Nuclear Regulation: Action Needed to Control Radioactive Contamination at
Sewage Treatment Plants (Testimony, 06/21/94, GAO/T-RCED-94-247).

Radioactive materials are sometimes discharged into municipal sewer
systems by hospitals, decontamination laundries, research facilities,
and manufacturers licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
NRC regulations fall short, however, in controlling low-level
radioactive wastes being discharged into municipal sewer systems,
possibly putting treatment plant workers, plant property, and the
general public at risk. During the past decade, at least nine cases of
radioactive contamination of sewage sludge have occurred at treatment
plants. One of the most recent was the inadvertent discovery by NRC in
1991 of radioactive contamination at the Southerly Sewage Treatment
Plant in Cleveland, Ohio. NRC has concluded that the elevated radiation
levels at the site do not pose health or safety risks to plant workers
or to the public. The facility has already spent more than $1.5 million
for on-site cleanup and a secured fence, and estimates for off-site
disposal range as high as $3 billion.  The full extent of contamination
at other treatment plants nationwide is unknown because (1) NRC has
inspected only 15 of the 1,100 NRC licensees that may discharge
radioactive material to determine if a concentration problem exists, (2)
NRC does not know how many of the estimated 3,000 "agreement state"
licensees may have been inspected, and (3) neither NRC nor the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires treatment plants to test
for the presence of radioactive materials in sewage sludge. Exposure to
treatment plant sludge, ash, and related by-products can occur in a
variety of ways. For example, some of the substances are used for
agricultural and residential purposes, such as lawn fertilizer. NRC and
EPA studies on the health effects of radioactive materials in sewage
sludge and ash have been inconclusive.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-94-247
     TITLE:  Nuclear Regulation: Action Needed to Control Radioactive 
             Contamination at Sewage Treatment Plants
      DATE:  06/21/94
   SUBJECT:  Sewage treatment
             Environmental monitoring
             Water pollution control
             Radioactive wastes
             Nuclear waste disposal
             Nuclear waste management
             Safety regulation
             Occupational safety
             Nuclear radiation monitoring
             Independent regulatory commissions
IDENTIFIER:  Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Southerly Sewage 
             Treatment Plant (OH)
             
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