[ RadSafe ] " Radioactive cocktail: Blending waste won't lessen thedanger "

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

I assume that the author of this editorial also feels that all of Utah
should be dug up and processed to remove all NORM for disposal, as it is
as dangerous in its current dilute as it would be when concentrated. 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Jaro
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 3:01 PM
To: RADSAFE
Subject: [ RadSafe ] " Radioactive cocktail: Blending waste won't lessen
thedanger "

Presumably this will affect all sorts of Rad users ?

 Jaro
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9756721
Radioactive cocktail: Blending waste won't lessen the danger Tribune
Editorial Article Last Updated: 07/01/2008 05:37:06 PM MDT


Officials from our nation's nuclear power industry have devised a
magical mathematical formula that miraculously transforms dangerous
Class B and Class C nuclear waste into less-ominous Class A waste.
Anxious to dispose of their radioactive garbage, they pitched the
proposal to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week.
    Now, all it will take is a few foolish strokes of the rule-writing
pen at the NRC, and the industry will be allowed to mix waste from each
category to achieve a blend that qualifies as Class A. That, in turn,
would open the door for disposal of hotter waste at EnergySolutions'
radioactive waste landfill in Tooele County, circumventing a Utah law
that prohibits the more dangerous waste classifications.
    The trouble is, the formula defies the associative property of
mathematics, the laws of science and the canons of common sense. The
only way to make A + B + C = A is to remove B and C from the equation.
    Simply put, dilution is not the solution to pollution. No matter how
you mix it, or how long you stir, the nature of the materials won't
change. The Class B waste in the mix will still be hazardous for 300
years, and the Class C waste will still be hazardous for 500 years. Only
time, and we're talking centuries, can render nuclear waste benign.
    Federal regulators need to see through the facade. The industry's
proposal, an act born of desperation, is nothing more than a way to
foist hotter waste on Utah, a state where the Legislature has wisely
banned all but Class A waste, which is considered safe after 100 years.
    Obviously, after South Carolina this week closed the last remaining
Class B and C waste depository available for 36 states, the nuclear
power industry needs another place to toss its trash. And once again,
the radioactive waste facility within our bounds, and the profit-driven
private company that operates it, have proven to be attractive
nuisances.
    Congress needs to move quickly to solve the problem and establish a
national disposal site for all radioactive waste. Until that happens,
nuclear power plant operators can store their poison at the plants that
produce them.
    Utah lawmakers and Gov. Jon Huntsman need to monitor this situation
very closely, and let their opinions be known. And should the NRC opt to
rewrite the rules to allow blending, the state Legislature should
quickly rewrite the law to ban blended waste from the state.

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