A Summary of Radiological Waste Disposal Practices in the United States and the United Kingdom

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria M. Maranville ◽  
Richard McGrath
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
The United States ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk

A systematic review of near-surface repositories for radioactive waste in the United States (US) was conducted. The main focus of the review consisted of a literature search of available documents and other published sources on low level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal practices, remediation of LLRW sites in the US, and public participation for remediation efforts of near-surface radiological waste disposal sites in the US. This review was undertaken to provide background information in support of work by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) and to aid in optimizing the future management of this site. The review contained a summary of the US and UK radiological waste classification requirements including a discussion of the waste types, disposal requirements, and the differences between US and UK disposal practices. A regulatory overview and evolution of regulatory requirements in the US is presented. The UK regulatory environment is also discussed and contrasted to the US process. The public participation, as part of the US regulatory process, is provided and the mechanism for stakeholder identification and involvement is detailed. To demonstrate how remediation of radiologically impacted sites is implemented in the US, existing US case studies, in which remediation activities were carried out, were reviewed. The following information was compiled: type of wastes disposed of to US shallow ground facilities [with comparison with UK classifications], facility designs (with special emphasis on those directly comparable to the subsurface conditions in the UK), and deficiencies identified in operation or in demonstrating safe post closure; and processes and difficulties in remedial actions encountered at the selected sites. Stakeholder involvement is discussed within the case studies. Publicly available information related to radiological waste management and disposal practices were reviewed. Two sites are presented in this publication for discussion. These US sites were selected based on the site similarities to conditions in the UK.

‘To see oursels as ithers see us’: Reflections on Scottish Independence from the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euan Hague ◽  
Alan Mackie
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Scottish Independence ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Scottish Diaspora

The United States media have given rather little attention to the question of the Scottish referendum despite important economic, political and military links between the US and the UK/Scotland. For some in the US a ‘no’ vote would be greeted with relief given these ties: for others, a ‘yes’ vote would be acclaimed as an underdog escaping England's imperium, a narrative clearly echoing America's own founding story. This article explores commentary in the US press and media as well as reporting evidence from on-going interviews with the Scottish diaspora in the US. It concludes that there is as complex a picture of the 2014 referendum in the United States as there is in Scotland.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Site: An International Center of Excellence

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Matthews
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
Disposal Area ◽  
The World ◽  
Waste Repository

The United States Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) is responsible for the successful management of transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW) in the United States. TRUW is a long-lived radioactive waste/material. CBFO’s responsibilities includes the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is a deep geologic repository for the safe disposal of U.S. defense-related TRUW and is located 42 kilometers (km) east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. WIPP is the only deep-geological disposal site for long-lived radioactive waste that is operating in the world today. CBFO also manages the National Transuranic Waste Program (NTP), which oversees TRU waste management from generation to disposal. As of August 1, 2003, approximately 1890 shipments of waste have been safely transported to the WIPP, which has been operating since March 1999. Surface and subsurface facilities designed to facilitate the safe handling and disposal of TRU waste are located within the WIPP site. The underground waste disposal area is in a bedded salt formation at a depth of 650 meters (m). Approximately 176,000 m3 of TRU waste containing up to 17 kilograms of plutonium will be emplaced in disposal rooms 4 m high, 10 m wide and 91 m long. Magnesium oxide (MgO) backfill will be emplaced with the waste to control the actinide solubility and mobility in the disposal areas. Properties of the repository horizon have been investigated in an underground test facility excavated north of the waste disposal area, and in which seals, rock mechanics, hydrology, and simulated waste emplacement tests were conducted. Thus, in some areas of broad international interest, the CBFO has developed a leading expertise through its 25-years WIPP repository and TRU waste characterization activities. The CBFO’s main programmatic responsibilities during the disposal phase are to operate a safe and efficient TRU waste repository at the WIPP, to operate an effective system for management of TRU waste from generation to disposal, and to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and permits. This responsibility requires maintenance and upgrades to the current technologies for TRU waste operations, monitoring, and transportation. This responsibility also requires the maintenance of scientific capabilities for evaluating the performance of the WIPP repository. Every 5 years, WIPP must be recertified for operations by the regulator, the EPA. Currently, the CBFO is preparing for the 2004 recertification. The CBFO/WIPP has been designated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an International Center of Excellence. The IAEA is working with CBFO, other designated centers of excellence, and other member states in the IAEA to foster collaborative training activities and experiments in order to address major radioactive waste disposal issues. As the only operating deep radioactive waste repository in the world today, CBFO/WIPP is an important participant in this IAEA initiative. In addition to participating in relevant and beneficial experiments, the CBFO is providing the international community convenient access to information by sponsoring and hosting symposia and workshops on relevant topics and by participation in international waste management organizations and topical meetings. The CBFO has agreed to exchange scientific information with foreign radioactive waste management organizations. These activities result in the cost-effective acquisition of scientific information in support of increased WIPP facility operational and post-closure assurance and reliability. It also demonstrates the CBFO’s intent and resolve to honor international commitments and obligations.

The intelligence of six-year-olds in Hong Kong

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimmy Chan ◽  
Richard Lynn
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chinese Children ◽  
Pacific Basin ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Uk

SummaryEvidence has accumulated to suggest that the mean IQs of Orientals in the United States and in the countries of the Pacific Basin are higher than those of Whites (Caucasoids) in the United States and Britain. This paper presents evidence from IQ tests on 4858 6-year-old Chinese children in Hong Kong. On the Coloured Progressive Matrices these children obtained a mean IQ of 116. Samples from Australia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Romania, the UK and the US obtain IQs in the range 95–102. It is suggested that these results pose difficulties for the environmentalist explanations commonly advanced to explain the low mean IQs obtained by some ethnic minorities in the United States.

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