1. International Approaches to Low-Level Waste Management and Disposal
Larry W. Camper CEP, REP, CIPM
Director
Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and
Waste Programs
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
October 30 – 31, 2014
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum
Denver, Colorado

2. Overview of International LLW Management and Disposal Practices
IAEA RWM approach & standards
Waste classification schemes & examples
Exempt waste and low-activity waste
Waste management safety criteria
Joint Convention - Overview
Near-surface disposal & LLW disposal practices
Common issues in international waste management and practices

3. IAEA Safety Standards

4. IAEA Key Safety Standards for Radioactive Waste Management

5. IAEA Waste Classification Scheme

6. Examples of Disused Sealed Sources Classes
Example Half-life Activity Volume Example Waste Class
i <100 d MBq Small Y-90, Au-198 VSLW
(brachytherapy)
ii <100 d TBq Small Ir VSLW (brachytherapy)
iii <15 a <10 MBq Small Co-60, H-3 LLW (tritium targets), Kr-85
iv <15 a <100 TBq Small Co-60 ILW (irradiators)
v <30 a <1 MBq Small Cs LLW (brachytherapy, moisture density detectors)
vi <30 a <1 PBq Small Cs ILW (irradiators) Sr (thickness gauges, RTGs)
vii >30 a <40 MBq Small, but may Pu, Am, Ra (static ILW
be large number eliminator)
viii >30 a <10 GBq large numbers of Am-241, Ra ILW
sources (gauges)

7. Comparison of Waste Management Systems U.S. Waste Categories
International Atomic Energy Agency Waste Categories
High Level Waste
Intermediate Level Waste
Greater-than-Class C LLW
Low Level Waste (LLW)
Class A, Class B and C LLW
Very Low Level Waste
Class A
Very Short Lived Waste
Material held for decay storage
Exempt Waste
Liquids/Air: Effluent releases
Solids: Case-by-case analysis

8. Exempt Waste Class
GSG-1 Exempt waste (EW) includes both exempt and clearance.
EW is a waste which meets the criteria for clearance, exemption or exclusion from regulatory control for radiation protection purposes as described in IAEA GSR Part 3 (BSS) and RS-G-1.7.
EXEMPT Waste: A practice, or a source exempted on the basis of a safety assessment is of the order of 10 μSv or less in a year.
For low probability scenarios, a different criterion could be used for a dose not exceed 1 mSv in a year.
IAEA GSR Part 3 provided under Schedule I limits of activity concentration and limits of total activity for each radionuclide.
Exemption Criteria also included dose rates for radiation generators (not to exceed 1 μSv/h at a distance of 0.1 m) from any accessible surface; and the maximum energy of the radiation generated is no greater than 5 keV.
For radionuclides of natural origin, exemption of bulk amounts of material is necessarily considered on a case by case basis by using sing a dose criterion of the order of 1 mSv/y.

9. EPA LARW, 20.2002 Waste & IAEA VLLW
LARW may be correlated with IAEA VLLW. EPA issued on Nov. 18, 2003 an ANPR on Approaches to an Integrated Framework for Management and Disposal of Low-Activity Radioactive Waste (LARW).
US NRC onsite waste disposal authorization can also be compared to IAEA EW or VLLW.
Dose impacts are quite low (e.g.; in the range of 1% of natural background).

10. Waste Disposal Safety Criteria
SSR-5
dose or risk to the representative person who might be exposed in the future as a result of possible natural processes affecting the disposal facility does not exceed a dose constraint of 0.3 mSv/y.
Performance period for short-lived waste sevral hundred years and for long-lived waste several thousand years.
For inadvertent human intruder:
Annual dose <1 mSv (no optimization required)
Annual dose mSv (site is accepted with optimization)
Annual dose > 20 mV (site is rejected)
10 CFR Part 61:
Annual dose not to exceed an equivalent of 25 millirems to the whole body, 75 millirems to the thyroid, and 25 millirems to any other organ of any member of the public (ICRP2 dosimetry).
Dose to intruder not specified in Part 61 (but implied to be 500 mrem/y)

11. Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management
JC is an international treaty among Member States in the IAEA
It required ratification by U.S. Senate & President. USA ratified the JC in April 2003
So far 69 Member States ratified
JC main purpose is to establish/maintain a safety program (infrastructure) for rad waste, SF, and disused sealed sources (DSSs)
JC requires:
preparation of a national report on the status of safety in rad waste, SF and DSSs
Actively participate in the peer review of each others national safety programs on a 3-year basis.
Establish/maintain a safety program (infrastructure) for rad waste, SF and disused sealed sources (DSSs)
Forthcoming events
The 5th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties pursuant to Article 30 of the Joint Convention will be held at the IAEA’s Headquarters between 11 and 22 May 2015.

12. LLW Disposal Practices
Near Surface Disposal Definition
LLW Disposal Option Practices
Near Surface (30 m deep)
Deep below surface disposal
Above surface disposal
Landfill disposal
Borehole disposal
Bunkers (short-term)
Mine cavity

13. S. Korea: Underground Tunnels (LLW and ILW)

14. Belgium: The repository at Dessel will provide a solution for disposal of the Belgian category A Waste. Waste Emplaced in Bunkers

15. Slovenia: Surface/Subsurface Silos

16. Spain: El-Cabril LLW Disposal Facility

17. Germany Repository for Radioactive Waste at Morsleben: emplacement chamber with stacked drums low-level waste

18. Germany: ASSE II Salt Mine Repository

19. USA Commercial LLW Disposal Facilities
US Near Surface
Generic Design
Concept

20. Hot Issues in LLW Disposal
Handling large volume of RW after severe accident
Containment & treatment of liquid waste
How to deal with human intrusion
Exempt & clearance waste
Unified waste classification scheme for the JC manifest
Compliance with safety criteria & site stability
Deep borehole disposal
Site-specific analysis - safety case & Compliance period
DU disposal

21. Current Status Planned
Handling of Large Volume of Waste after Sever Accident (Japan’s Fukushima Accident)
Current Status
Planned