Environmental monitoring for a low-level radioactive waste management facility: incinerator operations

An environmental monitoring program has been developed for Harvard University, Southborough campus, to assess the local environmental concentrations of radionuclides released in incinerator effluents. The campus is host to the University's low-level radioactive waste management facility, which consists of 6,000 drum capacity decay-storage buildings; a 250 drum capacity decay-storage freezer; and a controlled-air incinerator. Developmental considerations were based on the characteristics and use of the incinerator, which has a capacity of 8 tons per day and is operated 5% of the time for the volume reduction of Type 0 and Type 4 wastes contaminated with a variety of radionuclides used in biomedical research-some in microsphere form. Monitoring was established for air, leafy vegetation, leaf-litter, and surface soil media. Field sampling was optimized regarding location and time based on the action of atmospheric, terrestrial, and biotic transport mechanisms. Preliminary results indicate transient concentrations of 3H and 125I in vegetation directly exposed to the dispersing plume. Measurable particulate depositions have not been observed.