Effects of Icrp Publication 30 and the 1980 Beir Report on Hazard Assessments of High-level Waste

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Abstract
ICRP [International Commission on Radiological Protection] Publication 30 (ICRP30) gave the radiation dose to various body organs in Sv/Bq, which were translated into rad/Ci ingested for various radioisotopes; the 1980 BEIR [Committee of Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation] Report (BEIR III) gave the risk of fatal cancer/rad dose to each body organ; the ORIGEN 2 Code gave the Ci/ton initial U fuel in high level waste and in spent fuel. The product of these, Ci/ton .times. rad/Ci .times. risk/rad gave the risk/ton in terms of fatal cancer doses if ingested/ton U. When the resulting curves were compared with those calculated previously (based on ICRP Pulbication 2 and the 1972 BEIR Report), the hazard was less for the 1st century but more thereafter. The principal sources of this greatly increased hazard were the 100-fold increase in absorption through the gut for 237Np in ICRP 30, plus the high cancer risk from radiation to liver in BEIR II. Some consequences of these changes and some scientific questions relevant to ascertaining their validity were discussed.

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