N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 6 § 382.80

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 45, November 2, 2024

Section 382.80 - Classification of waste for disposal in land disposal facilities

(a)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.

(b)Classes of waste.

(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 section 382.81(a) of this Part. If Class A waste also meets the stability requirements set forth in section 382.81(b) of this Part, it is not necessary to segregate the waste for disposal.

(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 section 382.81 of this Part.

(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 land 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 section 382.81 of this Part.

(4) Waste that is not generally acceptable for disposal at a land disposal facility is waste for which waste form and disposal methods must be different, and in general more stringent, than those specified for Class C waste. In the absence of specific requirements in this Part, proposals for disposal of this waste may be submitted to the department for approval, pursuant to section 382.83 of this Part.

(5) Except for NARM waste contaminated with radium-226 and its decay products, NARM waste will be classified pursuant to section 382.83 of this Part and not pursuant to section 382.80(f). NARM waste contaminated with radium-226 and its decay products will be classified pursuant to subdivisions (c), (e), (g) and (h) of this section.

(c)Classification determined by long-lived radionuclides.

If radioactive waste contains only radionuclides listed in Table 1, classification will be determined as follows:

(1) If the concentration does not exceed 0.1 times the value in Table 1, the waste is Class A.

(2) If the concentration exceeds 0.1 times the value in Table 1, but does not exceed the value in Table 1, the waste is Class C.

(3) If the concentration exceeds the value in Table 1, the waste is not generally acceptable for disposal at a land disposal facility.

(4) For wastes containing mixtures of radionuclides listed in Table 1, the total concentration will be determined by the sum-of-fractions rule described in subdivision (g) of this section.

(d)Classification determined by short-lived radionuclides.

If radioactive waste does not contain any of the radionuclides listed in Table 1, classification will be determined based on the concentrations shown in Table 2 as follows. However, as specified in subdivision (f) of this section, if radioactive waste does not contain any radionuclides listed in either Table 1 or 2, it is Class A.

(1) If the concentration does not exceed the value in column 1 of Table 2, the waste is Class A.

(2) If the concentration exceeds the value in column 1 of Table 2, but does not exceed the value in column 2, the waste is Class B.

(3) If the concentration exceeds the value in column 2 of Table 2, but does not exceed the value in column 3, the waste is Class C.

(4) If the concentration exceeds the value in column 3 of Table 2, the waste is not generally acceptable for disposal at land disposal facilities.

(5) For wastes containing mixtures of the radionuclides listed in Table 2, the total concentration will be determined by the sum-of-fractions rule described in subdivision (g) of this section.

(e)Classification determined by both long and short-lived radionuclides.

If radioactive waste contains a mixture of radionuclides, some of which are listed in Table 1, and some of which are listed in Table 2, classification will be determined as follows:

(1) If the concentration of a radionuclide listed in Table 1 does not exceed 0.1 times the value listed in Table 1, the class will be that determined by the concentration of radionuclides listed in Table 2.

(2) If the concentration of a radionuclide listed in Table 1 exceed 0.1 times the value listed in Table 1 but does not exceed the value in Table 1, the waste will be Class C, provided the concentration of radionuclides listed in Table 2 does not exceed the value shown in column 3 of Table 2.

(f)Classification of wastes with radionuclides other than those listed in Tables 1 and 2.

If radioactive waste does not contain any radionuclides listed in either Table 1 or 2, it is Class A.

(g)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 summing 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 50 Ci/m³ and Cs-137 in a concentration of 22 Ci/m³.

Since the concentrations both exceed the values in column 1, Table 2, 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.

(h)Determination of concentrations in wastes.

(1) The concentration of a radionuclide may be determined by indirect methods such as use of scaling factors which relate to the inferred concentration of one radionuclide to another that is measured, or radionuclide material accountability, if it is reasonably ensured that the indirect methods can be correlated with actual measurements.

(2) The concentration of a radionuclide may be averaged over the volume of the waste, (or the weight of the waste if the concentration is expressed in units of nanocuries per gram. If the waste form is a homogeneous mixture of waste in a solidification agent or matrix, the solidification agent or matrix may be included in the volume or weight of the waste. The concentration of radionuclides in discrete objects (such as sealed sources, filters, and metal components containing induced radioactivity) that are encapsulated in solidification agent or matrix must be averaged over the volume of the object, not of the solidification agent or matrix. The volume of packaging, containers, liners, or overpacks cannot be included in this calculation, nor can the volume of the waste mixture be artificially increased by the addition of solids or objects even if they are considered as waste, NARM waste, or solid waste.

TABLE 1

*Radionuclide*	Concentration in curies per cubic meter¹
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
Ra-226	100²
Alpha emitting transuranic nuclides
with half life greater than five years	100²
Pu-241	3,500²
Cm-242	20,000²

1 One cubic meter is approximately 35.3 cubic feet.

2 Units are nanocuries per gram.

TABLE 2

Concentration in curies per cubic meter¹
*Radionuclide*	*Col. 1*	*Col. 2*	*Col. 3*
Total of all nuclides with less
than five-year half life	700	²	²
H-3	40	²	²
Co-60	700	²	²
Ni-63	3.5	70	700
Ni-63 in activated metal	35	700	7,000
Sr-90	0.04	150	7,000
Cs-137	1	44	4,600

1 One cubic meter is approximately 35.3 cubic feet.

2 There are no limits established for these radionuclides in Class B or C wastes. Practical consideration 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 nuclides in Table 2 determine the waste to be Class C independent of these nuclides.

Footnotes

1 One cubic meter is approximately 35.3 cubic feet.

2 Units are nanocuries per gram.

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 6 § 382.80