HOW NOT TO DISPOSE OF NORM/TENORM-BEARING WASTES: A CASE STUDY

摘要

The Ashtabula River in northern Ohio contains a large amount of sediment containing quantitiesrnof NORM and TENORM from previous industrial activities at nearby mineral processing plants.rnDue to PCB contamination, these sediments were to be dredged and isolated in a landfill to bernconstructed by the responsible parties. Unfortunately, the State of Ohio has determined thatrnthese wastes may not be disposed of in this manner, and this determination has resulted inrndelaying the remediation project.rnComputer models performed using the RESRAD computer code indicate that isolating thesernwastes in this manner will reduce dose to the nearby population because the NORM/TENORMrnwill be safely buried beneath a compacted clay cover and isolated from all sources of exposure.rnIn fact, radiation doses (including radon emanation) from these wastes in a properly maintainedrnlandfill are significantly lower than in the present condition, and the reduction is even morernmarked for NORM/TENORM in tailings piles. This suggests that, in many cases, disposal ofrnNORM/TENORM wastes in on-site landfills may be a cost-effective and dose-conscious methodrnof disposal, if regulatory issues can be resolved.