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

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57. (Page 3.1.62, first paragraph) The likelihood that oxygen will be 65. (Page 3.1.65, fourth paragraph) The total-quantity of
introduced into the repository when it is constructed and therefore be radioactivity in curies is irrelevant. The nature of the radionuclides
available to the ground water should be considered in evaluating and their pathways to man are significant.
canisters. The mobility of some nuclides is also increased by the
presence of oxygen. The possibilities that the copper would be a 66. (Page 3.1.67, first paragraph) Are these probabilities best
resource which would attract human intrusion should also be considered. estimate probabilities, upper bound probabilities, or what?
58. (Page 3.1.62, fourth paragraph) The misspelling of alumina should 67 (Page 3.1.67, second paragraph) Is 22 9 Ra a misprint for 226a?
be corrected.
59. (Page 3.1.62, Section 3.1.3.3) This section appears to assume
long-term institutional functioning. Expectation that institutions
will continue over thousands of years (or even that they will maintain
68. (Page 3.167, third paragraph) Since the long-term behavior of the
parameters is uncertain, risk assessment should be based on upper
estimate predictions as well as on "reasonable" predictions.
their control over hundreds of years) is not well-founded. 69. (Page'3.1.71, seventh paragraph) Sorption of radionuclides is
"-
60. (Page 3.1.64, first paragraph) The first century after closure of
controlled by the site-specific geology. It seems unlikely that
radionucllde behavior data from one site can be applied to another site.
the repository would be critical for "hands on" corrective action only
if the monitoring program established some deficiency in the 70. (Page 3.1.100, first paragraph) The destruction caused by a
repository. Although the radioactivity of the repository has been meteorite striking one of our large metropolitan areas is irrelevant to
reduced substantially after 700 years, the threat is by no means this consideration. We have no control over where a meteorite will
negligible, fall; therefore, one place is as good as another, and the possiblity of
a meteorite strike does not become a consideration in the location of
61. (Page 3.1.64, second bullet) What evidence is there that cities. The probability that a meteorite will disperse materials from
technical information can be maintained for a very long time? What a deep geological repository is controllable in that the probability of
constitutes "a very long time"? a meteorite large enough to cause disruption is a function of depth and
62. (Page 3.1.64, fourth paragraph) The definition of risk as "the
can be reduced as much as desired by going deep enough.
ce
sum product of the magnitude of losses and the probability that the 71. (Page 3.1.100, sixth paragraph) The regional population for the
losses will occur" is questionable. There is a tendency for aversion
of high consequence accidents, which would imply a valuation other than
types of releases considered most likely in the long term in waste
disposal is the population in a river basin rather than the population
a strict p-c product. within an eighty kilometer radius of the plant.
63. (Page 3.1.64, seventh paragraph) This whole paragraph is very 72. (Page 3.1.101, second paragraph) Why is bone an organ of
questionable. Hazard indices are not based on estimates of societal principal interest? According to the BEIR work, more health effects
risks compared to other societal risks, in general. There is also the would be expected from a dose to red marrow than from the same dose to
question of whether the hazard of the waste after several hundred years bone. It is also probable that the liver should be considered a
of decay, considering nuclides and pathways, is less than the hazard of significant organ.
the ores.
73. (Page 3.1.105, first paragraph) The Arthur D. Little work for EPA
64. (Page 3.1.64, last paragraph) Consequence analysis for any found that spent fuel heat loadings should be about the same for
release is the estimation of the effect of that release. It is not granite and salt. This seems reasonable considering that the salt has
restricted to postulated worst cases, a higher conductivity than the hard rocks and is surrounded by shale
which is not a good conductor. We would like to correct this
discrepancy between the DOE and A.D. Little heat loading models.
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