Draft Details

1.1 General

This Standard pertains to the characterization of radioactive waste and irradiated fuel. This Standard:

specifies the overall requirements for establishing and implementing a waste characterization strategy, program, and plan;

specifies methodologies for the sampling and characterization of radioactive waste and irradiated fuel;

provides guidance for the timing of waste characterization planning and execution;

provides guidance on waste characterization during nuclear decommissioning and site remediation; and

provides guidance for reporting of waste characterization results.

Notes:

In this Standard, both the terms “waste” and “radioactive waste” are used to refer to “radioactive waste and irradiated fuel”.

Characterization of different wastes, such as LLW, ILW or HLW (including irradiated fuel), can present different challenges due to the specific hazards and controls necessary to manage the waste. For requirements and guidance on the safe management of radioactive waste, see CSA N292.0.

1.2 Steps in the radioactive waste management process

This Standard applies to waste characterization during all steps in the radioactive waste management process:

generation;

handling;

processing;

transport;

storage; and

disposal.

Note: The objectives of waste characterization could be different for the various steps in the radioactive waste management process, and so the waste characterization data required could also vary to support these objectives.

1.3 Waste container and waste packages

This Standard provides guidance on:

the characterization of stored waste (e.g., contained within waste containers and/or waste packages), including the interactions between the waste and waste containers/packages; and

the characterization of waste not contained in a waste container or waste package, such as waste from site remediation and in-situ decommissioning.

1.4 Exclusions

This Standard excludes the exemption or clearance of waste, and the characterization of  naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) and technologically enhanced, naturally occurring radioactive material (TENORM), and uranium mine and mill tailings.

Notes:

See CSA N292.5 for guidance on exemption and clearance.

Users of this Standard within Canada are reminded that management of hazardous wastes is a matter of provincial jurisdiction unless the waste is transported across provincial or national borders, in which case federal jurisdiction would apply. For mixed waste, requirements under the federal AHJ also apply. This Standard is not intended to supersede requirements of the AHJ pertaining to the characterization of conventional hazardous properties of radioactive waste and, in certain cases, it might not satisfy these requirements. For those jurisdictions that follow the system of classification developed by the U.S. EPA, guidance on characterization of hazardous waste is available in references including U.S. EPA SW-846, U.S. EPA 530-R-12-001, and provincial requirements.

For guidance on the characterization of NORM and TENORM, see Lehto and Hou (2011) and L’Annunziata (2020).

1.5 CSA N292.0

This Standard is used in conjunction with CSA N292.0.

1.6 Users

This Standard applies to waste organizations or facilities that generate, handle, process, transport, store, and dispose radioactive waste and irradiated fuel.

Notes:

Waste organizations can include, but are not limited to, waste generators, waste brokers, waste receivers, waste processors, and waste management facility operating organizations.

Examples of facilities include, but are not limited to, nuclear reactors, waste management facilities, research institutes, medical facilities, manufacturing facilities, laboratories, and industrial facilities.

This Standard may be applied by other facilities using a graded approach.

This Standard may be applied to the design of facilities.

See CSA N292.0 for guidance on the graded approach, and Clause 4.1.3 of CSA N286 regarding application of the graded approach.

1.7 Terminology

In this Standard, “shall” is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; “should” is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised, but not required; and “may” is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.