NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

 Web Site: www.nrc.gov

No. 02-130 November 6, 2002

NRC TO DEVELOP PROPOSED REGULATION ON CONTROL OF 

SLIGHTLY RADIOACTIVE SOLID MATERIALS 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is developing a proposed regulation on the control of

slightly radioactive solid materials originating at licensed nuclear facilities using an expanded

participatory approach. 

The NRC staff will seek broad public participation and engage diverse viewpoints in the

development of the regulation. It will consider a wide range of alternatives for the proposed rule,

including the following: 1) continued use of the current approach to control the release of slightly

contaminated solid material on a case-by-case basis; 2) recycling of slightly contaminated - but

acceptably safe - solid materials, which could include recycle into consumer products; 3) release of 

material restricted to only certain uses or destinations, such as industrial uses or landfills, where the

potential for public exposure is small; and 4) no release of such material for other uses, thus requiring

permanent disposal. 

 Although the current approach protects public health and safety, NRC decisions on the release

of slightly radioactive solid material, such as equipment, metals, concrete, soils, trash, and furniture, are

made on a case-by-case basis. NRC is amending its regulations to provide clearer requirements using a

rulemaking process which invites public comment and suggestions. Factors to be considered in the

rulemaking will include 1) protection of public health and safety and the environment, 2) public

confidence in the decision, and 3) the regulatory and economic impact on stakeholders. In this context,

the Commission continues to favor the release of slightly contaminated solid materials, which do not

pose significant health hazards, but is open to other viewpoints.

The NRC has already prepared several staff documents for public comment, held several public

meetings, and sponsored a study by the National Academy of Science on alternatives for handling this

contaminated material. As a result, there has been substantial information developed on the public

health, confidence, and economic impacts of alternatives. This information can be found at NRC’s web

site at www.nrc.gov , under the Nuclear Materials page. The NRC staff plans to use information

already gathered as a starting point to focus on potential solutions and to add to this information in areas

where suggestions may be voiced. Any additional public workshops will, in particular, focus on such

new areas including, for example, the feasibility of restricting use. The NRC staff will also explore the

use of web-based methods for interacting with stakeholders. In addition, the staff will consider
information and data from related national and international studies and weigh the pros and cons of

either implementing or endorsing the American National Standards Institute standard of one millirem

(equal to an arm or leg X-ray) per year as the primary dose standard for clearance of contaminated

material for further use. 

The NRC anticipates issuing a final regulation on this subject within three years. 

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