&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Disposal Option for Nuclear Moisture Density Gauges Public Health impacts and Financial Implications for the Steel Industry Exposed source can come in direct contact with members of the general public resulting in detrimental health effects. Significant financial implications from contam- ination of consumer metal supplies. ~ Once a radioactive source has been melted in a smelting plant, the average cleanup cost is $12 Million. Since 1994, more than 2500 incidents of radioactive materials in metal supplies have been reported. _ NRG receives approxi- mately 365 reports of lost, stolen or abandoned radioactive sources, also called "orphan" sources, annually. In the past, the coses associated with the disposal of nuclear moisture den- sity gauges has been prohibitive when considering options such as discon- tinuing an application, purchasing a new nuclear device, or adapting an alternative technology that would result in the elimination of one or more gauges belonging to a licensee. However, in recent years the importance of total "cradle to grave" accounta- bility of nuclear devices containing sealed sources, in which safe, economical and legal disposal options are included, has become increasingly more criti- cal due to increases in orphan source incidences. An orphan source incident can be best described as a device containing a nuclear sealed source falling out of regulatory control through various mechanisms, including theft, loss during transportation, and inadvertent abandonment. Once out of regulatory control, the devices may be subjected to harsh conditions capable of exposing the radioactive source, and, subsequently, entering the public domain in a variety of situations such as contaminated consumer products as well as the general environment. The EPA Clean Materials Program is committed to minimizing orphaned source incidences through various multifaceted endeavors. Included among these is enhanced radiation monitoring at ports of entry, training for first responders, facilitation of alternative technology development, and providing education and outreach programs concerning issues such as the safe, economical and legal disposal option discussed below. ------- Reduced Disposal Costs In 1999, DOE created the Off-Site Source Recovery Project (OSRP). The main objective of this project is rhe recovery, storage, and eventual disposal of sealed sources that are not managed at a DOE facility, and contain greater than class C materials. This encompasses sources that are unused, unwanted and in excess, belonging to academic institutions as well as the public and private sectors, and could potentially fall out of regulatory control posing a risk to public health and safety. Portable nuclear moisture density gauges fall into this category because the Am-24l neutron source used in these devices is a greater than class C source. In a collaboration between DOE and several gauge manufacturers, disposal cost for the gauges has been greatly reduced. The manufacturer disassembles the gauge and collects the Cs-137 source, which is less than a class C material and is a low-level waste, that will be disposed of by the manufacturer at a commer- cial low-level waste disposal site. The Am-24l source is stored at DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) until permanent disposal is arranged. Source Registration • Source registration will provide valuable information for the responsible future management of radioactive sources. Even if the source does not fit the criteria of an unwanted, unused, in excess or greater than class C, source holders are encouraged to register their sources for future disposal assistance. Sources that are less than class C can also be registered, H Registration of sources in the OSRP database is essential to the success of the project. United States Environmental Protection Agency I Office of Air and Radiation (6608J) I EPA 402-F-02-O16 I August 2002 ------- |