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

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6.74<br />

TABLE 6.1.12. Estimated Dose Commitment From Marine Food<br />

Undamaged Spent Fuel<br />

Chain For Loss <strong>of</strong> <strong>Waste</strong> At Sea<br />

Population Average Individual,<br />

man-rem rem<br />

Continental Shelf 510 5.9 x 10- 4<br />

Deep Ocean 100 1.1 x 10- 4<br />

Damaged Spent Fuel<br />

Continental Shelf 1 x 105 0.11<br />

Deep Ocean 100 1.1 x 10-4<br />

HLW (Plutonium Package)<br />

Continental Shelf Not provided Not provided<br />

Deep Ocean 100 1.1 x 10-4<br />

under abnormal conditions, while nonradiological impacts could also pose problems under<br />

normal operating conditions.<br />

Transportation-related impacts for those activities occurring before the waste material<br />

was loaded on the ships would be similar to those for a mined geologic repository. Once the<br />

material was loaded onto the ships, impacts to the marine environment would have to be consi-<br />

dered. In the case <strong>of</strong> potential accident conditions at sea, the design <strong>of</strong> the waste trans-<br />

porting vessels to include double hulls and bottoms would reduce the likelihood <strong>of</strong> releasing<br />

harmful material into the environment.<br />

There are several uncertainties that limit the ability to predict natural system impact<br />

levels with confidence. Of primary concern is a lack <strong>of</strong> understanding <strong>of</strong> ion transport with-<br />

in the sediment and biosphere, including the benthic region, the water column and ocean life<br />

forms. In addition, the extent <strong>of</strong> the isolation barrier that the resealed sediment would<br />

provide after emplacement is not clear. Each <strong>of</strong> these factors makes detailed impact assess-<br />

ment difficult.<br />

Other subseabed disposal impacts identified, but not quantified by Bechtel (1979a),<br />

include minor air emissions from construction equipment, dust generation, and road, rail, and<br />

vessel emissions. Construction-related impacts on water quality and vegetation as well as<br />

impacts on the marine environment resulting from dredging and breakwater construction could<br />

be locally significant. Although these impacts were identified by Bechtel (1979a), there are<br />

no data that indicate they would be significant.

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