RSO Radioactive Waste Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) in the United States is regulated primarily under:
- RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)
- The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act and NRC 10 CFR Part 61 (Correct answer)
- DOT 49 CFR Part 172 only
- EPA 40 CFR Part 190
Correct answer: The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act and NRC 10 CFR Part 61
The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act assigns disposal responsibility to states/compacts, while NRC 10 CFR Part 61 establishes the technical and licensing requirements for LLRW disposal facilities.
Question 2: Which of the following waste streams is classified as high-level radioactive waste (HLW)?
- Contaminated lab gloves from a university research lab
- Spent nuclear fuel from a commercial power reactor (Correct answer)
- Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) from oil drilling
- Sealed sources with activity below exempt quantities
Correct answer: Spent nuclear fuel from a commercial power reactor
High-level waste includes spent nuclear fuel and reprocessing waste from commercial reactors because they contain highly radioactive fission products requiring long-term geological disposal.
Question 3: The 'decay-in-storage' (DIS) method for short-lived radioactive waste disposal requires holding waste until its activity decays to:
- Below the derived concentration guide (DCG) for soil
- Background levels, verified by survey with an appropriate detector (Correct answer)
- 10% of the original activity
- The exempt quantity listed in 10 CFR Part 30 Appendix C
Correct answer: Background levels, verified by survey with an appropriate detector
DIS involves storing waste until it reaches background levels and is verified as background by a radiation survey, after which it can be disposed of as non-radioactive solid waste.
Question 4: Mixed waste contains both radioactive material and:
- Multiple different radionuclides
- Biohazardous material
- RCRA hazardous chemical waste (Correct answer)
- Greater-than-Class-C radioactive material
Correct answer: RCRA hazardous chemical waste
Mixed waste is defined as material that contains both radioactive components regulated by the NRC/DOE and RCRA hazardous chemical components regulated by the EPA.
Question 5: NRC Class A, B, and C classifications for LLRW are based primarily on:
- The physical form of the waste (liquid vs. solid)
- The radionuclide content and concentration relative to NRC tables in 10 CFR 61.55 (Correct answer)
- The generator's license type
- The total volume of waste generated annually
Correct answer: The radionuclide content and concentration relative to NRC tables in 10 CFR 61.55
10 CFR 61.55 classifies LLRW as Class A, B, or C based on the concentrations of specified radionuclides, with Class C being the highest concentration allowed in near-surface disposal facilities.
Question 6: An RSO discovers that radioactive waste has been accidentally placed in the regular trash. The first immediate action should be to:
- Call the NRC Operations Center immediately
- Retrieve the waste from the trash before it leaves the facility and secure it (Correct answer)
- Complete an incident report and wait for NRC guidance
- Notify the state environmental agency first
Correct answer: Retrieve the waste from the trash before it leaves the facility and secure it
The immediate priority is to prevent the waste from leaving the facility; the RSO should retrieve and secure the material before it reaches off-site disposal, then conduct required notifications.
RSO Radioactive Waste Management 1
Low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) in the United States is regulated primarily under: