Institutional control chemical waste facilities

The similarities are of the following kinds. First, neither classification system includes a general class of exempt waste. Second, neither classification system is comprehensive, because the classification system for radioactive waste distinguishes between fuel-cycle and NARM waste and the classification system for hazardous chemical waste excludes many potentially important wastes that contain hazardous chemicals. Third, any waste must be managed and disposed of in a manner that is expected to protect public health and the environment. In addition, the approach to disposal of hazardous chemical waste under RCRA, which emphasizes monitoring of releases from disposal facilities and an intention to maintain institutional control over disposal sites for as long as the waste remains hazardous, is applied to disposal of uranium or thorium mill tailings under AEA. 

Essentially all solidified hazardous chemical waste is intended for disposal in near-surface facilities, with prescribed actions to prevent unacceptable releases of hazardous material (e.g., leachate collection and treatment). However, these facilities have been developed and operated essentially without consideration of the potential long-term risks posed by the waste in the absence of active monitoring and maintenance, including potential risks to future inadvertent intruders, or the requirements on site closure and release from institutional control that would ensure long-term protection of public health and the environment. 

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