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

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION. AND WELFARE<br />

\<br />

PUBLIC HEALIH SERVICE<br />

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION<br />

ROCKVILLE. MARYLAND 20857<br />

July 3, 1979<br />

Dr. Vwnon Houk -1-<br />

. Vnon Houd<br />

DA. VeAnon Hoult /geologic<br />

PACncopat Enviaonmental 6OfLeA/H<br />

CenteA 6o% Disease Contote<br />

Attanta, Georgia 30333<br />

DeaA Da. Houk:<br />

The jotowing ae conrnent6 on the. adation aspects oA. the VDat<br />

ThfoieeoucImg cStatent t o ( E ton a-pc6- o0 agent P<br />

Envi noltta Impact. Statnen.t DOE/IIS-0046-D) 6o0 <strong>Management</strong> o6<br />

Co6mneAcialy GeneAuted Radioactiv.e waste, dated Apilt 1979.<br />

I. In conteast to the impact tatene.CLt fot the WIPP pmoject (DOE/EIS-<br />

0026-0) DOE in thLi DEIS has dicussId applicabte ex.Zting 6tandaAd6<br />

being anatyzed. The radiation sadety o6 waste tepository openations<br />

could be cAiticat cozideAation in the 6eeection 06 a wate management<br />

option. It would be hetlput i6 DOE could piovide wummany tabltehat-show<br />

the range od enviAonmentat impacts 6ot the conventional<br />

disposat presented in Section 3. 1. FoA example, it is po66ibte<br />

to identify the 4ange od--rdiation dose and health ed6ects (4om routine<br />

opation fom Aepositoies in satt, 9anite, shate and baatt using<br />

Tabte6 3.1.84 - 3.1.87. For 'epositoly btattup in 1985 the regional<br />

popuuation doses (70-yeaA total body) Aange~ 64om 3 x 103 to 6 x 104<br />

man-iem and heaLth e6eects 4ange 6fom 6 to 50 (no heaLth eddeet aAe<br />

shown o60 the oncoe-thtough option). A Zim tar 4ange 6o0 the Aepository<br />

tatt-up in the yeaA 2000 shows that the tegiona poputation done 'angeh<br />

64om 3 x 103 to 2 x 104 man-4ern and that the health e66ect ange 6d4om<br />

6 to 50. Fcom the above, tJhee is ontl a 6acto4 0o 20 ddi6eAence in<br />

tegionat poputation dose 604 the vaAiou options 6o4 yeaA 1995 6tatt-up<br />

and a dactot o6 6 difienene 6o0a yeaA 2000 atat9-up.<br />

(~ection 2.2) and in Appendix G lut~ deste.bed the elatioonahip o6 exizting<br />

6tandaids. The discussions.citd coveA the cuAent tladiation<br />

protection p4acticCz but have not cZeatly 6tated the c"dteAia that POE<br />

would apply to opcoation o{ the high-Ctvet waste 4espo6atorj 6o touLine<br />

opeation, accidents, tranpotta.itn c-,. high-levet taute, the teating<br />

o6 the Aeposito'y and the post ipflac'eme, t peAiod. FuthcA, no menton<br />

is made 06 the Alct od the EnvuoAvinr..i' PRc'tection Agency in setting<br />

genetat envAonmentat pcotection 6s.f;:f:lads applicable to the management<br />

Radiation dose summaie6 in a sepaAate section od the DEIS could pro-<br />

vide a betteA undeutandcig o the health impact 64om the vaAiou ute<br />

managneent option. Fumheemore, in view <strong>of</strong> the public auAenes. <strong>of</strong><br />

Radiation dose and health e6dectz as a es4Ltt od the Thee Miee Iltand<br />

accidett this aspect <strong>of</strong> the DEIS should be Aeexamined to assuAe that<br />

the andiation and public hicalth aspects have been adequately assessed<br />

and padented in a 6oAui that the pubtic would undeAwtand.<br />

P<br />

O<br />

o6 high-tevel wastea. We have no speci6ic comeM.its on the atteAnate 6ol (6nal dizpo6at de-<br />

2. ModetL used in the DEIS ate dectibed ti Apptedix D, Appendix E,<br />

and Appendix I. Since the e6timationa <strong>of</strong> pop(ation exposuAe 6rom 4peci6.ic<br />

adicuctides and 64om envpcI:i:'.-tan pathutws a.'e based on compute.<br />

codes, a statemett 6houtd be made ok t.::e unceAtaiaty (E the data bases.<br />

B8uAed iZ t!h DEIS on page 3. 1.137 .is a statemeot that because o0 model<br />

uncekta.nties the w;.ge o0 accuwtay c dr'ae6 .L6 es.timtod to be 6uch<br />

that a given dose rte6ut 6o0 a regio'niA.c pIu.-titro mar be undcteAtimated<br />

as much as a 6acto4 o6 10 and may be oveteAtimated as much as a 6acto<br />

o0 100. In o4deA to help the AcadeA oA the DEIS unde.stand ite uncectaintiez<br />

these quaZi6ying 6actcor 6houLd be included in Appendices D,<br />

E, and I. Atzo a 6 ootnotes to each T7bCe that presents Regiona<br />

6c.ibed in 6ect0ionI 3.2 tiirough 3.10. Fo assessment o6d ong-teAm<br />

tadiologicat 5saety sudicient data weAe not avaitable to use the<br />

hazaed index methodology o60 any 06 the comfmeciat waste management<br />

(cM) options accoAding to the statement in section 4.5.3 (page 4.14).<br />

HoweveA, the companative analys6i in section 4.5 as uunrmiatzed in<br />

Table 4.5. state6 that the compaative assessment6 weAe based on<br />

etilates by a panel o6 expeAts.<br />

SinceAety youA,<br />

', /.<br />

.<br />

poputetion doses. Fot example, Table 3.1.84 to 3.1.87.<br />

The envutonmentat anatyisa o6 the total systems invoeved in waite dispoaat<br />

in geologic 4Aepo6itoAie6 is descAhbed in Section 3.1.5. In assessing<br />

the public heaLth and 'adiation aspects o0 the vaious options undeA<br />

///Chactes L. WeaveA<br />

* Consuttant<br />

Buweau o6 Radiologicat Health<br />

conaideuation it i6 evident 64om the DEIS that theAn aAe many tables and<br />

statements in the text that pAesent 70-yeaA dose estimateAs 6o the<br />

vadAoua waste management options and accident situations. Each table<br />

pes.nted trtesentA the Aadiation impact or .the pa&ticuLta conmide5tation<br />

cc: D4. Kenneth Tayton, HFV-2<br />

OUSGPO: 1982- 559-099/5340

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