Characterization of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste Glass for Hazardous Components

The Department of Energy's (DOE) responsibility to manage the nation's high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel requires compliance with a number of statutes and regulations. The applicability of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to the storage and disposal of these wastes is not known at this time due to limited data on the presence or absence of RCRA 'listed' wastes or the rate at which hazardous metals leach from the wastes. DOE is planning to test spent nuclear fuel and vitrified high-level waste using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure to determine if they are considered RCRA hazardous wastes.