FACILITIES FOR LOW-LEVEL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH WASTE

IT IS PROPOSED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF CENTRALIZING FACILITIES FOR PROCESSING AND DISPOSAL OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE FROM BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES. MOST BIOMEDICAL WASTE GENERATORS DO LITTLE OR NO IN-HOUSE PROCESSING BEFORE SHIPPING WASTE TO A COMMERCIAL BURIAL GROUND. THE REASONS ARE FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC OR REGULATORY LIMITATIONS. CENTRALIZATION OF PROCESSING AND DISPOSAL FACILITIES TO SERVE A NUMBER OF GENERATORS REPRESENTS A UNIQUE APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM. SUCH A FACILITY WOULD USE A VARIETY OF STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENT TO TREAT MANY RADWASTE FORMS. FEASIBILITY WILL BE STUDIED FROM MANY STANDPOINTS, INCLUDING WASTE STREAM ANALYSIS AND CHARACTERIZATION, FACILITY AND EQUIPMENT ENGINEERING AND DESIGN, ECONOMIC, REGULATORY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND ANALYSIS, AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. THE INFORMATION ACCUMULATED DURING THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR PROCEEDING WITH DEVELOPMENT OF A FACILITY WHICH WILL REDUCE THE VOLUME AND TOTAL RADIOACTIVITY BEING SHIPPED TO COMMERCIAL BURIAL GROUNDS. THE COST TO BIOMEDICAL WASTE GENERATORS WILL BE REDUCED. ADDITIONALLY, THE THREAT OF CURTAILMENT OF VITAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH RESULTING FROM WASTE DISPOSAL PROBLEMS WILL BE LESSENED. THE FACILITY WILL SERVE AS A MODEL FOR SIMILAR PLANTS IN OTHER REGIONAL RADWASTE COMPACT AREAS.