NS RWM6 flashcards
NS RWM6 · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- ALARA principle
- As Low As Reasonably Achievable; requires that radiation doses be reduced below regulatory limits while considering economic, social, and technical factors.
- Annual limit on intake
- The activity of a radionuclide that, if inhaled or ingested over a year, would result in a committed effective dose equivalent equal to the annual occupational limit.
- Class A waste
- Low-level radioactive waste meeting the lowest concentration limits in 10 CFR 61.55; generally requires no special stability or containment for shallow land disposal.
- Class B waste
- Low-level waste exceeding Class A limits but within Class B limits; requires greater containment and stability than Class A waste for disposal.
- Class C waste
- Low-level waste with the highest allowable concentrations under 10 CFR 61.55; must be stable and disposed of with intruder barriers or below the surface.
- Greater-Than-Class C
- Low-level radioactive waste exceeding the Class C concentration limits in 10 CFR 61.55; generally not suitable for shallow land disposal and requires alternative disposal.
- Transuranic waste
- Waste containing alpha-emitting transuranic nuclides with half-lives greater than 20 years at concentrations exceeding 100 nCi/g (3,700 Bq/g) at the time of assay.
- High-level radioactive waste
- Highly radioactive material resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid and solid waste, or spent fuel itself, requiring permanent isolation.
- Mixed waste
- Radioactive waste that also contains hazardous chemical constituents regulated under RCRA; subject to joint NRC and EPA requirements.
- Waste acceptance criteria
- Facility-specific requirements specifying radionuclide limits, waste form, packaging, and documentation that waste must meet for disposal.
- Vitrification
- A conditioning process that incorporates high-level waste into a glass matrix, producing a stable, leach-resistant waste form for disposal.
- High-integrity container
- A disposal container designed to provide containment of Class B and C waste during the institutional control period, meeting structural and durability criteria.
- Institutional control period
- The period after closure of a low-level waste disposal facility, typically 100 years, during which the licensee maintains the site and monitors performance.
- Performance assessment
- A systematic analysis of the long-term behavior of a disposal facility, including radionuclide release, transport, and dose to future populations.
- Effluent concentration limit
- The concentration of a radionuclide in effluent released to an unrestricted area that must not be exceeded, as listed in 10 CFR 20, Appendix B, Table 2.
- Critical pathway
- The environmental pathway by which radionuclides from a facility reach humans and produce the highest dose, used in dose assessment.
- Lower limit of detection
- The minimum activity concentration that a measurement system can reliably detect; should be below applicable regulatory limits for compliance demonstration.
- Type B package
- A shipping package designed to withstand normal transport and hypothetical accident conditions, including drop, puncture, fire, and immersion tests.
- Transport index
- A dimensionless number derived from the maximum radiation level at 1 meter from a package surface, used to control package accumulation during transport.
- Excepted package
- A package containing very small quantities of radioactive material that is exempt from most packaging and labeling requirements due to low hazard.
- Emergency action level
- A predefined, observable criterion used to initiate emergency response actions; categories include Notification of Unusual Event, Alert, Site Area Emergency, and General Emergency.
- Protective action guide
- A projected dose that warrants a protective action such as sheltering, evacuation, or administration of stable iodine during a radiological emergency.
- Emergency planning zone
- A geographic area around a nuclear facility for which emergency response plans are developed; typically 10 miles for plume exposure and 50 miles for ingestion.
- Incident command system
- A standardized organizational structure for emergency response, including command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration sections.
- Quality assurance program
- A documented set of planned and systematic activities implemented to ensure that items and services affecting safety meet specified requirements.
- Corrective action
- The process of documenting, evaluating, and correcting deficiencies identified through audits, surveillance, or nonconformance reports, and verifying effectiveness.
- Records retention
- The requirement to maintain records such as waste disposal, environmental monitoring, and dosimetry for specified periods, often for the life of the license.
- Agreement State
- A state that has assumed regulatory authority from the NRC over byproduct, source, and small quantities of special nuclear material under Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act.
- Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act
- The 1980 U.S. law, amended in 1985, that made states responsible for disposing of low-level radioactive waste and allowed interstate compacts.
- Nuclear Waste Policy Act
- The 1982 U.S. law, as amended, that assigned the Department of Energy responsibility for permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
- Dose equivalent
- The product of absorbed dose and quality factor (and other modifying factors), expressed in rem or sievert, used to express radiation exposure.
- Derived air concentration
- The concentration of a radionuclide in air that, if breathed for a working year, would result in an intake equal to the annual limit on intake.