LA-UR-79-100 TITLE- LIMITS FOR THE HWRIAL OF THE DEPARTMlirr OF WKOGt TRAMSURAflC WASTES LA-UR—79-100 DE86 012182 AUTHOR(S): J- «• a«*iy "od J. c. Rod««rs TABU oaoop S. I. Au«rb«ch - Oak Ridc« Batlaoal Laboratory John Corvy- - SaTazmah RlT«r Laboratoxr J. 0. Daguld - Battalia Maiartal Institxxta (Colvoibua} Robert Oarrala - BoK'tLnaatam QalTarsity VlUlam Maraaian - Los Alaaoa Sclantlfic Laboratonr Brvkca Oiraa - Dow Chaaleal Corp. Ino. H. M. Parker - BMP Associates, Inc., Rlchl&od, UA C V. C. Ralnlg - SaTiimah Rirar Laboratory Roy C. Thompson - Pacific Borthwart Laboratory C O ir o 6 w cc Q _ John Adaa - Nuclear Rcgula.tory CosBlssioo K. R. BalLcr - DapartMOt of bcrsy o p Gordon Borlcy •• ftrrlroisMBtaX Protaetlon Aitancy tu Jaaaa E. Dieckhonar - Dapartaant of Zaargy ~ a. o Bruce Vachholz - Dapartaeztt of Energy o w C .J o CO a DISCLAIMER f-. § & a o This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their CO employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsi­ o bility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or f t process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Refer­ ence herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recom­ mendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the > United States Government or any agency thereof. January 15, 1979 ttfcSB 1^51LO S ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY Post Office Box 1663 Los Alamos. N«w Mexico 87545 An Afllrnwilve AcHon/Equti OpPOrturM/ Empioyw DiSTHreimoH OF TW3 DOOUMENT IS uNUNirno i«3 ) U«MT«e STATES lam ocPi^WTWKMT or ««•••« T DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency Thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. LEGIBILITY NOTICE A major purpose of the Technical Infor­ mation Center is to provide the broadest possible dissemination of information con­ tained in DOE'S Research and Develop­ ment Reports to business, industry, the academic community, and federal, state, and local governments. Non-DOE originated information is also disseminated by the Technical Information Center to support ongoing DOE programs. Although large portions of this report are not reproducible, it is being made avail­ able only in paper copy form to facilitate the availability of those parts of the docu­ ment which are legible. Copies may be obtained from the National Technical Infor­ mation Service. Authorized recipients may obtain a copy directly from the Department of Energy's Technical Information Center. 3 ACKNOtfLEDGOffiNTS The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by members of the Task Group and members of their laboratories in both technical setters and in the insights on the problems. However, the authors take full responsibility for the contents of this report. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who reviewed the early draft and provided detailed comments that were so helpful in preparation of this report. Finally we wish to express our appreciation for the dedicated efforts of Edalia Lucero in typing this report as her first effort on a new word processor. TABLE OF oortnrrs EXECOTIVK SOMMART I I. IHTRODOCTIOII "» II. THE DOE WASTES CONTAINING TRANSURANIUH BLEIONTS 6 A. DOB Sites, and Waste Quantities 7 B. Waste Hatrieea 8 C. Burial Practices 9 D. Radioactivity Characteristloa of the Transuranium Elements .... 9 E. The Model Burial Ground H III. CRITERU FOR RECOHMBNDATIOBS 12 A. Long-Term Conaidarations 12 B. Dosa Limitations 17 C. Costs 22 0. Criteria to be Uaed • 2« I¥. PATHWAY ANALYSES 26 A. Intake Limitations 26 1. Inhalation 26 2. Ingestion 3' 3. Derived Limit for Soils 3« a. Inhalation 35 b. Incmstlon 39 0. Dmnshtar Produots ^ B. Pathway Bstimatea for Shelter; ^rth Burial H 1. Broaioo with Tranaoort to Stream *8 a. Bro»l&<» *'4t»» H8 b. 5«4imaot Transpet^ 52 c. Drinktj^c the Water 53 4. Dsa of Watw for Irrlsatieo 56 e. E«tiag of Fish 57 f. Cuaversion to Was^ Concentration 58 2. Movement in Local Waters 59 a. Movement to and in Aquifer 60 b. Domestic Ose 66 c. Irrigation *. 67 d. Movemant from Aquifer to Stream 68 e. Convaraion to Average Concentration in Burial Ground ... 70 f. Seeps 71 3. Intrustlon into Waste Mass 71 1. Low Surface to Volume Ratio - Degradable or Contamination Inoorporated 7* b. High Surface to Volume Ratio Items 76 o. tastes in Non-Degradable Containers 79 4. Exposure of Wastes 8i 5. Othar Pathways 82 a. Optake by Vegetation 82 b. Burrowing Animals 8U c. Severe Events 85 C. Deep Earth Burial 86 D. Summary of Limits and Conversion to Operational Limits 6*7 1. Dilltion by Soils 8S 2. Dilution by Less Contaminated Wastes 89 3. Total Dilution Factors Q' 0. Conversion to Operational Limits and Summary 92 V. RECOmENDATIONS 92 A. Shallow Burial 92 B. Deep Burial 97 VI. DISCUSSION 98 A. Separate Limits for Nuclides 98 B. Measurements 99 C. Population Doses lOO D. Comparison with Natural Radioactivity 102 E. Estimates of Risk 106 F. Uncertainties 110 G. Possible Developments - 12 1 REFERENCES i?' APPENDIX A. LETTER FROM ROBERTS TO LIVERMAN APPENDIX B. DOE WASTES AND BURIAL SITES APPCMDIX C. SUBSUSFACS MIGRATION OF TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS FROM BURIED SOLID HASTE APPENDIX D. TRANSURANIUM ELEMENT ABSORPTION FROM THE GI TRACT - A REVIEW APPENDIX E. RESUSPENSIOH APPENDIX F. ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE UST QUARTER MILLION TEARS APPENDIX G. TRANSPORT OF TRANSURANICS BT SEDIMENTS IN SURFACE WATER APPENDIX B. TRANSURANIC UPTAKE BT AQUATIC ORGANISMS APPENDIX I. MODELING RADIONUCLIDE TRANSPORT THROUGH SOIL AND ROCKS BY SUBSURFACE WATER APPENDIX J. TRU WASTE ASSAY INSTRUMENTATION APPENDIX K. NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES OF ALPHA-EMITTING RADIONUCLIDES APPENDIX L. TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITS FOR THE BURIAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TRANSURANIC WASTES by J. W. Healy and J. C. Rodgera EXECUTIVE SUtMARY Racommaodad limits are derivad for tha burial of solid wastes contaminated with transuranium elements as ganeratad in Department of Energy facilities. The limiting exposure to future populations, used as a basis for the calculations, was 0.5 ram/year to the maximum exposed organ of the individual deemed to have the highest exposure to the transuranium elements for eaoh pathway. This dose rate, applied to the dose rata ooeurrlng during a 70 year lifetime of the maximum exposed individual, was derived as applieable after review of the recommendations of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Maaauremants, The Intammtlooal Counell on Rmdlologioal Protection, The Federal Radiation Council and Tha Enrlron—ntml Proteotlon Agency. Before the actual pathway analyses ware dona, oaloulatlons ware made of the dose to an individual from inhalation or ingestion of the transuranium elements and these values ware applied to obtain a soil limit based upon an individual living on the area. Tha Am limit la partloularly uncertain because of the lack of inforaatioc on the diet. We assumed that the ^"^Am uptake from the G: Tract was tan tlmas hl«bar than that of plutonlum and this resulted in ingestion being the oontrolling pathway. Major Pathways oonsiderad ware: 1) Erosion of tha wastes into a nearby stream after several thousands of yeara; 2) Leaching of the transuranic waste to an aquifer; 3) Intrusion into the waste mass; and *) Exposure of the wistes by erosion, or other mechanism, with peopl* living in the area. Other pethwaya reviewed, but not treated in such detail, were movement to the surface by plant uptake, movement to the surface by burrowing animals and severe events, such as flooding, meteor impact or glacial •'^tion. The intrusion pathway was calculated but firm recommendation^ ^^re not aad« on this pathway because of differences in the Task Group as to the propriety of considering intrusion as a valid source of exposure. This arises from feelings, on one hand, that warnings are adequate with anyone disregarding thea bringing the risk upon himself; and, on the other hand, a distrust of being able to maintain such warnings over centuries. It was the recommendation of the Group that the applicability of this pathway should be reviewed by the decislon-maksra, perhaps with the advice of individuals skilled in the legal, ethical and sociological aspects of the matter. The intrusion pathways ware oaloulatad to limit the doae rate to artifact hunters. In addition to the exposure during the digging in a search for artifacts, s«a*face contamination limits are derivad for solid objects, such as tools or glassware, and lower limits are derived for trash packaged in plaatic because of the evidence tl»t current plastics delay the degradation.