Decay in Storage

[James Barnes <james.g.barnes@att.net>]

Folks,

Forgive me if someone has already mentioned this, but I had recently
assembled some references that might shed some additional light on the
subject. . . .

10 CFR 20.2001(a)(2) permits the practice, but the NRC seems to have
intended this to apply only to short-lived isotopes, and it appears that
it never intended industrial or reactor facilities to utilize this
approach

(See discussion
at:

     

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/HP/QA/q&a376.txt

                        http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/HP/QA/q&a389.txt.

)

I don’t know of any Federal regulation that describes this process,
except for medical applications (10 CFR 35.92).  This section of CFR
doesn’t apply to industrial operations.  I assume that one could get
a license amendment permitting this approach, but it doesn't seem to be
provided for in the regulations as a universal "permission to
utilize."

Perhaps someone in the NRC could clarify the policy?

Jim Barnes, CHP
Radiation Safety Officer
Rocketdyne/Boeing
james.g.barnes@att.net