Risk-informed radioactive waste classification and reclassification

Radioactive waste classification systems have been developed to allow wastes having similar hazards to be grouped for purposes of storage, treatment, packaging, transportation, and/or disposal. As recommended in the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements' Report No. 139, Risk-Based Classification of Radioactive and Hazardous Chemical Wastes, a preferred classification system would be based primarily on the health risks to the public that arise from waste disposal and secondarily on other attributes such as the near-term practicalities of managing a waste, i.e., the waste classification system would be risk informed. The current U.S. radioactive waste classification system is not risk informed because key definitions--especially that of high-level waste--are based on the source of the waste instead of its inherent characteristics related to risk. A second important reason for concluding the existing U.S. radioactive waste classification system is not risk informed is there are no general principles or provisions for exempting materials from being classified as radioactive waste which would then allow management without regard to its radioactivity. This paper elaborates the current system for classifying and reclassifying radioactive wastes in the United States, analyzes the extent to which the system is risk informed and the ramifications of its not being so, and provides observations on potential future direction of efforts to address shortcomings in the U.S. radioactive waste classification system as of 2004.     

International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems. Tenth revision

The International Classification of Diseases has, under various names, been for many decades the essential tool for national and international comparability in public health. This statistical tool has been customarily revised every 10 years in order to keep up with the advances of medicine. At first intended primarily for the classification of causes of death, its scope has been progressively widening to include coding and tabulation of causes of morbidity as well as medical record indexing and retrieval. The ability to exchange comparable data from region to region and from country to country, to allow comparison from one population to another and to permit study of diseases over long periods, is one of the strengths of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (ICD). WHO has been responsible for the organization, coordination and execution of activities related to ICD since 1948 (Sixth Revision of the ICD) and is now proceeding with the Tenth Revision. For the first time in its history the ICD will be based on an alphanumeric coding scheme and will have to function as a core classification from which a series of modules can be derived, each reaching a different degree of specificity and adapted to a particular specialty or type of user. It is proposed that the chapters on external causes of injury and poisoning, and factors influencing health status and contact with health services, which were supplementary classifications in ICD-9, should form an integral part of ICD-10. The title of ICD has been amended to "International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems"', but the abbreviation "ICD" will be retained.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Understanding the toxicity of buried radioactive waste and its impacts

The oral ingestion toxicities of buried high level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and of the natural radioactivity in the ground are calculated and expressed as cancer doses, the number of fatal cancers predicted by the linear no-threshold theory if all of the material were fed to people. Unless the size of the U.S. nuclear power industry is greatly expanded, there will probably never be more than 2 trillion cancer doses (CD) in U.S. repositories, as compared with 31 trillion CD in the ground above them. Measurements of the uranium, thorium, and radium in human bodies indicate that the latter cause 500 deaths per year in U.S. The great majority of this material is derived from the top few meters of soil that are penetrated by plant roots. It is concluded that the annual number of U.S. deaths from buried nuclear wastes will be about 1.0 (or less), orders of magnitude less than the number from coal burning electricity generation, the principal competitor of nuclear power.     

Consideration of standards and guidance related to informed consent

Issues surrounding the concept of informed consent are encountered by risk managers almost daily. In addition to having knowledge of JCAHO and legal requirements, it is important for risk managers to be familiar with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provisions governing informed consent, which can be found in the Conditions of Participation for Hospitals. This article summarizes highlights these regulatory standards and legal requirements that have an impact on the application of the concept of informed consent.     

国内外消毒产品相关评价标准

本文所提及的消毒产品包括灭菌剂、高水平消毒剂、抗菌剂、抑菌剂、皮肤黏膜消毒剂、抗微生物制剂,下面对国内外相关评价标准作一介绍。     

Radiological and hygienic approaches to solving the problem of environmental safety of radioactive waste storages

The paper presents general approaches to solving the problems associated with the radioecological safety of radioactive waste (RAW) storages. It considers the influence of climatic factors on the possible release of radionuclides into the environment. The authors have made as follows: analysis of the significance of main scenarios for radionuclide release into the environment and the natural and climatic conditions of the existing areas of near-surface RAW storages in the Russian Federation; conditional zoning of the Russian Federation according to the balance of atmospheric precipitation. The zoning of RAW storage locations is of importance for choosing the likely scenarios of radionuclide migrations.     

Characterizing potential exposure to the public from low-level radioactive waste transportation by truck

To address public concern about potential exposure to gamma radiation from legal-weight low-level radioactive waste truck shipments to the Nevada Test Site, a stationary, automated array of four pressurized ion chambers was established for trucks to pass through. Data were collected from 1,012 of the 2,260 trucks that transported low-level radioactive waste to the Nevada Test Site from February through December 2003. To avoid perception of biasing a potential exposure low, the maximum reading (muR per hour; muR h(-1)) from the array was assigned as the gross measurement value for each truck. [In this article, exposure measurements are reported as Roentgen (R), as this unit is consistent with the data readings of the measurement instruments and has been historically presented to public stakeholders. Subsequently, dose measurements are reported as Roentgen Equivalent Man (rem).] To calculate the "net exposure" for each truck, the average and standard deviation of the maximum background values during the corresponding 12-h period when the truck arrived were subtracted from the gross value. For 483 trucks (47.7%), calculated net exposure values were equal to or less than zero, indicating that the exposure from the truck was indistinguishable from background. An additional 206 trucks (20.4%) had calculated net exposure values ranging between 0.0 and 1.0 muR h(-1). Cumulative exposure scenarios appropriate for rural transportation routes to the Nevada Test Site were developed; however, these scenarios assumed the unlikely case that the same individual was exposed to all of the trucks on that route. Cumulative exposure values were dominated by a small percentage of the trucks with comparatively high values. In communities along transportation routes, the probability of an individual receiving a potential exposure from a single truck may be a more meaningful perspective.     

Review of the radioactive waste management system in Nigeria.

The management of radioactive waste in Nigeria from early 1960 to date is reviewed. As in many developing countries, waste management in Nigeria has been shown to be ineffective. The factors that are responsible for this ineffectiveness are identified and discussed. The steps being taken by and the opportunities available to the newly established Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority towards addressing this problem of ineffectiveness are discussed. The efforts of this newly set up body towards managing the resultant radioactive wastes that will be generated during the use of a reactor and an accelerator that will soon be commissioned in Nigeria are also mentioned. Likely ways of further addressing the problems militating against waste management in developing countries are suggested.     

Improving radioactive waste management: an overview of the Environmental Protection Agency's low-activity waste effort

Radioactive waste disposal in the United States is marked by a fragmented regulatory system, with requirements that often focus on the origin or statutory definition of the waste, rather than the hazard of the material in question. It may be possible to enhance public protection by moving toward a system that provides disposal options appropriate for the hazard presented by the waste in question. This paper summarizes aspects of an approach focusing on the potential use, with appropriate conditions, of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle-C hazardous waste landfills for disposal of "low-activity" wastes and public comments on the suggested approach.     

食品接触用陶瓷制品相关标准清理研究

目的对现行食品接触用陶瓷制品相关的标准进行清理研究,解决标准之间存在的交叉、重复、矛盾等问题。方法收集现行的食品接触用陶瓷制品相关的标准,按照既定的清理原则对每个标准进行清理,提出需要废止、修订、整合、继续有效、不纳入食品安全国家标准体系等的标准清单。结果共收集19项食品接触用陶瓷制品相关标准,研究发现该类标准中的食品安全指标主要为食品接触面的铅和镉的溶出限量。10项标准直接规定了铅和镉溶出限量,且标准规定的指标之间存在矛盾,经过清理,建议其中4项标准需要合并,6项标准需要修订;7项标准中铅和镉的溶出限量引用了其他标准,经过清理建议这7项标准不纳入食品安全国家标准体系,由标准归口部门自行处理;2项标准无食品安全指标规定,与食品安全无关,不属于本次清理工作范畴。结论现行的食品接触用陶瓷制品相关标准中食品安全指标存在交叉、重复、矛盾之处,需要在食品安全风险评估基础上参考相关国际标准和其他国家标准,结合国内食品接触用陶瓷制品的实际生产使用情况进行系统修订。