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Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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Response<br />

130<br />

RISK PERSPECTIVES<br />

* The deaths postulated are due to radiotoxicity.<br />

* The value decreases with time.<br />

* References can be found on p. 3.1.79 <strong>of</strong> the draft Statement.<br />

* The available lethal dose is based on the total inventory <strong>of</strong> a toxic substance<br />

available divided by the amount <strong>of</strong> that substance known to cause death in man.<br />

This gives the number <strong>of</strong> available lethal doses.<br />

* One could determine amount <strong>of</strong> stable daughter products from radioactive nuclides in a<br />

repository and compute the available number <strong>of</strong> lethal doses. These would be<br />

insignificant when compared to magnitudes <strong>of</strong> other numbers in the table.<br />

Draft p. 1.16, Table 1.3<br />

Issue<br />

One commenter did not understand how the annual available lethal doses from a "hypo-<br />

thetical all-nuclear electric economy" could be as low as the 107 figure cited. (211)<br />

Response<br />

This table was in error. The 107 figure should be 1010 lethal doses.<br />

Draft p. 1.16<br />

Issue<br />

Is the statement--"available lethal doses in radioactive waste are far less than the<br />

available lethal doses in nonradioactive chemicals now being handled"--referring to<br />

chemical or radiological toxicity? (197)<br />

Response<br />

Issue<br />

As noted above radiotoxicity is being addressed.<br />

Many letters commented on the comparisons presented between radiological wastes and<br />

hazards from toxic wastes, as well as lives lost in automibile accidents.<br />

Draft p. 1.16, Table 1.3--The authors have performed a service in putting the hazards<br />

<strong>of</strong> radioactive waste in perspective with the much greater hazards from other forms <strong>of</strong> toxic<br />

waste. It was also entirely appropriate for the GEIS to point out that, "radioactive<br />

wastes decay with time whereas toxic chemicals have no half-lives and hence their<br />

quantities remain unchanged with time." (198)

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