Waste package components

If colloids generated by waste package component interactions readily flocculate or are otherwise removed from solution soon after formation, they may not represent a waste management problem because colloidal transport of radionuclides would be limited. 

Since crushed basalt has been recommended as a major backfill component (1), experiments were completed to evaluate the rate of dissolved oxygen consumption and the redox conditions that develop in basalt-water systems under conditions similar to those expected in the near-field environment of a waste package. Two approaches to this problem were used in this study (l)the As(III)/As(V) redox couple as an indirect method of monitoring Eh and (2) the measurement of dissolved oxygen levels in solutions from hydrothermal experiments as a function of time. The first approach involves oxidation state determinations on trace levels of arsenic in solution (4-5) and provides an estimate of redox conditions over restricted intervals of time, depending on reaction rates and sensitivities of the analyses. The arsenic oxidation state approach also provides data at conditions that are more reducing than in solutions with detectable levels of dissolved oxygen. 

The three examples above are illustrative of a number of OCR waste components that have been addressed when assessing GCR waste packages for disposal. 

Decontamination facilities should be provided for removing radioactive material from the surfaces of casks and packages (e.g. transport containers for irradiated fuel elements or waste packages) before shipment, from components that may need to be repaired and from tools and equipment. 

Humans may be exposed to 2,3-benzofuran by inhalation, ingestion, or dermal absorption. Based on the limited data available, exposure of the general population to 2,3-benzofuran does not appear to be substantial. However, since this compound has been detected at hazardous waste sites, is reported to be a component of cigarette smoke, and is one monomer in a resin which may be used as a coating on citrus fruits and in packaging materials for foods, human exposure may be possible from these sources. People in Britain who had died in fires had 2,3-benzofuran in some blood samples, but no source of exposure was identified (Anderson and Harland 1980). 2,3-Benzofuran was... 

Modern science and industry have provided a growing supply of material products. When they reach the end of their useful life, they become solid waste, and disposing of it has become a growing problem. Worst of all is over-packaging to stimulate sales, so discarded packaging is the major contributor to this solid waste. Plastics are not the major component of solid waste but because of their low density, bright colors, and relative weather-resistance, they are the most obvious component. It would be desirable to remove them from solid waste by recycling. 

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