Radioactive Waste Management Flashcards
6 cards from real RSO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Radioactive Waste Management flashcards as text
Low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) in the United States is regulated primarily under:
Answer: The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act and NRC 10 CFR Part 61
The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act assigns disposal responsibility to states/compacts, while NRC 10 CFR Part 61 establishes the technical and licensing requirements for LLRW disposal facilities.
Which of the following waste streams is classified as high-level radioactive waste (HLW)?
Answer: Spent nuclear fuel from a commercial power reactor
High-level waste includes spent nuclear fuel and reprocessing waste from commercial reactors because they contain highly radioactive fission products requiring long-term geological disposal.
The 'decay-in-storage' (DIS) method for short-lived radioactive waste disposal requires holding waste until its activity decays to:
Answer: Background levels, verified by survey with an appropriate detector
DIS involves storing waste until it reaches background levels and is verified as background by a radiation survey, after which it can be disposed of as non-radioactive solid waste.
Mixed waste contains both radioactive material and:
Answer: RCRA hazardous chemical waste
Mixed waste is defined as material that contains both radioactive components regulated by the NRC/DOE and RCRA hazardous chemical components regulated by the EPA.
NRC Class A, B, and C classifications for LLRW are based primarily on:
Answer: The radionuclide content and concentration relative to NRC tables in 10 CFR 61.55
10 CFR 61.55 classifies LLRW as Class A, B, or C based on the concentrations of specified radionuclides, with Class C being the highest concentration allowed in near-surface disposal facilities.
An RSO discovers that radioactive waste has been accidentally placed in the regular trash. The first immediate action should be to:
Answer: Retrieve the waste from the trash before it leaves the facility and secure it
The immediate priority is to prevent the waste from leaving the facility; the RSO should retrieve and secure the material before it reaches off-site disposal, then conduct required notifications.