Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 105 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH › Title 105 CMR 120.000 - The Control of Radiation › REPORTS › Section 120.299 - Appendix E - Classification and Characteristics of Low-level Radioactive Waste

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(A)
Classification of Radioactive Waste for Land Disposal.
(1)
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.
(2)
Classes of Waste
.
(a)
				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 105 CMR 120.299(B)(1). If Class A
				waste also meets the stability requirements set forth in 105 CMR 120.299(B)(2),
				it is not necessary to segregate the waste for disposal.
(b) 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 105 CMR 120.299(B).
(c) 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 105 CMR
				120.299(B).
(3)
Classification Determined by Long-lived Radionuclides
.
				If the radioactive waste contains only radionuclides listed in Table I,
				classification shall be determined as follows:
(a) If the concentration does not exceed 0.1
				times the value in Table I, the waste is Class A.
(b) 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.
(c) If the concentration
				exceeds the value in Table I, the waste is not generally acceptable for
				disposal at a facility licensed by the Agency.
(d) For wastes containing mixtures of
				radionuclides listed in Table I, the total concentration shall be determined by
				the sum of fractions rule described in 105 CMR 120.299(A)(7).
TABLE I
Concentration
Radionuclide
curie/cubic meter 
							 a
nanocurie/gram 
							 b
C-14
C-14 in activated metal
8.0
80.0
Ni-59 in activated metal
220.0
Nb-94 in activated metal
0.2
Tc-99
3.0
I-129
0.08
Alpha emitting transuranic
radionuclides with half-
life greater than five
years
100.0
Pu-241
3,500.0
Cm-242
20,000.0
Ra-226
100.0
a To convert the
				  Ci/m3 values to gigabecquerel (GBq) per cubic meter,
				  multiply the Ci/m3 value by 37.
b To convert the nCi/g values to
				  becquerel (Bq) per gram, multiply the nCi/g value by 37.
(4)
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 105 CMR 120.299(A)(6), if radioactive waste does not contain any nuclides
				listed in either Table I or II, it is Class A.
(a) If the concentration does not exceed the
				value in Column 1, the waste is Class A.
(b) If the concentration exceeds the value in
				Column 1 but does not exceed the value in Column 2, the waste is Class
				B.
(c) If the concentration exceeds
				the value in Column 2 but does not exceed the value in Column 3, the waste is
				Class C.
(d) If the concentration
				exceeds the value in Column 3, the waste is not generally acceptable for
				near-surface disposal.
(e) 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 105
				CMR 120.299(A)(7).
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
700.0
*
*
H-3
40.0
*
*
Co-60
700.0
*
*
Ni-63
3.5
70.0
700.0
Ni-63 in activated
metal
35.0
700.0
7000.0
Sr-90
0.04
150.0
7000.0
Cs-137
1.0
44.0
4600.0
* AGENCY NOTE: To convert the Ci/m3 value to gigabecquerel
				  (GBq) per cubic meter, multiply the Ci/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.
(5)
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:
(a) 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.
(b) 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.
(6)
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.
(7)
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
				Ci/m3 ) and Cs-137 in a concentration of 814
				GBq/m3 (22 Ci/m 
				3). 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.
(8)
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.