The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE) is responsible for the safe cleanup of sites used for nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) is the most volumetrically significant waste stream generated by the DOE cleanup program. LLW is also generated through commercial activities such as nuclear power plant operations and medical treatments.

The laws and regulations related to the disposal of LLW in the United States have evolved over time and across agencies and states, resulting in a complex regulatory structure. DOE asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to organize a workshop to discuss approaches for the management and disposition of LLW. Participants explored the key physical, chemical, and radiological characteristics of low-level waste that govern its safe and secure management and disposal in aggregate and in individual waste streams, and how key characteristics of low level waste are incorporated into standards, orders, and regulations that govern the management and disposal of LLW in the United States and in other major waste-producing countries. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE
• NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD
• Reviewers
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1. WORKSHOP PLAN
  • 1.2. COMPLEXITY OF REGULATIONS
  • 1.3. COMMUNICATION AMONG STAKEHOLDERS
  • 1.4. DIVERSITY OF LOW-LEVEL WASTE TYPE, SOURCE, AND HAZARD
  • 1.5. INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM OPERATIONS
  • 1.6. ORGANIZATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS
• 2. Describing the Universe of Low-Level Waste
  • 2.1. THE SCOPE OF THE LLW CHALLENGE
  • 2.2. CLASSIFICATION, CATEGORIES, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LLW
  • 2.3. DISCUSSION: CLASSIFICATION, CATEGORIES, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LLW
  • 2.4. REGULATIONS, STANDARDS, ORDERS, AND GUIDANCE CRITERIA
  • 2.5. DISCUSSION: REGULATIONS, STANDARDS, ORDERS, AND GUIDANCE CRITERIA
• 3. Successful Disposition Case Studies
  • 3.1. UNITED STATES CASE STUDIES
  • 3.2. INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDIES
  • 3.3. DISCUSSION: KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF LLW AND CHALLENGING LLW STREAMS
• 4. The Common Themes Approach
  • 4.1. THE COMMON THEMES APPROACH
  • 4.2. DISCUSSION: THE COMMON THEMES APPROACH
  • 4.3. CHALLENGING LOW-LEVEL WASTE STREAMS
  • 4.4. SUMMARIES FROM BREAKOUT SESSIONS
  • 4.5. FINAL THOUGHTS: REVIEW OF THE COMMON THEMES APPROACH
  • 4.6. FINAL THOUGHTS: COMMUNICATION
• References
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A. Statement of Task
  • Appendix B. Biographies of Planning Committee and Staff
  • Appendix C. Workshop Agenda
  • Appendix D. Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management and Disposition: Background Information
  • Appendix E. Biographies of Panelists and Speakers
  • Appendix F. Acronyms

Rapporteur: Jennifer Heimberg.

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management and Disposition: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24715.