ML20154S435

Statement of Jm Hendrie to Subcommittee on Environ & Atmosphere Committee on Science & Technology Us House of Representatives

ML20154S435
Person / Time
Issue date:	09/27/1977
From:	Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To:
References
TASK-TF, TASK-URFO NUDOCS 9810270399
Download: ML20154S435 (16)

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O STATEMENT 0F DR. JOSEPH M. HENDRIE CHAIRMAN -

U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TO SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ATMOSPHERE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 27, 1977 d

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4 9810270399 770927 PDR COMMS NRCC

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Introduction Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to appear before your Subcommittee to discuss the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's research programs as they relate to environmental and health implications of the r.uc! car fuel cycle. Both our regulatory and research programs have already been significantly modified to accommodate the initiatives involved in President Carter's new energy plan.

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_Persoective To begin with, I will provide the Subcommittee with a brief overview of our research philosophy and of our overall research program.

Research is one of a number of elements necessary for the NRC to help ensure that we maintain a sound technical basis for regulating comercial nuclear power. Although the nuclear facilities that NRC regulates represent in my view very small risks to the health and safety of the public and have relatively small impacts on the environment, we conduct confirmatory research to assure ourselves and the public that safety margins provided in nuclear facilities are adequate and that their health and environmental impacts will remain at low levels. NRC's research programs involve the collection of experimental data and the development of models to describe the complex processes involved in safety, health and environmental matters and are essential to us in enhancing the technical basis for our regulatory requirements and -

in maintaining high standards of technical competence in performing our - ~

independent safety and environmental evaluations of nuclear facilities.

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L i l 1 l: Our regulatory and research activities cover all elements of the consnercial l

[: nuclear fuel cycle (except for most mining which is regulated by States and v

.the Federal Mine Enforcement Safety Administration) and the use of licensed L nuclear. materials such as' radioactive' isotopes. in industrial, medical, and

- research applications. The bulk of our FY1978 research effort (64%) is l

associated with water reactor _ safety research, which I consider to be  !

L i appropriate'since there are many more water reactors operating and planned .

than ard' .t.ner kind of nuclear facility.

~ Another 16% of the research budget goes toward assessing the safety of  !

advanced reactors such as fast breeder reactors and high temperature gas f

cooled reactors. ~ Our work on the' safety of fast breeders has been cut 1.

[ lback from previously' projected levels because there will probably be significant' delay in or perhaps. cancellation of the U.S. breeder reactor program. However,. until completion of the re-examination from a weapons proliferation viewpoint of potential breeder reactor cycles now underway in. the DOE and by the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation group.

we have reoriented our program to address safety matters that are generically L related to all types of fast breeders as opposed to just loop type liquid i metal fast breeder reactors. We intend to improve our capability to analyze safety issues'for breeder reactors against the possibility of a decisio bhing made in the future to proceed with breeder reactor development. ' '

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O About 8% of. our budget is devoted to research connected with developing methods .for evaluating the effectiveness of, safeguards systems and procedures used.-in nuclear facilities. We have already cut back planned expenditures-in

.the: safeguards area due to the current de-emphasis on fuel reprocessing.

Six pe,rcent.of our budget goes for res' e arch on safety of fuel cycle engineered systems, processes and equipment and 4% is directed to the nvironmental.. and health effects of nuclear facilities of all types '

f[ Finally,12% of our budget goes to the continuing development of quantitative t risk,aJsessment methodologies and their ppplication- to the assessment of accident risks from nuclear facilities.

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I should. emphasize here.that the NRC has no responsibility for developmental .

activities associated with the nuclear fuel cycle; such efforts are the

-responsibility of industry and the Department of Energy (DOE). We are a regulatory agency whose principal function is to assess the safety, health

.cnd. environmental adequacy of. facilities and procedures proposed to us by tha DOE and nuc1 car and electric power industry. Thus, I can address the topics you are interested.in only from a regulatory viewpoint is opposed

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to a developmental viewpoint and to point out areas where we are doing confirmatory research and other areas where additional confinnatory research may be needed. The balance of my testimony wf11 discuss each of the six. issues in the paper prepared by the Subcomittee entitled, "The -

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Nuclear Fuell Cycle - Environmental and Health Research Issues." - -

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Research Related to Scent Fuel Assemblies and Waste Solidification

• Prior to President Carter's decision to defer the reprocessing of l-V

spent nuclear fuel, our efforts were directed principally to developing a regulatory framework for the utilization of mixed plutonium-uranium oxide fuels. We hac published in August 1976- a Final Generic Environ-t.

mental Statement on the Use of Recycled Plutonium in fitxed Oxide Fuel l

i in 1.ight Water Cooled Reactors (GESMO, NUREG-0002), and were engaged in L

l' a series of public hearings as a prelude to reaching a final decision.

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. on the safety adequacy of the use of these fuels. This effort has now been placed in a holding pattern.  !

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L The ' absence of comercial reprocessing facilities has created the need i

' 1 L to keep spent fuel assemblies in storage pools in larger numbers and for longer periods of time than previously p'lanned. This has resulted '

in utfif ty plans to increase the density of spent fuel assemblies in existing pools at nuclear power plants and in studies by both DOE and industry directed toward the construction of additional pools for the storage of spent fuel, '

An area that may require research, or monitoring, is that related to the long term corrosion of the zircalloy fuel cladding in water.

Data would be needed to detennine how long such fuel could be stored without serious degradation of the cladding. While no exact data n

exist on this corrosion rate, it is not expected to be a significant

. problem in the near term because of the low temperature in storage -

. pools. We are now exploring what to do about collecting data regarding such long term corrosion rates.'

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5-YTe are also currently engaged in studying the application of quantitative risk assessment techniques to the disposal of spent fuel assemblies as well as high level reprocessed wastes in deep geologic formations.

This effort will develop the methodology needed to perform such , risk t

assessments and will also identify areas where research may be needed

..(to support the adequacy of risk assessments and regulatforis in this area.

NRC regulations (10 CFR 50, Appendix F) require 'that liquid high level ~

wastes from comercial fuel reprocessing plants be solidified into a chemically, thermally and radiologically stable form and stored in a Federal Repository.. There has been significant research conducted in '

past years which indicates that the solidification of these wastes is technically. feasible.

The question of whether there will be civilian liquid high level wastes in the future depends upon policy decisions affecting the use of fuel reprocessing. Of course, if there is to be no reprocessing, there will be no civilian high level wastes because the highly radioactive material would remain in the spent fuel assemblies. .However, many of the fuel cycle options currently under study in DOE's Non prolife. ration Alternative Systems Assessment program would almost certainly require reprocessing.

Thus, I believe it is appropriate that research be continued at this -

time to' assure' that a solidification process which meets the requirements , ,

of our regulations is developed. .[ -

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O O i 6-2.~ Research Related to Uranium Mining and Millino The only form of uranium mining regulated by the.NRC is in situ leach solution mining. However, we consider the health effects and environmental impacts of all forms of uranium mining in the environmental impact I assessments associated with nuclear power plants. ,

The occupational health effects of uranium mining and milling have .

been. studied since 1950 by the Department of Hea'lth, Education and '

' Welfare. U.S. public Health Service and studies are continuing under the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NRC is supporting studies, begun in 1976, which will use epidemiological data on workers in uranium mills and thorium processing plants to confirm

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parts of the existing models used to maintain occupational exposure standards and to develop regulatory guides. The research is measuring internal deposition of radionuclides in workers, determining the sites of deposition in the body, and assessing the long tenn health effects evidenced in the people studi_ed. ,

NRC is currently working to prepare'a generic environmental impact  !

statement on uranium milling which will cover the impact of mill i i

tailings. While the generic environmental impact statement is being prepared NRC is requiring that each applicant for a new  ;!

l mill license or license renewal develop a tailings management and . ,g reclamation plan' and make provisions to assure that the finances -!

are available to pay for their management. . , '-

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7-I The _Environmenta1' protection Agency and DOE are doing research on methods for stabilizing and reclaiming tailings. NRC research is i directed to assessing the effectiveness of the stabilization and reclamation methods developed by these agencies.

3. Research Related to Thorium and Plutonium .

' Deferral of i'rradiated fuel reprocessing and the recycling of uranium -

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and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel may well make nuclear fuel cycle options in addition to the light water cycle appear desirable in expanding nuclear fuel resources while reducing proliferation potential.

NRC's research on health and environmental factors associated.

- with options other than the ' uranium-plutonium fuel cycle has been '

limited to the occupational exposure studies on thorium as previously mentioned. It would appear useful to explore more fully the health effects, aspects of the uranium-thorium fuel cycle as they relate to occupational exposures and to potential reactor accidents. MRC will begin such' explorations within our planned FY79 budget.  ;

Most of the current environmental and health research on plutonium is directed to improving our knowledge of ecological and health effects, j consequences of occupational exposu're or an' accidental release. Such work should in my view be continued because any use of uranium fuel ,a i

will generate 'some~ plutonium and the need for this research is not ,

_j diminished by the Presidents decision to defer plutonium separation.

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.8-1 f-L l4 Research Related to Safety, Sitino Policy and Continaency Planning Ati I noted earlier in.my testimony, the bulk of NRC confirmatory l research is already associated kith the safety of nuclear power plants._ This research is directed towar.d achieving.a more precise

' definition of safety margins.in those elements of reactor design that are used to reduce both the likelihood and consequences of potential '

l bccidents as well as toward predicting the risks, i.e., the probability -

gand consequences assoc.iated with such potential accidents. For example, we are performing research on the material properties and >

behavior of nuclear power plant reactor vessels and piping to define existing safety margins and to enhance our' ability _to improve safety requirements if needed. We are also doing research on the ,

perfomance'of. safety features ~such as emergency core cooling systems '

and containment buildings which are used to inhibit the release of j radionuclides to the environment in the event an accident were to occur. This effort includes a high level of support for experimental )

l reactor facilities such as Loss of Fluid Test (LOFT) which will provida l

engineering ' data on emergency core cooling system performance and the power Burst Facility (PBF) which is providing data on the behavior of nuclear fuels under potential accident conditions.

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tion.of risk assessment techniques. A study of the risks associated with- -

l potential power plant accidents was completed in 1975.

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the Reactor. Safety Study - (WASH 1400/NUREG 75/014). The results of a t

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1 study of the risks involved in the shipment of plutonium'in the United States were published in March 1976 as a part of the Draft Environmental i Impact Statement (NUREG-0034) on Transportation of Radioactive i

Materials. Work is now in progress to develop methods for applying risk assessment methodology to-high level wastes and spent fuel I disposal facilities as well as to fuel reprocessing plants.

Although our risk assessment program is relatively small in terms l j

of expenditures, we feel it. is important and we foresee the need

-i to devote some increased resources to this work in future years.

A modest but important part of our research effort is devoted to better definition of the potential health and environmental effects of nuclear facilities, both as they relate to normal operations and I

to accident conditions. This type of research is needed to reduce uncertainties in our understanding of this area and should involve bot $DOEandNRC. For instance, the NRC is studying some aspects of occupational radiation exposure and. health effects associated with mining, milling, fuel fabrication and nuclear power plant operation.

We are supporting research to assess the health effects of thorium, both from occupational exposure in chemical refining operations and from environmental exposure. Ne are pursuing additional epidemiological s

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studies of thyroid cancer incidence related to diagnostic exposure to radiofodine and in studies of the acute mortality and morbidity 7 '

of inhal'ation exposure to radionuclides. Both of these latter research .-

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projects relate to improving our ability to predict consequences of

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accidents. and bear on our ability to perform improved risk assessments. I i LWith regard to the question of whether our research expenditures.

for health and; environmental research should be reduced, I would point out that this research is currently at a level -less than 5% of that '

related to potential reactor accidents, indicating the higher priority -

we already place on research related to accidenEs. ~

i In the area of plant siting, the NRC has strongly supported the need for improved siting policy such as early site selection and . ,

approval with strong state participation to simplify the siting and licensing of reactors. While the NRC has developed procedures for the review and approval of sites proposed for electric power utilities, we are currently engaged in reviewing and improving these procedures.

In this connection, we are performing research on the relationship between accidental relea:es of radioactivity and population distributions

. to' provide us with a firmer technic'al basis for these improvements.

In regard to contingency planning, the Federal Preparedness Agency has_ assigned the lead in this area to the NRC in a Federal Register notice, " Radiological Incident Emergency Response Planning:

Fixed Facilities and Transportation," dated December 24, 1975. The l responsibilities of various Federal Agencies in assisting State and j local governments in developing plans for responding to radiological 4'

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emergencies' are outlined .in that notice. NRC's efforts have been i

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O. O concentrated on preparing and issuing guidance, developing and conducting training courses, providing field assistance to the States in developing and testing radiological emergency response plans, reviewing and evaluating those plans and determining field instrumentation requirements for use in the event of radiological incidents. In this l

anea, we are conducting research on relating the consequences of l

potentially large reactor accidents to the requirements for such .

l emergency plans. We hope to complete and publish this guidance next year. l 1

5. Research Related to Waste Disposal

. l NRC expects to review,in considerable detail, plans for a specific repository that is to be proposed by DOE. NRC is new developing the needed analytical tools for making a quantitative assessment of the (,.

potential risks of waste disposal sites and facility designs to bL i proposed by DOE. The work we are coing will be applicable to the <

disposal of high level wastes and spent fuel assemblies in geologic

.w media such as a salt repository and, granite, basalt of shale formations.

'We are considering both long-term storage of spent fuel as a potential resource as well as retrievable and terminal disposal of spent fuel as a waste. The effectiveness of the assessment methods will depend en 'our ability to identif.y and quantify the parameters which are

. critical to long-term repository integrity. It is likely that these

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investigations will also identify the need for further research to '

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, coll' ct appropriate data to substantiate th assessments'and regulations'in this area. "

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Research Related to the Health Effects of Radioactive Emissions l

Another area of interest relates tc the impacts of routine emissions from all types of power plants on public health and the environment.

These effects are often difficult to quantify because thev are i

dependent upon long term exposures at low dose rates of a relatively large mobile population and the varying response of indiv'iduals.

This is further complicated by the fact that the effects to be '

observed also occur in man as diseases resulting from other cat.ses. '

.While it is true, for instance, that more extensive research has been conducted in regard to emissions from nuclear power plants than from other types of plants, we feel it would be unwise to significantly reduce research expenditures in this area. We face a continuing series of questions that relate to the licensing of nuclear power plants l

and to he performance of engineered systems. We are developing a I

greater technical basis for our regulatory judgments and for improved risk assessments. For example, we are supporting studies to implement advanced methods in radiation dosimetry, research on acute mortality and morbidity from inhalation of radicauclides, and we are cooperating l

with the Department of Health, Education and Nelfare in epidemiological studies of thyroid cancer incidence associated with exposure to I

radiciodine.

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The elements of our concerns in health and environmental research -

are not materially changed because of the president's decision to

' defer reprocessing. No matter what decisions are made concerning -

alternative fuel cycles, the basic uranium fuel cycle for light water 4

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reactors will continue'to require resolution of the questions now under study. Questions relevant to alternative fuel cycles will i

require study as they arise'in the decision-making process.

Conclusion- i Gentlemen, in my brief remarks I _ responded to the six points raised in "The Nuclear Commitment - Environmental and Health Research Issues." -

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In closing, I wish to express my appreciation for this opportunity to 1 meet with you and give you some perspective and information about our.

research' program. Much has been learned from the past thirty-five years of research and experience related to nuclear energy. There remain .

many challenging tasks to be addressed to fill the-gaps in our technical information and complete the foundation for future regulation of the

' nuclear energy options. We in the NRC look forward to continuing an independent research effort in coordination with 00E, epa, and other appropriate Federal agencies.

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