantity (i.e., mass, volume, and activity) that should be permitted to be disposed at one site, safeguards to prevent recycling of disposed materials, and the regulatory interface between the NRC's jurisdiction and Agreement States's jurisdiction.

For disposal of radioactive materials in non-Agreement States, the -

licensee's application is reviewed solely by the NRC. For disposal of radioactive materials in an Agreement State, the NRC staff grants . approval, if appropriate, subject to approval of the disposal by the Agreement State.

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REFERENCES

1. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, " Policy Statement on low-Level Waste Volume Reduction", 46 Federal Register, 51100, October 16, 1981.
2. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 50~3306, " Disposal of Specific Wastes," January 1,1985.
3. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.302, " Method for Obtaining Approval of Proposed Disposal Proce-dures," January 1, 1985.
4. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Inspection and Enforce-ment, IE Information Notice No. 83-05, " Obtaining Approval for Disposing of Very-Low Level Radioactive Waste - 10 CFR Section 20.302," Febru-ary 24, 1983.

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