This document contains a lecture on radioactive waste management. It defines radioactive waste and outlines the objective of managing it to protect human health and the environment. It describes the various sources of radioactive waste from nuclear fuel cycles, industrial applications, and NORM. The regulatory framework and responsibilities of licensees, workers, and regulatory authorities are discussed. The key aspects of a radioactive waste management program including classification, segregation, treatment, storage, transport, and disposal are summarized. The importance of record keeping throughout the process is also emphasized.

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5th BAERA Training Course on Radiation Protection for Radiation Control
Officers (RCOs) of Industrial Practices
Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority
Agargaon, Dhaka
06-09 November 2017
Lecture11:Radioactive Waste Management

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Radioactive Waste Management
Content
 Radioactive waste-Introduction
 Objective of waste management
 Regulatory framework and responsibilities
 Waste management program
 Classification of waste
 Waste segregation and collection
 Waste treatment
 Storage, transport and disposal

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Definition of Radioactive Waste
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Any material that contains or is contaminated with
radionuclides at concentrations or radioactivity
levels greater than ‘exempt quantities’ established
by the competent regulatory authorities and for
which no further use is foreseen.
Form: May be gaseous, liquid or solid
Activity: May be trivial to highly concentrated
Radioactive Waste -
Introduction

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Objective of Radioactive Waste
Management
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The internationally agreed objective of
radioactive waste management is.....
to deal with radioactive waste in a
manner that protects human health
and the environment now and in the
future, without imposing undue
burdens on future generations

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Sources of Radioactive Waste
Nuclear fuel cycle - Power generation
•Operational waste
 Ion exchange resins, evaporation and filtering
residues
 Metal scrap, thermal insulation material, protective
clothing
 Very low to medium level concentrations of RN
• Spent nuclear fuel
 Large inventory, large number of radionuclides
•Decommissioning waste
 Large amounts, concrete, steel
 Very low to high concentrations

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Sources of Radioactive Waste
Industrial applications
 Production of radioactive sources
 Use of radioactive sources
 Sealed sources
Thickness, level and density gauges
Industrial radiography, sterilization facilities
Large number of potentially hazardous sources
 Unsealed sources
Tracers, monitoring
Mostly short-lived radionuclides
 Co-60, Cs-137, Ir-192, Am-241,…

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Sources of Radioactive Waste
NORM/ TENORM
Man-made sources of
natural radionuclides,
 Phosphate industry
 Production of metals
 Refractory materials
 Energy production
 Usually large volumes, Ra-226, Rn-222

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Regulatory Framework:
Licensee/ Registrant Responsibilities (1)
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 Establish and maintain a waste management
programme
 Maintain awareness of waste management
practices
 Conduct safety and environmental impact
assessments
 Report any discharges/releases > than
authorized amounts
 Notify the regulatory body of incidents, events or
accidents

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Regulatory Framework:
Licensee/ Registrant Responsibilities (2)
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Ensure
 Waste generation is minimized
 Radioactive waste is managed
 Availability of equipment and facilities for management of
waste
 Suitable staff receive training
 Feedback from operational experience
 Maintenance of records
 Monitoring, recording and reporting of discharges in
compliance with authorizations

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Regulatory Framework: Worker
Responsibilities
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 Minimise waste generation
 Follow process and monitoring instructions
 Notify processing problems which could lead
to a release
 Take notice of dose rate and activity alarms
 Maintain records of radioactive materials
 Follow discharge procedures
 Comply with all waste management
requirements

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Regulatory Framework
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Regulatory Authority should specify:
 Levels of radioactivity or radioactive
concentrations at which regulatory control is
required
 Public dose constraints which should be met in
the disposal of radioactive waste
 System of authorizations for discharge, disposal
and storage of radioactive waste
 Monitoring requirements for the measurement of
waste, and where necessary monitoring the
environment
 Record keeping requirements

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A Radioactive Waste Management
Program
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 Predisposal
 Processing
 pretreatment (collection, segregation etc)
 treatment (volume reduction etc)
 conditioning (immobilization etc)
 Storage
 Transport
 Disposal

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Waste Management Interdependencies
Waste and materials
Exempt waste
and materials
Radioactive material
(for reuse/recycle)
Pretreatment
Treatment
Conditioning
Storage/Disposal

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Waste Management Facilities
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 On-site
 Minimum facilities
 minimization
 pretreatment (segregation, characterization)
 storage
 May include
 some treatment and conditioning
 Regional/National
 treatment
 conditioning
 disposal

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Classification of Radioactive
Waste
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 Exempt (EW) Activity concentration and total activity
< exemption levels or clearance levels
 Low and intermediate level (LILW)
- short lived generally half-lives < 30 y
a emitters limited
- long lived above limitations for short lived
thermal power< 2 kW m-3
 High level (HLW) Requires both shielding and cooling

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Classification of Liquid Waste
(mixed b/g emitters - no a emitters )
 Low level - no treatment required
< 37 kBq m-3 (release after measurement)*
* Releases require authorization
 Intermediate - treatment required
37 kBq to 37 MBq m-3 (no shielding)
37 MBq to 3.7 GBq m-3 (may need shielding)
3.7 GBq to 370 TBq m-3 (shielding always
required)

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Low Level (short lived)
Decay Waste
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Low level radioactive waste containing short-lived
radionuclides, typical half-lives < 100 days, that will
decay to clearance levels within 3 years of
generation
Typical waste from radioisotope production
Safe and secure storage required to allow delay and
decay
Measurement required to confirm concentration and
total activity are below clearance and exemption
levels

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Waste Minimization
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 Delay and decay – Store short half life
material to allow decay to levels below
exemption levels
 Dilute and disperse – provide sufficient
dilution of liquid and gaseous wastes to
below exemption levels
 Review work practices to minimize
quantities of radioactive material used
where possible

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Waste Minimization in the Lab
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 Control packaging etc taken into the lab
 Control contamination
 Avoid unnecessary use of toxic materials
 Provide separate storage for active and non-
active waste (but monitor carefully)
 Provide separate storage for short half-life
waste

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Waste Segregation - Why?
Module VII.11 Protection Against Occupational Exposure in
Radioisotope Production Plants
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Reason for waste segregation
 Minimization of active waste
 Treatment type
 Conditioning methods
 Storage
 Disposal options

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Waste Segregation - On what basis? (1)
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 Non-radioactive/active
 Half-life (< 100 days)
 Activity
 Radionuclide content
Alpha emitting waste should be segregated at
source and monitored before it joins a
specialized waste stream
!

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Waste Segregation - On what basis? (2)
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 Physical/chemical form
 aqueous/organic liquids
 sludges or suspended solids
 combustible/non-combustible
 compactible/non-compactible
 Hazards other than radiological
 chemical toxicity/carcinogen
 pathogenic
 genotoxic

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Waste Collection (1)
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Waste containers should be :
 Clearly identified
 Bear a radiation trefoil when in use
 Robust
 Able to be filled and emptied safely
 May need shielding
 Compatible with the waste contents
Waste should not be allowed to build up in
the workplace

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Waste Collection (2)
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 Line containers with plastic, which can be sealed
 Use double liners for damp waste
 Collect sharps separately
 Collect glass separately
 Collect combustibles separately
 Keep spent sealed sources in their shielding
 Choose containers for liquid waste according to physical
and chemical properties
 Check empty containers for contamination and clean
before reuse

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Waste Collection - Records
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 Identification number
 Date and time
 Contents
 Nature of contents
 Activity/Radionuclides
 Origin of waste (room, lab, individual)
 Potential/actual hazards
 Surface dose rate (date of measurement)
 Quantity (weight or volume)
Securely attached label
PLUS
Book record

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Waste Collection - Local
Storage
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 Local storage required to allow decay to
reduce the radiation hazard prior to waste
collection.
 Requires in-cell storage or adjacent shielded
store
 Solid wastes from Mo-99, I-125, I-123 (e.g.
cans, extraction columns) require several
months storage.

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Waste Treatment (1)
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 Volume reduction
 Activity removal
 Change of
composition
Low level solid waste compactor

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Waste Treatment (2)
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Radioactive Waste Storage (1)
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 Dedicated
facility/area
 Clearly demarcated
 Controlled access
Separate storage areas for untreated (raw) waste and
conditioned waste

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Waste Store Characteristics (1)
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 Secure (from men or animals)
 Protection from weather including
temperature extremes
 Sufficient capacity
 Room for forklifts etc
 Simple construction
 Non-combustible materials
 Fire detection/protection
 Log book system

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Waste Store Characteristics (2)
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 Easily decontaminated walls and floors
 Impermeable floor covering
 Containment edge for floor
 Slight slope to a central collection area
 Compartments to separate different kinds of
waste
 Movable shielding
 Radiologically controlled areas
 Air sampling and radiation alarms

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Transport of Radioactive Waste
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 All radioactive waste prepared for transport to a
storage or disposal site is regarded as a radioactive
source
 Transport in accordance with dangerous goods
regulations and the safe transport of radioactive
materials regulations

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Disposal Methods
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 Airborne discharge via a stack or fume hood
exhaust duct
 Incineration
 Liquid discharge via sewer to sewage treatment
plant, rivers and/or the sea
 Landfill/ near surface disposal of solid waste
 Storage/ specially designed waste repository
Waste disposal must be in compliance with requirements
of the Competent Authority

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Waste Disposal Options
Surface Disposal
Surface Discharge
Geological Disposal
Well injection
Near-Surface Disposal

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Recycle and Reuse
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Return to manufacturer/supplier
 Unwanted sealed sources
 Re-useable items e.g. technetium
generator housings
 Lead and depleted uranium pots
Avoid unnecessary waste through re-use and recycling

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Summary (1)
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 Radioactive waste is material, with no further use, which
contains radionuclide activities or concentrations above
clearance levels.
 Waste minimization by decay of short-lived, nuclides, dilution
and dispersion, good work practices.
 A waste management program includes collection,
segregation, treatment, conditioning, storage, transport and
disposal.
 Waste is classified as exempt (EW), low intermediate (LILW) or
high level (HLW).
 Registrants/licensees have responsibilities for effective
management of waste. Lab workers have responsibilities for
minimizing waste and handling and storing waste safely.

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Summary (2)
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 Waste segregation occurs in the workplace based on radiological
properties, physical and chemical forms and other hazards.
 Waste in the workplace must be stored safely, clearly identified and
records maintained.
 Local storage is required prior to treatment and/or release.
 Waste can be characterized by referring to records, performing activity
balances or measurements.
 Waste treatment includes crushing, compacting, chemical processing,
sedimentation.
 Waste stores must be secure, provide protection, allow workers room,
keep records.
 Transport must follow regulations and codes.
 The principal disposal option at a radioactive production plant is
discharge to the environment. Other waste must be stored prior to near
surface disposal or waste repository.

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Where to get more information
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 Disposal of Radioactive Waste. IAEA Safety Standard Series No. SSR-5 (2011)
 Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste. GSR Part 5 (2009)
 Storage of Radioactive Waste. IAEA Safety Standard Series No. WS-G-6.1(2006)
 Joint Convention on the Safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of
radioactive waste management. IAEA (2006)
 Radiation protection and radioactive waste management in the design and operation
of Research Reactor. IAEA Safety Standard Series No. NS-G-4.6 (2008)
 Predisposal Management of Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste. Safety
Guide SSS No. WS-G-2.5 (2003)
 Principles of Radioactive Waste Management. Safety Fundamentals SS No. 111-F
(1995)
 Classification of Radioactive Waste. Safety Guide SS No. 111-G-1.1 (1994)
 Regulatory Control of Radioactive Discharges to the Environment
Safety Guide SSS No. WS-G-2.3 (2000)
 Handling and Treatment of Radioactive Aqueous Waste IAEA TECDOC-654 (1992)

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Thank you