Energia i regulacje · 20/11/1997

Joint NRC/EPA Guidance on Testing Requirements for Mixed Radioactive and Hazardous Waste

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are jointly publishing herein final guidance on the testing requirements for mixed radioactive and hazardous waste (mixed waste). NRC and EPA began development of this guidance in 1987 and a draft was completed in 1989. EPA's adoption of the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) in 1990 required the agencies to substantially revise the guidance. The agencies issued a draft for public comment on March 26, 1992. A public meeting was held on April 14, 1992, in Washington, D.C., to solicit oral comments on the draft guidance document. The comment period ended on May 26, 1992. NRC and EPA received more than 700 requests for copies of the draft guidance document and NRC received approximately 100 written comments from 20 individuals and groups, including comments resulting from a review of the guidance by the U.S. Department of Energy. NRC and EPA staffs have incorporated the appropriate comments into the final guidance. The guidance emphasizes the use of process knowledge, whenever possible, to determine if a waste is hazardous as a way to avoid unnecessary exposures to radioactivity. The g