South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 61 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL › Subchapter 61-63 - Radioactive Materials (Title A) › Part III - STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION › Section 61-63.III.RHA 3.56 - [Appendix E] Classification and Characteristics of Low-Level Radioactive Waste

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
3.56.1 Classification of Radioactive Waste for
				Land Disposal
3.56.1.1 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.
3.56.1.2 Classes of waste.
3.56.1.2.1 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 RHA
				3.56.2.1. If Class A waste also meets the stability requirements set forth in RHA
				3.56.2.2 it is not necessary to segregate the waste for disposal.
3.56.1.2.2 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 RHA 3.56.2.
3.56.1.2.3 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 RHA 3.56.2.
3.56.1.3 Classification determined by long-lived
				radionuclides. If the radioactive waste contains only radionuclides listed in Table
				III, classification shall be determined as follows:
3.56.1.3.1 If the concentration does not exceed
				0.1 times the value in Table I, the waste is Class A.
3.56.1.3.2 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.
3.56.1.3.3 If the concentration
				exceeds the value in Table I, the waste is not generally acceptable for land
				disposal.
3.56.1.3.4 For wastes
				containing mixtures of radionuclides listed in Table I, the total concentration
				shall be determined by the sum of fractions rule described in RHA 3.56.1.7.
TABLE I
Concentration
Radionuclide
curie cubic meter [FNa]
nanocurie/gram [FNb]
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
[FNa] To convert the C/m 3 values to gigabecquerel
								(GBq)/cubic meter, multiply the C/m 3 value by 37
[FNb] To convert the nC/g values to becquerel (Bq)gram,
								multiply the nC/g value by 37.
3.56.1.4 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 RHA 3.56.1.6 if radioactive waste does not
				contain any nuclides listed in either Table I or II, it is Class A.
3.56.1.4.1 If the concentration does not exceed
				the value in Column 1, the waste is Class A.
3.56.1.4.2 If the concentration exceeds the value
				in Column 1 but does not exceed the value in Column 2, the waste is Class
				B.
3.56.1.4.3 If the concentration
				exceeds the value in Column 2 but does not exceed the value in Column 3, the waste
				is Class C.
3.56.1.4.4 If the
				concentration exceeds the value in Column 3, the waste is not generally acceptable
				for near-surface disposal.
3.56.1.4.5
				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 RHA
				3.56.1.7.
TABLE II
Radionuclide
Concentration,
curie/cubic
meter [FN*]
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Total of all radio- nuclides with less than 5-year
								half-life
700
[FN*]
[FN*]
H-3
40
[FN*]
[FN*]
Co-60
700
[FN*]
[FN*]
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
FN DEPARTMENT NOTE: To convert the Ci/m3 value to
								gigabecquerel (GBq)/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.
3.56.1.5 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:
3.56.1.5.1 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.
3.56.1.5.2 If the concentration of a
				radionuclide listed in Table I exceed 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.
3.56.1.6 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.
3.56.1.7 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/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.
3.56.1.8 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 a becquerel (nanocurie) per gram.