Among the responsibilities of the Commission is the dissemination of information about Commission activities and effective low-level radioactive waste management efforts. One means of providing such information is the Annual Information Forum.
The Commission's Seventh Annual Public Information & Education Forum was held on June 16, 1998, in Lincoln, NE. The theme for the Forum was "LLRW Transportation and Manifesting Issues."
The 1998 Forum was presented by the National Low-Level Waste Management Program of the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Paul Smith, Mr. Pat Marushia, and Mr. Bill Allred, of the National Low-Level Waste Management Program presented important information on the topic through the use of overhead slides, videos, and question and answer opportunities.
According to information they provided, there are about 500 billion shipments of all kinds of commodities transported each year in the United States. About one in 5,000 of all shipments transported, or about 100 million shipments, contain hazardous materials. Of these, about 2%, or 2 million shipments, contain radioactive materials.
During the 25 year reporting period ending in 1996, 50 million shipments of radioactive materials were made and 388 accidents were recorded. None of the accidents resulted in injuries or health problems related to the radioactive material.
Among those shipments involving low-level radioactive waste, there have been 58 transportation accidents, only four of which involved release of low-level radioactive waste.
All of the packages involved in accidents that released small quantities of material were strong, tight packages or Type A packages. Because of the limitations on radioactive material quantity and concentrations imposed on these packages and because of the solid nature of the low-level radioactive waste, the radiological hazard to the public was minimal. The U.S. regulatory system, in addition to the training and efficiency of local authorities responding to the accidents and their prompt remedial actions, minimized any risk of exposure to the public or to the environment.
The Information Forum participants heard that the mode of transportation is an independent factor as far as safety is concerned. The philosophy of protecting the public against radiation in transportation has been that accidents will occur and that protection must be provided by the packaging of the radioactive materials. Packaging of radioactive materials for transportation is strictly enforced by federal regulations administered through the Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The degree of protection is determined on the basis of the level and type of radioactivity contained.
The above philosophy has worked. Regardless of transportation mode, transportation of radioactive materials has been very safe. A recent study conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency stated, regarding transportation, "[R]eviews of the available historical data have shown that there has never been a serious incident involving the dispersal of radioactive material."
As far as risk of an accident happening, the risk would be higher in transporting radioactive materials by truck than by rail. Statistics show that less radioactive materials are transported by rail than by highway and rail transportation is usually more isolated from the public than highway transportation.
Packages of radioactive waste that have higher levels of radioactivity are required to be transported in very strong packages called Type B packages. Although Type B package shipments were involved in accidents during the reporting period, none released any radioactive material. Type B packages are put through extreme accident tests that include dropping from a height of about 30 feet, impact on a sharp object, fire (1475 degrees F for 30 minutes), freeze / thaw conditions, and immersion in deep water. This type of package is designed to withstand these severe types of accidents with no release of radioactive materials.
Because radiation levels are strictly controlled during transport, it is unlikely that a commuter would have any measurable exposure from a truck transporting low-level radioactive waste that might stop next to him or her. By regulation, the maximum allowable radiation exposure at two meters (about six feet) from a transport vehicle is 10 millirems per hour. A commuter in a car has additional protection (shielding) from the car itself. At the highest allowable radiation level, without any additional protection from the car, a person would have to remain no more than 6 meters from the shipment for six minutes before he / she received even as much as a single millirem (a very small amount of radiation) of radiation exposure.
By comparison, on average in the United States we receive about one millirem per day from natural sources of radiation just from living on this part of the planet. Because most shipments of radioactive materials are significantly below the maximum allowable limit of 10 millirems per hour at two meters, radiation exposure would not even be measurable. The maximum allowable radiation levels for transport are to keep other motorists safe.
The Commission appreciates the contributions and assistance of the National Low-Level Waste Management Program on the joint efforts to educate the public on llrw concerns. The CIC Information Forum provided the participants with significant information on issues related to llrw disposal transportation and manifesting requirements.