This book critically examines the phenomenon of low level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facility siting across four international democracies. The issue is of growing importance since World War II the level of this waste has increased from the hundreds to the billions. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that nuclear power generation facilities alone produce about 200,000 cubic meters of low and intermediate-level waste each year worldwide; waste that needs to be isolated from the public for extended periods of time. Siting LLRW disposal facilities in democracies is beset by two main problems: almost universally negative community response to siting proposals, and, as a result, government s reactive policies. There has been a tendency for democratic countries to adopt a default position of deferring siting decisions for as long as possible due to a fear of public opposition, which only increases the risks associated with radiation.

The authors explore these issues utilizing a linear narrative case study approach that critically examines key stakeholder interactions in order to explain how siting decisions are made. The book incorporates a stakeholder theory approach to allow for a better understanding of the key players roles and how such decisions are made as well as an environmental justice perspective to better understand how some siting decisions negatively impact lower socio-economic classes and indigenous peoples within democratic societies. The four featured countries the United States, Australia, Spain and South Korea represent a broad range of current siting issues. Though the different countries are geographically and culturally diverse, they are all democracies with vibrant civil societies, which mean that siting decisions require negotiation between the siting authority and the host community via representative stakeholders. Most studies of nuclear waste focus on siting at a single location or in a single country, whereas this book seeks to establish an understanding of the political, economic, environmental, legal and social dimensions of siting across multiple countries. Furthermore, the book targets specifically low-level radioactive waste, which has traditionally received far less study by the academic community than high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel. This valuable resource fills a gap in the literature with international comparative research and provides recommendations for future low-level radioactive waste disposal facility siting efforts.

The book should be of interest to students and scholars of environmental law, justice, management and politics, as well as energy and security policy."

Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Radiation Sources, Exposure and Health Effects 3. Spent Fuel Management 4. High-level Waste Management 5. Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Waste 6. Transuranic Waste Management 7. Low-Level Waste Management 8. Uranium Ore Mill Tailings Management 9. Mixed Wastes 10. Environmental Restoration 11. Transportation 12. Decontamination and Decomissioning Appendicies Index

This book documents a special collection of articles from a select group of invited prominent scientists from academia, national laboratories and industry who presented their work at the symposia on Environmental and Energy Issues at the 2008 Materials Science and Technology (MS&T'08) conference held in Pittsburgh, PA. These articles represent a summary of the presentations focusing on topics in nuclear, environmental, and green engineering were held, including a discussion of Waste Glass Leach Testing and Modeling.

This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the establishment of an appropriate regulatory framework for the management of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) residues in an integrated manner and using a graded approach. It also elaborates on roles and responsibilities, options for management of NORM residues, long term safety of NORM residues, and exemption and clearance. The publication is targeted at regulatory bodies, operating organizations, technical support organizations and other parties who are interested and involved in management of NORM residues.

This third edition updates and expands the material presented in the best-selling first and second editions of Basic Hazardous Waste Management. It covers health and safety issues affecting hazardous waste workers, management and regulation of radioactive and biomedical/infectious wastes, as well as current trends in technologies. While the topics have been completely revised, the author employs the same practical approach that made the previous editions so popular. Chapters are structured to first outline the issue, subject, or technology, then to describe generic practice, and then to conclude with a summary of the statutory or regulatory approach.

Blackman introduces fundamental issues such as human health hazards; the environmental impacts of toxic, reactive, and ignitable materials; the mobility, pathways and fates of released hazardous materials; and the roles of science, technology, and risk assessment in the standards-setting process. He explores hazardous waste site remediation technology, and the application of federal statutes, regulations, programs, and policies to the cleanup of contaminated sites.

This text provides an introductory framework-which can serve as the foundation for a program of study in traditional as well as modern hazardous waste management-or a component of a related program. Its overview format provides numerous references to more detailed materials to assist the student or instructor in expansion on specific topics.

Reliable methods for estimating the cost of a radioactive waste disposal programme are crucial to ensure that the necessary funding for completing the disposal programme is available. Estimating the cost for disposal is however a challenging and complex task. Disposal programmes themselves are complex and long-term undertakings and conditions can be expected to change significantly over the time-span during which a disposal programme is developed and implemented. This publication provides Member States with guidance on how to develop cost estimates for a disposal programme and on how to establish funding mechanisms. It will help readers in becoming informed clients by familiarizing themselves with the approaches and complexities in cost estimates and funding mechanisms for disposal. The publication is applicable to all waste categories and both near surface and geological disposal. It contains relevant examples and case studies from national programmes. The cost figures are intended to give an indication of the possible cost of certain parts or aspects of the disposal programme rather than to compare different disposal programmes' costs.

The European Community's research programme 'Management and Disposal of Radioactive Waste' has the prime objective of finding effective means for ensuring the safety of man and his environment against the potential hazards arising from such wastes. In 1980, the Commission of the European Communities held its first major meeting on the subject, and published the proceedings, discussions and results. This volume presents the proceedings of the second such conference, following the completion of a research and development programme in the five intervening years. The main topics discussed are: treatment and conditioning technology, testing and evaluation of waste forms and packages, geologic disposal, migration, and performance analysis of geologic isolation systems; representing an analysis of the latest results achieved by sustained collaboration of leading laboratories in Europe. Thus, all of the contributions are of a high standard from the major exponents in the field throughout the European Community.

Introduction to Hazardous Waste Incineration,

Second Edition

The control of hazardous wastes is one of today’s most critical environmental issues. Increasing numbers of engineers, technicians, and maintenance personnel are being confronted with problems in this important area. Incineration has become an available and vital option to meet the new challenge of containing hazardous wastes. Introduction to Hazardous Waste Incineration, Second Edition provides a reference work that examines the basic concepts, principles, equipment, and applications pertaining to hazardous waste incineration.

Uniquely serving as both an essential guidebook for practicing engineers and a text for engineering students, this new edition contains updated information in the area of standards and regulations, equipment, materials handling equipment, instrumentation, control performance testing, final permit, and facility design. The authors’ aim is to offer the reader the fundamentals of incineration with appropriate practical application to the incineration of wastes, in addition to providing an introduction to the specialized literature in this and related areas. Complete with illustrative examples, this informative Second Edition highlights:

• Recent history of standards and regulations, including the recently enacted MACT Standards for hazardous waste combustion
• Incineration principles, including stoichiometric calculations, and thermochemical considerations
• Equipment that may be found in a waste incineration facility (i.e., incinerator, waste heat boiler, quench systems, and air pollution control equipment)
• Design principles and their application to a hazardous waste incineration facility
• Practice problems at the end of each technical chapter

Introduction to Hazardous Waste Incineration, Second Edition offers chemical and environmental engineers working in the hazardous waste control area, as well as technicians and maintenance professionals, the necessary literature to cope with some of the complex problems encountered in waste incineration today.

Each year, consumers purchase millions of electronic devices, such as televisions, computers, and cell phones, and are faced with what to do with their used electronics. Recycling can recover a variety of materials, including precious metals, and many electronics can be reused or contain reusable components. Yet, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry data show that tens of millions of used electronics are thrown away each year. Moreover, because used electronics often contain toxic substances, such as lead and mercury, their end-of-life management raises concerns about the potential adverse impacts on human health and the environment, particularly when used electronics are exported to countries that lack a safe recycling and disposal capacity. This book examines the EPA's current efforts to facilitate the environmentally sound management of used electronics, with a focus on the view of manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, state and local governments, and other stakeholders.

Residues containing Cr (VI) are classified as toxic and hazardous residues by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Cr (VI) could easily leach into the environment due to rain water passing through the Cr (VI), containing residues which could lead to ground water contamination if these residues are land filled without prior treatment. This book synthesises and provides an overview of past, state-of-art research across the field of minimisation, recovery, recycling and inertization of residues containing Cr (VI) and where the field is headed.

Chemistry of Hazardous Materials, Sixth Edition, covers basic chemistry for emergency responders, guiding students who are often non-science majors through the process of understanding the chemical properties that make materials hazardous. This text covers many essential hazardous materials topics, such as the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemical Substances (GHS); terrorist threats relative to biological, chemical, and radioactive agents; and the latest best practices for the handling and storage of hazardous materials. This new edition continues to emphasize the hazardous materials regulations established by the OSHA, the U.S. D.O.T., and the EPA. Online supplemental teaching materials are available to help instructors and students get the most from their EMS course. * Resource Central, accessed through www.bradybooks.com, offers instructors online supplemental teaching material, such as test banks and customizable PowerPoint lectures to aid in the classroom. These instructor resources are also available through Pearson's Instructor Resource Center. * Students have access to a variety online study aids tailored to their EMS course.

In this book, first published in 1983, three independent scientists examine the results of research and development into the environmental aspects of hazardous wastes management. Within a legislative framework, the limits of our scientific knowledge are carefully defined and the ways in which this knowledge is extrapolated and applied are examined. Significant areas of uncertainty are identified and the authors have not been afraid to draw attention to the fallibility of certain interpretations. Landfill science, leachate characteristics, pollutant attenuation and toxicity measurement are reviewed. Alternative technologies such as chemical treatment and incineration are compared. Risk assessment, cost implications and public acceptance are examined. It provides an objective assessment of the scientific and practical issues involved and constitutes a valuable source book for all concerned with hazardous wastes management, planning and regulatory control, pollution prevention and environmental protection.

The importance of recycling the spent nuclear fuel through partitioning processes has been recognized worldwide for increasing and sustaining nuclear energy. Therefore, the development of advanced partitioning processes, based either on hydrometallurgical or on pyrometallurgical technologies, has received an increasing interest in recent years. Moving towards industrial demonstration, partitioning processes are applied for the separation of actinides, including minor actinides, not only to reduce the burden of high level waste to be disposed of, in terms of heat-load and radiotoxicity, but also to improve the efficiency of the resources' utilization. Furthermore, in the case of Molten Salt Reactors, whose fuel cycle is primary based on pyrochemical processes, there is a need for strengthening pyrometallurgical technologies. This publication reviews the status and trends in the development of pyrometallurgical processes and technologies for processing spent nuclear fuel and identifies gap areas requiring further development.

Under the Superfund program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) places some of the most seriously contaminated sites on the National Priorities List (NPL). At the end of fiscal year 2013, nonfederal sites made up about 90 percent of these sites. At these sites, EPA undertakes remedial action projects to permanently and significantly reduce contamination. Remedial action projects can take a considerable amount of time and money, depending on the nature of the contamination and other site-specific factors. This book examines, for fiscal years 1999 through 2013, the trends in the annual federal appropriations to the Superfund program and EPA expenditures for remedial cleanup activities at nonfederal sites on the NPL; and the number of nonfederal sites on the NPL, the number of remedial action project completions, and the number of construction completions at nonfederal NPL sites. Furthermore, the book examines how EPA addresses the cleanup of sites it has identified as eligible for the NPL; how the processes for implementing the Superfund Alternative (SA) and NPL approaches compare; and how SA agreement sites compare with similar NPL sites in completing the cleanup process.

USDA and Interior manage over 600 million acres of land, including sites contaminated from prior uses or events, such as mining or toxic spills. These lands are managed by five Interior agencies, including BLM and the National Park Service, and five USDA agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service. These agencies must identify and report to EPA certain facilities that may threaten human health or the environment and, under some circumstances, clean them up. They must also report cost estimates for addressing contamination at certain sites, called environmental liabilities. This book examines USDA's and Interior's efforts to identify these sites, funding to address the sites, reported environmental liabilities, and EPA's role in addressing the sites. Furthermore, this book provides a summary of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act and related provisions of the Act.

The question of "what to do with radioactive waste" has been raised frequently for both fission and fusion power plants. In recent years, fusion designers have become increasingly aware of the large amount of mildly radioactive materials that fusion generates. The search for a suitable solution has stimulated discussions about the origin and nature of fusion radioactive waste. This book discusses the perspectives of managing fusion radioactive materials. It also discusses the canister quandary, and the nuclear security system in Georgia.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future was chartered to recommend a new strategy for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Nation's failure to come to grips with the nuclear waste issue has already proved damaging and costly and it will be more damaging and more costly the longer it continues: damaging to prospects for maintaining a potentially important energy supply option for the future, damaging to state-federal relations and public confidence in the federal government's competence, and damaging to America's standing in the world -- not only as a source of nuclear technology and policy expertise but as a leader on global issues of nuclear safety, non-proliferation, and security. This book examines the use of nuclear energy as a low-carbon energy resource with a focus on the management of the nuclear fuel cycle, based on emerging technologies and developments.

Almost 30 years ago, Congress addressed increasing concerns regarding the management of the nation's growing stockpile of nuclear waste by calling for the federal collection of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level nuclear waste (HLW) for safe, permanent disposal. Passed in 1982, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) was an effort to establish an explicit statutory basis for the Department of Energy (DOE) to dispose of the nation's most highly radioactive nuclear waste. The NWPA requires DOE to remove spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants, in exchange for a fee, and transport it to a permanent geologic repository or an interim storage facility before permanent disposal. This book explores the effects of a termination of the Yucca Mountain Repository Program with a focus on the need for a comprehensive DOE strategy that supports environmental cleanup decisions.

The effort to contain and control the blow-out of the Macondo well was unprecedented. From April 20, 2010, the day the well blew out, until 19 September 2010, when the government finally declared it "dead", BP expended enormous resources to develop and deploy new technologies that eventually captured a substantial amount of oil at the source and, after 87 days, stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP had to construct novel devices, and the government had to mobilize personnel on the fly, because neither was ready for a disaster of this nature in deep water. This book examines the efforts to "kill the spill" after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, wherein BP was able to design, build, and use new containment technologies, while the federal government was able to develop effective oversight capacity.

This book examines the occurrence of uranium in its natural setting in the United States, as well as its industrial uses and the methods employed over the last century to extract it from ore deposits. In addition, this book explores the nature of solid and liquid wastes generated by extraction methods, and the various reclamation and remediation methods which can environmentally restore the extraction site. The potential radiogenic cancer risks from abandoned uranium mines are also explored, as are the environmental and geographical issues associated with those mines.

Hazardous materials are any substance which have the potential to cause harm to humans, animals or the environment through direct or indirect interaction. In this book, the authors gather topical research in the study of the types, risks and control of hazardous materials, from across the globe. Topics discussed include antibiotics as environmental contaminants; controlling inorganic and organic contaminants in wastewater; hazardous metal sources and toxicity; surfactant removal in wastewater treatment; fly ash management; a chemical study of sewage sludge from a two phase anaerobic digestion plant and the complete oxidation of volatile organic compounds at moderate temperatures.

Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material and are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine. Radioactive waste is hazardous to human health and the environment and is regulated by government agencies. This book presents topical research in the study of the sources, types and management of radioactive waste, including DMNR real-time online monitoring of short and medium term radioactive waste; radioactive waste from research reactor operation and decommissioning; treatment of high-level radioactive waste arising from pyroprocessing and its waste form and highly radioactive waste disposal.

An analysis of the regime for the management of hazardous chemicals, highlighting the insights it provides for effective multilevel governance in other areas. The challenges posed by managing hazardous chemicals cross boundaries, jurisdictions, and constituencies. Since the 1960s, a chemicals regime-a multitude of formally independent but functionally related treaties and programs-has been in continuous development, as states and organizations collaborate at different governance levels to mitigate the health and environmental problems caused by hazardous chemicals. In this book, Henrik Selin analyzes the development, implementation, and future of the chemicals regime, a critical but understudied area of global governance, and proposes that the issues raised have significant implications for effective multilevel governance in many other areas. Selin focuses his analysis on three themes: coalition building in support of policy change; the diffusion of regime components across policy venues; and the influence of institutional linkages on the design and effectiveness of multilevel governance efforts. He provides in-depth empirical studies of the four multilateral treaties that form the core of the chemicals regime: the Basel Convention (1989), which regulates the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous wastes; the Rotterdam Convention (1998), which governs the international trade in chemicals; the CLRTAP POPs Protocol (1998), designed to reduce the release and transnational transport of emissions of persistent organic pollutants; and the Stockholm Convention (2001), which targets the production, use, trade, and disposal of persistent organic pollutants. The interactions of participants and institutions within and across different levels of governance have implications for policy making and management that are not yet fully understood. Selin's analysis of these linkages in the chemicals regime offers valuable theoretical and policy-relevant insights into the growing institutional density in global governance.

Poison in the Well provides a balanced look at the policy decisions, scientific conflicts, public relations strategies, and the myriad mishaps and subsequent cover-ups that were born out of the dilemma of where to house deadly nuclear materials. Hamblin traces the development of the issue in Western countries from the end of World War II to the blossoming of the environmental movement in the early 1970s.

Hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment. Hazardous waste generally exhibits one or more of these characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity. The universe of hazardous wastes is large and diverse. Hazardous wastes can be liquids, solids, contained gases, or sludges. They can be the by-products of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products, like cleaning fluids or pesticides. One major type is radioactive waste. This book brings together the latest research in this diverse field.