The Disposition Dilemma: Controlling the Release of Solid Materials from Nuclear Regulatory Commission-Licensed Facilities (2002)
Establishing a new policy to control the release of solid material from civilian nuclear facilities has been problematic for almost three decades. Under the current system, such materials may be released from the control of a licensed nuclear facility-a power reactor, research facility, hospital, etc.-if the radionuclide concentrations can be shown to be very small. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has tried several times to improve the current policy under which slightly radioactive solid material is released from the control of licensed facilities. To assist in this effort, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked the National Research Council to recommend changes to the decision-making process for disposition of slightly radioactive solid material, and determine whether the technical studies of the health impacts were sufficient to support the Commission’s future decisions. This report presents the results of that study.ÿ It describes the fate of materials released from a facility, problems with the current release system, and recommendations about how to create a new policy.
Related Reports
- Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Goals, Strategies, and Challenges
- Review of DOE’s Nuclear Energy Research and Development Program
- Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report
- Setting the Stage for International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facilities: International Workshop Proceedings
