Alabama Administrative Code › Title 420 - ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH › Chapter 420-3-26 - RADIATION CONTROL › Section 420-3-26-.03 - Standards For Protection Against Radiation › Appendix E - CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
I. Classification of Radioactive Waste for Land
				  Disposal
(a) Considerations. Determination of the classification of
				  radioactive waste involves two considerations. First, consideration must be
				  given to the concentration of long-lived radionuclides (and their shorter-lived
				  precursors) whose potential hazard will persist long after such precautions as
				  institutional controls, improved waste form, and deeper disposal have ceased to
				  be effective. These precautions delay the time when long-lived radionuclides
				  could cause exposures. In addition, the magnitude of the potential dose is
				  limited by the concentration and availability of the radionuclide at the time
				  of exposure. Second, consideration must be given to the concentration of
				  shorter-lived radionuclides for which requirements on institutional controls,
				  waste form, and disposal methods are effective.
(b) Classes of waste.
(1) Class A waste is waste that is usually segregated from
				  other waste classes at the disposal site. The physical form and characteristics
				  of Class A waste must meet the minimum requirements set forth in Section II.
(a). If Class A waste also meets the stability requirements
				  set forth in Section II.(b), it is not necessary to segregate the waste for
				  disposal.
(2) Class B waste is waste that must meet more rigorous
				  requirements on waste form to ensure stability after disposal. The physical
				  form and characteristics of Class B waste must meet both the minimum and
				  stability requirements set forth in Section II.
(3) Class C waste is waste that not only must meet more
				  rigorous requirements on waste form to ensure stability but also requires
				  additional measures at the disposal facility to protect against inadvertent
				  intrusion. The physical form and characteristics of Class C waste must meet
				  both the minimum and stability requirements set forth in Section II.
(c) Classification determined by long-lived radionuclides. If
				  the radioactive waste contains only radionuclides listed in Table I,
				  classification shall be determined as follows:
(1) If the concentration does not exceed 0.1 times the value
				  in Table I, the waste is Class A.
(2) If the concentration exceeds 0.1 times the value in Table
				  I, but does not exceed the value in Table I, the waste is Class C.
(3) If the concentration exceeds the value in Table I, the
				  waste is not generally acceptable for land disposal.
(4) For wastes containing mixtures of radionuclides listed in
				  Table I, the total concentration shall be determined by the sum of fractions
				  rule described in Section I.(g).
TABLE I
Concentration
Radionuclide curie
/cubic
								metera
nanocurie/gramb
C-14
8
C-14 in activated metal
80
Ni-59 in activated metal
220
Nb-94 in activated metal
0.2
Tc-99
3
I-129
0.08
Alpha emitting transuranic radionuclides with
								half-life greater than five
years
100
Pu-241
3,500
Cm-242
20,000
Ra-226
100
aTo convert the µCi/m3
				  values to gigabecquerel (GBq) per cubic meter, multiply the µCi/m3 value
				  by 37.
bTo convert the nCi/g values to
				  becquerel (Bq) per gram, multiply the nCi/g value by 37.
(d) Classification determined by short-lived radionuclides.
				  If the waste does not contain any of the radionuclides listed in Table I,
				  classification shall be determined based on the concentrations shown in Table
				  II. However, as specified in Section I.(f), if radioactive waste does not
				  contain any nuclides listed in either Table I or II, it is Class A.
(1) If the concentration does not exceed the value in Column
				  1, the waste is Class A.
(2) If the concentration exceeds the value in Column 1 but
				  does not exceed the value in Column 2, the waste is Class B.
(3) If the concentration exceeds the value in Column 2 but
				  does not exceed the value in Column 3, the waste is Class C.
(4) If the concentration exceeds the value in Column 3, the
				  waste is not generally acceptable for near-surface disposal.
5) For wastes containing mixtures of the radionuclides listed
				  in Table II, the total concentration shall be determined by the sum of
				  fractions rule described in Section I.(g).
TABLE II
Radionuclide
Concentration,
curie/cubic meter*
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Total of all radio-nuclides with less than 5-year
								half-life
700
*
*
H-3
40
*
*
Co-60
700
*
*
Ni-63
3.5
70
700
Ni-63 in activated metal
35
700
7000
Sr-90
0.04
150
7000
Cs-137
1
44
4600
*AGENCY NOTE: To convert the µCi/m3 value to
				  gigabecquerel (GBq) per cubic meter, multiply the µCi/m3 value by 37.
				  There are no limits established for these radionuclides in Class B or C wastes.
				  Practical considerations such as the effects of external radiation and internal
				  heat generation on transportation, handling, and disposal will limit the
				  concentrations for these wastes. These wastes shall be Class B unless the
				  concentrations of other radionuclides in Table II determine the waste to be
				  Class C independent of these radionuclides.
(e) Classification determined by both long- and short-lived
				  radionuclides. If the radioactive waste contains a mixture of radionuclides,
				  some of which are listed in Table I and some of which are listed in Table II,
				  classification shall be determined as follows:
(1) If the concentration of a radionuclide listed in Table I
				  is less than 0.1 times the value listed in Table I, the class shall be that
				  determined by the concentration of radionuclides listed in Table II.
(2) If the concentration of a radionuclide listed in Table I
				  exceeds 0.1 times the value listed in Table I, but does not exceed the value in
				  Table I, the waste shall be Class C, provided the concentration of
				  radionuclides listed in Table II does not exceed the value shown in Column 3 of
				  Table II.
(f) Classification of wastes with radionuclides other than
				  those listed in Tables I and II. If the waste does not contain any
				  radionuclides listed in either Table I or II, it is Class A.
(g) The sum of the fractions rule for mixtures of
				  radionuclides. For determining classification for waste that contains a mixture
				  of radionuclides, it is necessary to determine the sum of fractions by dividing
				  each radionuclide's concentration by the appropriate limit and adding the
				  resulting values. The appropriate limits must all be taken from the same column
				  of the same table. The sum of the fractions for the column must be less than
				  1.0 if the waste class is to be determined by that column. Example: A waste
				  contains Sr-90 in a concentration of 1.85 TBq/m3 (50 µCi/m3) and Cs-137
				  in a concentration of 814 GBq/m3 (22 µCi/m3). Since the concentrations
				  both exceed the values in Column 1, Table II, they must be compared to Column 2
				  values. For Sr-90 fraction, 50/150 = 0.33., for Cs-137 fraction, 22/44 = 0.5;
				  the sum of the fractions = 0.83. Since the sum is less than 1.0, the waste is
				  Class B.
(h) Determination of concentrations in wastes. The
				  concentration of a radionuclide may be determined by indirect methods such as
				  use of scaling factors which relate the inferred concentration of one
				  radionuclide to another that is measured, or radionuclide material
				  accountability, if there is reasonable assurance that the indirect methods can
				  be correlated with actual measurements. The concentration of a radionuclide may
				  be averaged over the volume of the waste, or weight of the waste if the units
				  are expressed as becquerel (nanocurie) per gram.
II. Radioactive Waste Characteristics
(a) The following are minimum requirements for all classes of
				  waste and are intended to facilitate handling and provide protection of health
				  and safety of personnel at the disposal site.
(1) Wastes shall be packaged in conformance with the
				  conditions of the license issued to the site operator to which the waste will
				  be shipped. Where the conditions of the site license are more restrictive than
				  the provisions of this Rule, the site license conditions shall govern.
(2) Wastes shall not be packaged for disposal in cardboard or
				  fiberboard boxes.
(3) Liquid waste shall be packaged in sufficient absorbent
				  material to absorb twice the volume of the liquid.
(4) Solid waste containing liquid shall contain as little
				  free-standing and non-corrosive liquid as is reasonably achievable, but in no
				  case shall the liquid exceed 1% of the volume.
(5) Waste shall not be readily capable of detonation or of
				  explosive decomposition or reaction at normal pressures and temperatures, or of
				  explosive reaction with water.
(6) Waste shall not contain, or be capable of generating,
				  quantities of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes harmful to persons transporting,
				  handling, or disposing of the waste. This does not apply to radioactive gaseous
				  waste packaged in accordance with Section II. (a) (8).
(7) Waste must not be pyrophoric. Pyrophoric materials
				  contained in wastes shall be treated, prepared, and packaged to be
				  nonflammable.
(8) Wastes in a gaseous form shall be packaged at an absolute
				  pressure that does not exceed 1.5 atmospheres at 20øC. Total activity
				  shall not exceed 3.7 TBq (100 µCi) per container.
(9) Wastes containing hazardous, biological, pathogenic, or
				  infectious material shall be treated to reduce to the maximum extent
				  practicable the potential hazard from the non-radiological materials.
(b) The following requirements are intended to provide
				  stability of the waste. Stability is intended to ensure that the waste does not
				  degrade and affect overall stability of the site through slumping, collapse, or
				  other failure of the disposal unit and thereby lead to water infiltration.
				  Stability is also a factor in limiting exposure to an inadvertent intruder,
				  since it provides a recognizable and nondispersible waste.
(1) Waste shall have structural stability. A structurally
				  stable waste form will generally maintain its physical dimensions and its form,
				  under the expected disposal conditions such as weight of overburden and
				  compaction equipment, the presence of moisture, and microbial activity, and
				  internal factors such as radiation effects and chemical changes. Structural
				  stability can be provided by the waste form itself, processing the waste to a
				  stable form, or placing the waste in a disposal container or structure that
				  provides stability after disposal.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions in Section II. (a) (3) and
				  (4), liquid wastes, or wastes containing liquid, shall be converted into a form
				  that contains as little free-standing and non-corrosive liquid as is reasonably
				  achievable, but in no case shall the liquid exceed 1% of the volume of the
				  waste when the waste is in a disposal container designed to ensure stability,
				  or 0.5% of the volume of the waste for waste processed to a stable form.
(3) Void spaces within the waste and between the waste and
				  its package shall be reduced to the extent practicable.
III. Labeling. Each package of waste shall be clearly labeled
				  to identify whether it is Class A, Class B, or Class C waste, in accordance
				  with Section I.