Legal and Regulatory Implications

Development of the generally applicable and risk-based waste classification system recommended by NCRP would have a number of important implications with regard to current laws and regulations  

7 Further Development of the Recommended Waste Classification System 

The waste classification system presented in this Report would apply to all radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes from any source, and it would be based on considerations of health risks to the public that arise from waste disposal. The recommended classification system differs from the existing waste classification systems in three respects radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes would be included in the same classification system all waste would be classified based on its properties, rather than its source and the classification system would include a general class of exempt waste. 

Many details would need to be considered in developing a new waste classification system based on the framework presented in this Report. Assumptions about generic scenarios for exposure of hypothetical inadvertent intruders at waste disposal sites to be used in classifying waste and the time frames for applying the scenarios would be required. Decisions would need to be made about negligible and acceptable (barely tolerable) doses or risks that would be used in classifying waste as exempt or low-hazard, respectively. 

In addition to the effort required to develop a comprehensive and risk-based hazardous waste classification system based on NCRP s recommendations, several legal and regulatory impediments would need to be addressed. However, the resulting classification system would be more transparent and understandable than the separate classification systems for radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes 

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The fundamental concept to controlling environmental pollution is that it is better to prevent environmental damage rather than have to cure the harm after an event has occurred. Apart from the environmental improvement there are other considerations and possible advantages to be considered. These include the legal and regulatory implications and the potential of commercially based incentives. 

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