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Mixed Waste Glossary
The following glossary terms presented here are to help readers
of this HomePage learn more about mixed waste.
Another source of information that might help readers with
acronyms and terms used in the environmental field can be found on
the following DOE Ames Laboratory server.
Atomic Energy Act (AEA) - This
1954 Act created the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The AEC later
split into the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy
and Research and Development Administration (ERDA). ERDA then
became part of the Deparment
of Energy in 1977. This act encouraged the development and use
of nuclear energy and research for the general welfare and of the
common defense and security for the United States. It is the basis
of authority for NRC, DOE, and Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in regulating radioactive materials
defined in the AEA. NARM
is not defined under this act and is therefore not subject to its
requirements.
By-product Material - There
are basically two types of by-product materials. The first are
produced by a nuclear reactor and the second are produced by the
uranium and thorium mining process. A more precise definition reads:
"(1) Any radioactive material (except special
nuclear material) yielded in, or made radioactive by, exposure
incident to the process of producing or utilizing special nuclear
material, and (2) The tailings or wastes produced by the extraction
or concentration of uranium or thorium from ore processed primarily
for its source material content, including discrete surface wastes
resulting from uranium solution extraction processes. Underground
ore bodies depleted by these solution extraction operations do not
constitute "by-product material" within this definition (10 CFR
20.1003)."
CERCLA (Superfund) - Passed
in 1980, the Comprehensive, Emergency Response, and Compensation and
Liability Act (also known as Superfund) addresses immediate and long
term threats to the public health and the environment from abandoned
or active sites contaminated with hazardous or radioactive
materials. Under the Superfund program, EPA
has the authority to clean up the nation's worst hazardous waste
sites using money from a trust fund supported primarily from a tax
on chemical feedstocks used by manufacturers. Companies or
individuals responsible for the wastes are identified by EPA, if
possible, and made to pay for the cleanups. The Superfund Amendments
and reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 reauthorized CERCLA to
continue cleanup activities around the country. Several
site-specific amendments, definitions, clarifications, and technical
requirements were added to the legislation, including additional
enforcement authorities. Title III of SARA also authorized the
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
Curie (Ci) - Radioactive atoms
are unstable and break down by disintegrating into other atoms. The
unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7 x 10^10 disintegrations per
second or 3.7 x 10^10 becquerel (Bq). A common unit
used in environmental measurements is the picocurie (pCi) which is
equal to 1/10^-12 Ci or 0.037 disintegrations per second or 0.037
Bq.
Department of Energy (DOE) -
This Federal agency's mission is to achieve efficiency in energy
use, diversity in energy sources, a more productive and competitive
economy, improved environmental quality, and a secure national
defense. DOE was created on October 1, 1977 out of the Energy and
Research and Development Agency as well as various aspects of
non-nuclear federal energy policy and programs. The DOE complex
which is located over 22 States with sites that range in size from
small to very large produced and tested nuclear weapons. This site
(http://www.doe.gov) will link you to DOE's HomePage.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) - Created in 1970, the EPA is responsible for working with
state and local governments to control and prevent pollution in
areas of solid and hazardous waste, pesticides, water, air, drinking
water, and toxic and radioactive substances.
Federal Facilities Compliance Act (FFCA or
FFCAct) - An amendment to RCRA,
the FFCA waives immunity for DOE
and other Federal Agencies, allowing States and the EPA
to impose penalties for non-compliance and requires DOE to develop
plans for treating the hazardous components of radioactive wastes
subject to RCRA requirements.
Half-Life - The half-life
of a radioactive material is the time it takes for half of the
material to radiate energetic particles and rays and transform to
new materials. For example, the half-life of cesium (Cs-137) is 30
years after which time half of it decays to a non-radioactive stable
nuclide, barium (Ba-137). If you start with 100 Kg of Cs-137 then
after 30 years you will have 50 Kg of Cs-137 remaining. After 30
more years you will have 25 Kg of Cs-137 remaining and so on.
Hazardous Waste - A subset
of solid
wastes that pose substantial or potential threats to public
health or the environment and meet any of the following criteria
identified 40 CFR 260 and 261:
- is specifically listed as a hazardous waste by EPA
- exhibits one or more of the characteristics of hazardous waste
(ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and/or toxicity);
- is generated by the treatment of hazardous waste; or is
contained in a hazardous waste.
Hazardous and Solid Waste
Amendments (HWSA) - This 1984 Act amended RCRA
and required phasing out land disposal of untreated hazardous waste
by more stringent hazardous waste management standards (broken down
into thirds with a time table for each third). Some of the other
mandates of this law include increased enforcement authority for EPA
and a program requiring corrective action.
High Level Radioactive Waste
(HLW) - The radioactive waste material that results
from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid waste
produced directly from reprocessing and any solid waste derived from
the liquid that contains a combination of transuranic and fission
product nuclides in quantities that require permanent isolation. HLW
is also a mixed waste because it has highly corrosive components or
has organics or heavy metals that are regulated under RCRA. HLW may
include other highly radioactive material that NRC, consistent with
existing law, determines by rule requires permanent isolation.
Heavy Metal (RCRA Metals) - A
common hazardous waste; can damage organisms at low concentrations
and tends to accumulate in the food chain. Examples are Lead,
Chromium, Cadmium, and Mercury.
Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR)
- These restrictions were mandated by the 1984 HSWA
amendments to RCRA.
They prohibit the disposal of hazardous wastes into or on the land
unless the waste meets treatability standards of lower toxicity.
Liquid Scintillation Cocktail
(LSC) - A common fluid used in medical laboratories to
analyze DNA and proteins. It often uses radioactive tracers and RCRA
listed hazardous materials such as Toluene and Xylene. The
combination of the two make it a mixed waste. By volume it is the
most common form of commercially generated (non-DOE) mixed waste
(71% in a 1990 national study).
Low-Level Mixed Waste (LLMW) -
LLMW is waste that contains LLRW
and hazardous
waste.
Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW or
LLW) - LLRW is waste that satisfies the definition of
LLRW in the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of
1985. The LLRWPAA defines LLRW as "radioactive material that (A) is
not high-level radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, or byproduct
material as defined in section 11e.2 of the Atomic Energy Act of
1954) and;(B) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, consistent with
existing law and in accordance with paragraph (A), classifies as
low-level radioactive waste." In a sense, LLRW is defined by what it
is not and consequently is the most broad category of waste. It
encompasses materials that are slightly above natural radiation
background levels to highly radioactive materials which require
extreme caution when handling (Greater than Class C - GTCC).
Mixed Transuranic Waste (MTRU)
- MTRU contains both
Transuranic (TRU) and hazardous
wastes. Approximately 55% of DOE's TRU is MTRU.
Mixed Waste (MW) - MW contains
both hazardous
waste (as defined by RCRA
and its amendments) and radioactive waste (as defined by AEA
and its amendments). It is jointly regulated by NRC or NRC's
Agreement States and EPA or EPA's RCRA Authorized States. The
fundamental and most comprehensive statutory definition is found in
the Federal Facilities Compliance Act (FFCA) where Section 1004(41)
was added to RCRA: "The term 'mixed waste' means waste that contains
both hazardous waste and source,
special nuclear, or byproduct
material subject to the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954."
Naturally Occuring or Accelerator Produced
Radioactive Materials (NARM) - Radioactive materials
not covered under the AEA
that are naturally occurring or produced by an accelerator.
Accerlerators are used in sub-atomic particle physics research.
These materials have been traditionally regulated by States. A
subset of NARM is NORM.
NARM waste with more than 2 nCi/g of 226Ra or equivalent is commonly
referred to as discrete NARM waste; below this threshold, the waste
is referred to as diffuse NARM waste. NARM waste is not covered
under the AEA,
not a form of LLW,
and is not regulated by NRC.
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
(NORM) - NORM is a subset of NARM and refers to
materials not covered under the AEA
whose radioactivity has been enhanced (radionuclide concentrations
are either increased or redistributed where they are more likely to
cause exposure to man) usually by mineral extraction or processing
activities. Examples are exploration and production wastes from the
oil and natural gas industry and phosphate slag piles from the
phosphate mining industry. This term is not used to describe or
discuss the natural radioactivity of rocks and soils, or background
radiation, but instead refers to materials whose radioactivity is
technologically enhanced by controllable practices.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) - NRC is an independent regulatory agency created
out of the Atomic Energy Commision in 1975 to regulate the civilian
uses of nuclear material. Specifically, the NRC is responsible for
ensuring that activities associated with the operation of nuclear
power plants and fuel cycle plants, and medical, industrial, and
research applications, are carried out with adequate protection of
the public health and safety, the environment, and national
security. At full complement, the NRC has five Commissioners
nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate; the
President designates one of the Commissioners as Chairman. NRC
regulates all commercial AEA
materials. Except in a few cases, NRC does not regulate DOE. NRC
does not regulate NARM.
This site (http://www.nrc.gov) will link you to NRC's HomePage.
Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act
(RCRA) - RCRA gave EPA authority to control hazardous
waste from "cradle-to-grave." This includes the minimizaion,
generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of
hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management
of non-hazardous solid wastes. RCRA focuses only on active and
future facilities and does not address abandoned or historical sites
(see CERCLA).
Rad (Radiation Absorbed Dose)-
One rad is defined as the absorption of 100 ergs per gram of
material. The unit rad can be used for any type of radiation. The
rad is a unit used to measure a quantity called absorbed dose. This
relates to the amount of energy actually absorbed in some material,
and is used for any type of radiation and any material.
Radiation - Ionizing radiation
is comprised of highly energetic and penetrating x-rays and gamma
rays and lesser penetrating particles. Beta particles are simply
energetic electrons and alpha particles are helium nuclei both
arising from the nucleus of a decaying atom. The alpha particle is
the easiest of these radiations to stop and the gamma rays are the
most difficult to shield against. A piece of paper can stop an alpha
particle, but it may take as much as many inches of lead shielding
to stop most of the x- rays or gamma rays in a beam. Depending on
the dose, kind of radiation, and observed endpoint, the biological
effects of radiation can differ widely. Ionizing radiation has been
proven to cause cancer at high doses and is assumed to cause cancer
and other deleterious health effects at low doses.
Rem (Roentgen Equivalent Man)-
The rem is a unit used to derive a quantity called equivalent dose.
This relates the absorbed
dose in human tissue to the effective biological damage of the
radiation. Equivalent dose is often expressed in terms of
thousandths of a rem, or mrem.
Solid Waste - As defined under RCRA,
any solid, semi-solid, liquid, or contained gaseous materials
discarded from industrial, commercial, mining, or agricultural
operations, and from community activities. Solid waste includes
garbage, construction debris, commercial refuse, sludge from water
supply or waste treatment plants, or air pollution control
facilities, and other discarded materials. Solid waste does not
include solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or
industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits
under section 402 of the Clean Water Act or souce, special nuclear,
or byproduct material as defined by the AEA.
Source Material - Source Material
is the Uranium or Thorium ores mined from the Earth. Source material
is defined in 10 CFR 20.1003 as "(1) Uranium, or thorium or any
combination of uranium and thorium in any physical or chemical form;
or (2) Ores that contain, by weight, one-twentieth of 1 percent
(0.05 percent), or more, of uranium, thorium, or any combination or
uranium and thorium. Source material does not include special
nuclear material."
Special Nuclear Material (SNM) -
SNM is defined in 10 CFR 20.1003 as "(1) Plutonium, uranium-233,
uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in isotope 235, and any other
material that the NRC, pursuant to the provisions of section 51 of
the AEA, determines to be SNM, but does not include source material;
(2) or any material artificially enriched by any of the foregoing
but does not include source material." SNM is important in the
fabrication of weapons grade materials and as such has strict
licensing and handling controls.
Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) - Fuel
is withdrawn from a nuclear reactor following irradiation and has
undergone at least one year's decay since being used as a source of
energy in a power reactor. SNF has not been chemically separated
from its constituent elements by reporocessing. SNF includes the
special nuclear material, byproduct amterial, source material, and
other radioactive materials associated with fuel assemblies. See 10
CFR 72.3 for more details.
Storage-in-Decay - Radioactive
elements will breakdown and yield energetic gamma rays and x-rays
and particles. After enough time has elapsed (usually ten half-lives)
the material has decayed to a point were a radiation survey meter
cannot distinguish between it and natural background radiation
levels.
Transuranic Radioactive Waste
(TRU) - TRU waste contains more than 100 nanocuries of
alpha-emitting transuranic isotopes, with half-lives greater than
twenty years, per gram of waste, except for (1) high-level
radioactive waste; (2) wastes that DOE has determined, with the
concurrence of EPA, do not need the degree of isolation required by
EPA's high level waste rule (40 CFR 191); or (3) has approved for
disposal on a case-by-case basis in accordance with NRC's
radioactive land disposal regulation (10 CFR Part 61). TRU is not
generally found outside the DOE complex and is mainly produced from
the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, nuclear weapons production,
and reactor fuel assembly. TRU wastes mainly emit alpha particles as
they break-down. DOE is currently proceeding with plans for TRU
waste disposal at a geologic repository called the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico.
DOE categorizes TRU as either Contact Handled (CH) or Remote Handled
(RH) with RH being the more radioactive of the two.
Vitrification - Vitrification
is the process of converting materials into a glass-like substance,
typically through a thermal process. Radionuclides and other
inorganics are chemically bonded in the glass matrix. Consequently
vitrified materials generally perform very well in leach tests. EPA
has specified, under the land disposal restrictions, vitrification
to be the treatment technology for high-level
waste (55 FR 22627, June 1, 1990).
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
(WIPP) -The WIPP, which is managed by the Department
of Energy (DOE), is a geologic disposal facility for transuranic
(TRU) radioactive waste generated as by-products from DOE's
nuclear weapons production. The WIPP is located underground in
excavated, natural salt formations, near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Check
out EPA's WIPP
HomePage for more information.
Yucca Mountain - Located in
Nevada, Yucca Mountain is being characterized as a potential
geologic repository for High
Level Waste, Spent
Nuclear Fuel, and possibly for waste
that is defined as Greater-than-Class-C (GTCC). A key element of
permanent disposal is that it must be able to isolate highly
radioactive waste for thousands of years because its radioactivity
can harm people and the environment. According to the 1992 Energy
Policy Act, EPA is to set generally applicable standards based upon
public health and safety standards and be consistent with the
findings and recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences for
the protection of the public from releases from radioactive
materials stored or disposed of in the repository at the Yucca
Mountain site. Check out EPA's Yucca Mountain
HomePage.
URL:
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/mixed-waste/mw_pg5.htm
Last Updated:
November 28, 2000.
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