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

6.73
TABLE 6.1.11. Radiological Impacts Of The Normal Operation
At A Subseabed Repository
Whole Body Dose,
man-rem/yr
Spent Fuel High-Level Waste
Occupational
Seaport Facility
Seagoing Vessels
340
340
200
200
Nonoccupational
Seaport Facility 40 10
Seagoing Vessels Negligible Negligible
Bechtel (1979a) gives the consequences of abnormal events at subseabed facilities. These
consequences are equated with accidents postulated for the AFR (i.e., design basis tornado)
facility for the most exposed public individual. No probability analysis was included. For
spent fuel disposal, the radiological impacts of an abnormal event would be 0.02 mrem/event
for the seaport facility and 0.003 mrem/event for the seagoing vessels. For HLW, these im-
pacts would be 0.001 mrem/event and 0.002 mrem/event, respectively.
The maximum risk would be posed by the sinking of the seagoing vessel or by loss of waste
canisters overboard. Except for accidents in coastal waters where mitigation actions could
be taken, the radioactive materials released into the sea following such an event would dis-
perse into a large volume of the ocean. Some radionuclides might be reconcentrated through
the food chain to fish and invertebrates, which could be eaten by man. Bechtel (1979a) as-
sumes that the waste could be retrieved if either event were to occur and does not provide an
impact estimate. The doses provided in Table 6.1.12 for such an event are taken from EPA
(1979).
Nonradiological Impacts. The numbers of injuries, illnesses, and deaths related to the
construction and operation of the subseabed disposal option prior to the waste arriving at
the seaport facility/repository are expected to be similar to those for the mined geologic
options. At the seaport facility, it is estimated that the impacts would be no greater than
those associated with surface storage and transfer facilities to be used with a reprocessing
plant or spent fuel overpacking facility. These impacts are discussed in Chapter 4.
Additional areas specific to subseabed disposal that would have nonradiological health
impacts are the construction of seagoing vessels and the conduct of operations at a seaport
and on the ocean. Although there are no quantitative estimates of these impacts, it is anti-
cipated that they would be similar to those incurred during the construction and operation of
conventional seagoing vessels and operation of conventional dock facilities.
Natural System Impacts
Impacts to the natural environment for this disposal option would be related primarily to
transportation and emplacement activities. Radiological concerns would be most significant