Conceptual Framework of This Report

Section 3 provides technical background related to risk-based waste classification, including  

Section 4 presents detailed information on existing classification systems for radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes, the relationships between waste classification and requirements for waste disposal, and the impacts of waste classification systems on management and disposal of mixed wastes. This Section also summarizes previous NCRP recommendations relevant to waste classification. 

Section 5 discusses the desirable attributes of a waste classification system and evaluates present classification systems with respect to these attributes. These discussions essentially summarize the rationale for the development of a comprehensive and risk-based hazardous waste classification system. 

Section 7 then addresses the implications of the recommended risk-based waste classification system. By assuming key parameters (e.g., values of acceptable risk, characteristics of exposure scenarios) and applying the system to a variety of example waste streams, the question of how existing wastes would be classified in the new system is investigated. This Section also summarizes the legal and regulatory ramifications of the proposed hazardous waste classification system. 

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