A Preliminary Chemical Toxicity Assessment for the Nirex Disposal Concept
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$3UHOLPLQDU\&KHPLFDO7R[LFLW\$VVHVVPHQWIRUWKH1LUH['LVSRVDO&RQFHSW M.M. Askarieh1, R. Atkinson, A.J. Baker, A.V. Chambers, T.G. Heath and S.J. Williams2 Serco Assurance, Building 150, Harwell, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QJ, UK 1 United Kingdom Nirex Limited, Curie Avenue, Harwell, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0RH, UK 2 AEA Technology plc, Building 220, Harwell, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QJ, UK $%675$&7 The role of Nirex is to provide the United Kingdom with safe, environmentally sound and publicly acceptable options for the long-term management of all intermediate level and some low level radioactive waste. Nirex has developed its Phased Disposal Concept as one option for the long-term management of radioactive materials. The Phased Disposal Concept represents a stepwise and reversible approach to the disposal of radioactive waste within a deep geological repository that involves the immobilisation of wastes in containers (mainly fabricated from stainless steel) that are surrounded by a cementitious backfill. The wastes for potential disposal contain materials that may require consideration on the basis of their potential non-radiological hazards. This paper describes a preliminary two-stage methodology for assessing the post-closure impact of the disposal of chemically toxic materials to a conceptual Nirex repository. The study suggests some materials either exceeded current estimates of safe levels, or their impact could not be quantified at this stage but was considered to be of concern. These materials included beryllium, phenol, benzene, and nitrite. ,1752'8&7,21 The Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive (NIREX) was set up in 1982 to implement a strategy for the safe disposal of wastes of low and intermediate radioactivity on behalf of the British nuclear industry. In 1985 NIREX became a limited company – United Kingdom Nirex Limited – known as “Nirex”. Although previous Nirex performance assessments for their repository concept have focused on potential radiological risks to human health and compliance with an annual individual risk target (for example [1]), the waste inventory contains other materials that present potential nonradiological hazards to human health. In the case of chemically toxic material, no equivalent risk target has been specified to date. However, it has become a common practice in the international radioactive waste disposal community (e.g. [2]) to examine other factors that could have impacts on the environment other than the radiological impacts. The waste inventory contains metals, anions and organic materials that are known to be toxic to people. Other toxic materials, for example, organic molecules and gases, will be produced from the degradation of the waste and waste packaging materials. A two-stage methodology has been developed to describe the impact to human health of the disposal of chemically toxic materials to a conceptual Nirex repository. The adverse effects of chemically toxic materials on humans have only been considered in this study with regards to the consumption of potentia
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