Radioactive Waste Packaging and Transport in the United States—A Look Into the Future

Abstract

A comprehensive review is presented of packaging and transport needs for the US Department of Energy (DOE) into the twenty-first century. Although the study considered all of the materials to be transported by or on behalf of DOE, this paper focuses on the transport of radioactive materials. Current DOE radioactive material transport activities were established, and projections for the future were then made. The results of the assessment indicate that DOE can expect to experience a rapid increase in the shipment of radioactive and other hazardous materials during the late 1990s and even greater increases on into the first decades of the twenty-first century. This projected increase, which results from planned extensive clean-up and remediation of facilities and sites, indicates that DOE must be prepared to accommodate these shipping needs relative to human resources, packaging, systems interfacing, logistics, regulatory compliance, training, and operations.