Code of Massachusetts Regulations
105 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Title 105 CMR 120.000 - The Control of Radiation
REPORTS
Section 120.299 - Appendix E - Classification and Characteristics of Low-level Radioactive Waste
Universal Citation: 105 CMR 120.000 MA Code of Regs 120.299
Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
(A) Classification of Radioactive Waste for Land Disposal.
(1)
Considerations.
Determination of the classification of radioactive waste involves two
considerations. First, consideration must be given to the concentration of
long-lived radionuclides (and their shorter-lived precursors) whose potential
hazard will persist long after such precautions as institutional controls,
improved waste form, and deeper disposal have ceased to be effective. These
precautions delay the time when long-lived radionuclides could cause exposures.
In addition, the magnitude of the potential dose is limited by the
concentration and availability of the radionuclide at the time of exposure.
Second, consideration must be given to the concentration of shorter-lived
radionuclides for which requirements on institutional controls, waste form, and
disposal methods are effective.
(2)
Classes of Waste.
(a)
Class A waste is waste that is usually segregated from other waste classes at
the disposal site. The physical form and characteristics of Class A waste must
meet the minimum requirements set forth in 105 CMR 120.299(B)(1). If Class A
waste also meets the stability requirements set forth in 105 CMR 120.299(B)(2),
it is not necessary to segregate the waste for disposal.
(b) Class B waste is waste that must meet
more rigorous requirements on waste form to ensure stability after disposal.
The physical form and characteristics of Class B waste must meet both the
minimum and stability requirements set forth in 105 CMR 120.299(B).
(c) Class C waste is waste that not only must
meet more rigorous requirements on waste form to ensure stability but also
requires additional measures at the disposal facility to protect against
inadvertent intrusion. The physical form and characteristics of Class C waste
must meet both the minimum and stability requirements set forth in 105 CMR
120.299(B).
(3)
Classification Determined by Long-lived Radionuclides.
If the radioactive waste contains only radionuclides listed in Table I,
classification shall be determined as follows:
(a) If the concentration does not exceed 0.1
times the value in Table I, the waste is Class A.
(b) If the concentration exceeds 0.1 times
the value in Table I, but does not exceed the value in Table I, the waste is
Class C.
(c) If the concentration
exceeds the value in Table I, the waste is not generally acceptable for
disposal at a facility licensed by the Agency.
(d) For wastes containing mixtures of
radionuclides listed in Table I, the total concentration shall be determined by
the sum of fractions rule described in 105 CMR 120.299(A)(7).
TABLE I
| Concentration | ||
| Radionuclide | curie/cubic meter a | nanocurie/gram b |
|
C-14 C-14 in activated metal |
8.0 80.0 |
|
| Ni-59 in activated metal | 220.0 | |
| Nb-94 in activated metal | 0.2 | |
| Tc-99 | 3.0 | |
| I-129 | 0.08 | |
| Alpha emitting transuranic | ||
| radionuclides with half- | ||
| life greater than five | ||
| years | 100.0 | |
| Pu-241 | 3,500.0 | |
| Cm-242 | 20,000.0 | |
| Ra-226 | 100.0 |
a To convert the Ci/m3 values to gigabecquerel (GBq) per cubic meter, multiply the Ci/m3 value by 37.
b To convert the nCi/g values to becquerel (Bq) per gram, multiply the nCi/g value by 37.
(4)
Classification
Determined by Short-lived Radionuclides. If the waste does not
contain any of the radionuclides listed in Table I, classification shall be
determined based on the concentrations shown in Table II. However, as specified
in 105 CMR 120.299(A)(6), if radioactive waste does not contain any nuclides
listed in either Table I or II, it is Class A.
(a) If the concentration does not exceed the
value in Column 1, the waste is Class A.
(b) If the concentration exceeds the value in
Column 1 but does not exceed the value in Column 2, the waste is Class
B.
(c) If the concentration exceeds
the value in Column 2 but does not exceed the value in Column 3, the waste is
Class C.
(d) If the concentration
exceeds the value in Column 3, the waste is not generally acceptable for
near-surface disposal.
(e) For
wastes containing mixtures of the radionuclides listed in Table II, the total
concentration shall be determined by the sum of fractions rule described in 105
CMR 120.299(A)(7).
TABLE II
| Radionuclide | Concentration, | curie/cubic meter* | |
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | |
| Total of all radio- | |||
| nuclides with less | |||
| than 5-year half- | |||
| life | 700.0 | * | * |
| H-3 | 40.0 | * | * |
| Co-60 | 700.0 | * | * |
| Ni-63 | 3.5 | 70.0 | 700.0 |
| Ni-63 in activated | |||
| metal | 35.0 | 700.0 | 7000.0 |
| Sr-90 | 0.04 | 150.0 | 7000.0 |
| Cs-137 | 1.0 | 44.0 | 4600.0 |
* AGENCY NOTE: To convert the Ci/m3 value to gigabecquerel (GBq) per cubic meter, multiply the Ci/m3 value by 37. There are no limits established for these radionuclides in Class B or C wastes. Practical considerations such as the effects of external radiation and internal heat generation on transportation, handling, and disposal will limit the concentrations for these wastes. These wastes shall be Class B unless the concentrations of other radionuclides in Table II determine the waste to be Class C independent of these radionuclides.
(5)
Classification Determined by
Both Long- and Short-lived Radionuclides. If the radioactive waste
contains a mixture of radionuclides, some of which are listed in Table I and
some of which are listed in Table II, classification shall be determined as
follows:
(a) If the concentration of a
radionuclide listed in Table I is less than 0.1 times the value listed in Table
I, the class shall be that determined by the concentration of radionuclides
listed in Table II.
(b) If the
concentration of a radionuclide listed in Table I exceeds 0.1 times the value
listed in Table I, but does not exceed the value in Table I, the waste shall be
Class C, provided the concentration of radionuclides listed in Table II does
not exceed the value shown in Column 3 of Table II.
(6)
Classification of Wastes with
Radionuclides other than those Listed in Tables I and II. If the
waste does not contain any radionuclides listed in either Table I or II, it is
Class A.
(7)
The Sum of
the Fractions Rule for Mixtures of Radionuclides. For determining
classification for waste that contains a mixture of radionuclides, it is
necessary to determine the sum of fractions by dividing each radionuclide's
concentration by the appropriate limit and adding the resulting values. The
appropriate limits must all be taken from the same column of the same table.
The sum of the fractions for the column must be less than 1.0 if the waste
class is to be determined by that column. Example: A waste contains Sr-90 in a
concentration of 1.85 TBq/m3 (50
Ci/m3) and Cs-137 in a concentration of 814
GBq/m3 (22 Ci/m
3). Since the concentrations both exceed
the values in Column 1, Table II, they must be compared to Column 2 values. For
Sr-90 fraction, 50/150 = 0.33., for Cs-137 fraction, 22/44 = 0.5; the sum of
the fractions = 0.83. Since the sum is less than 1.0, the waste is Class
B.
(8)
Determination of
Concentrations in Wastes. The concentration of a radionuclide may
be determined by indirect methods such as use of scaling factors which relate
the inferred concentration of one radionuclide to another that is measured, or
radionuclide material accountability, if there is reasonable assurance that the
indirect methods can be correlated with actual measurements. The concentration
of a radionuclide may be averaged over the volume of the waste, or weight of
the waste if the units are expressed as becquerel (nanocurie) per
gram.
(B) Radioactive Waste Characteristics.
(1) The following are minimum requirements
for all classes of waste and are intended to facilitate handling and provide
protection of health and safety of personnel at the disposal site.
(a) Wastes shall be packaged in conformance
with the conditions of the license issued to the site operator to which the
waste will be shipped. Where the conditions of the site license are more
restrictive than the provisions of Part D, the site license conditions shall
govern.
(b) Wastes shall not be
packaged for disposal in cardboard or fiberboard boxes.
(c) Liquid waste shall be packaged in
sufficient absorbent material to absorb twice the volume of the
liquid.
(d) Solid waste containing
liquid shall contain as little freestanding and noncorrosive liquid as is
reasonably achievable, but in no case shall the liquid exceed 1% of the
volume.
(e) Waste shall not be
readily capable of detonation or of explosive decomposition or reaction at
normal pressures and temperatures, or of explosive reaction with
water.
(f) Waste shall not contain,
or be capable of generating, quantities of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes
harmful to persons transporting, handling, or disposing of the waste. This does
not apply to radioactive gaseous waste packaged in accordance with 105 CMR
120.299(B)(1)(h).
(g) Waste must
not be pyrophoric. Pyrophoric materials contained in wastes shall be treated,
prepared, and packaged to be nonflammable.
(h) Wastes in a gaseous form shall be
packaged at an absolute pressure that does not exceed 1.5 atmospheres at
20°C. Total activity shall not exceed 3.7 TBq (100 Ci) per
container.
(i) Wastes containing
hazardous, biological, pathogenic, or infectious material shall be treated to
reduce to the maximum extent practicable the potential hazard from the
nonradiological materials.
(2) The following requirements are intended
to provide stability of the waste. Stability is intended to ensure that the
waste does not degrade and affect overall stability of the site through
slumping, collapse, or other failure of the disposal unit and thereby lead to
water infiltration. Stability is also a factor in limiting exposure to an
inadvertent intruder, since it provides a recognizable and nondispersible
waste.
(a) Waste shall have structural
stability. A structurally stable waste form will generally maintain its
physical dimensions and its form, under the expected disposal conditions such
as weight of overburden and compaction equipment, the presence of moisture, and
microbial activity, and internal factors such as radiation effects and chemical
changes. Structural stability can be provided by the waste form itself,
processing the waste to a stable form, or placing the waste in a disposal
container or structure that provides stability after disposal.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions in 105 CMR
120.299(B)(1)(c) and (d), liquid wastes, or wastes containing liquid, shall be
converted into a form that contains as little freestanding and noncorrosive
liquid as is reasonably achievable, but in no case shall the liquid exceed 1%
of the volume of the waste when the waste is in a disposal container designed
to ensure stability, or 0.5% of the volume of the waste for waste processed to
a stable form.
(c) Void spaces
within the waste and between the waste and its package shall be reduced to the
extent practicable.
(C) Labeling. Each package of waste shall be clearly labeled to identify whether it is Class A, Class B, or Class C waste, in accordance with 105 CMR 120.299(A).
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