Protecting People and the EnvironmentUNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
SSINS No. 6835
IN 87-03
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
January 15, 1987
Information Notice No. 87-03: SEGREGATION OF HAZARDOUS AND LOW-LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
Addressees:
All NRC licensees.
Purpose:
This notice is provided to inform all licensees who generate low-level
radioactive waste that their internal controls should be sufficient to
preclude inclusion of nonradioactive hazardous wastes (as defined by EPA
regulations) in low-level radioactive waste to be disposed of at low-level
waste disposal sites. It is suggested that recipients review this notice for
applicability to their facilities. Suggestions contained in this information
notice do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or
written response is required.
Description of Circumstances:
During a recent state inspection at the Richland, Washington waste disposal
site, an inspector discovered a drum leaking elemental mercury. This
suggests that some licensees who generate waste are not fully complying with
their responsibility to ensure that wastes which are not radioactive, but
may contain other hazardous wastes, are segregated at the point of
generation and disposed of properly. In this particular instance the waste
package contained elemental mercury and mercury compounds, which are
hazardous wastes, and trash along with small amounts of radioactive waste.
The licensee could have easily segregated the wastes, but either had no
procedures for doing so or did not implement them. The licensee's failure to
segregate the wastes was discovered at the disposal facility during routine
inspection of waste shipments before burial. Subsequently, the licensee was
denied future access to the site, pending demonstration that adequate
corrective measures were in place. Revised procedures that were reviewed by
the State of Washington and implemented by the licensee, have allowed the
licensee access to the site.
Discussion:
The three currently operating low-level radioactive waste disposal sites are
at Barnwell, South Carolina; Beatty, Nevada; and Richland, Washington.
According to the 10 CFR 61.52(a)(11), only wastes containing or contaminated
with radioactive material may be disposed of at such a facility. These sites
are not authorized to receive and dispose of hazardous waste under the
Environmental
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IN 87-03
January 15, 1987
Page 2 of 2
Protection Agency's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
regulations. Licensees who generate low-level radioactive waste should
review their procedures for waste management to ensure that actions have
been implemented to segregate hazardous waste from low-level radioactive
waste.
No specific action or written response is required by this information
notice. If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the
Regional Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.
Edward L. Jordan, Director
Division of Emergency Preparedness
and Engineering Response
Office of Inspection and Enforcement
Technical Contact: Sher Bahadur, NMSS
(301) 427-4495
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
.
