RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS & CONSUMER PRODUCTS….So what are the big points?

The Department of Energy made a mess with nuclear materials that contaminated a lot of virgin material. Now this stuff isn’t needed any more, so it is considered waste…

Instead of paying the high price to keep nuclear waste out of our environment, the Department wants to PRETEND that radiation is not hazardous, OR that this material is not contaminated, OR that we are stupid…. and they want to just say "here, you take this stuff."

This radioactive scrap metal includes some precious metals like gold and platinum – would be sold off to dealers, dumped into general recycle, and simply released with no restrictions what-so-ever…so there would be no barrier to re-use and recycle into construction materials and consumer products…imagine radioactive wedding rings!

• DOE MUST KEEP ALL OF THE CONTAMINATED STUFF THEY HAVE, and when they are done with it, and cannot reuse it in nuclear missions, treat it as radioactive waste and keep it away from people, water and our environment.
• DOE IS ALREADY KEEPING SOME METALS FROM RECYCLE AND RELEASE, AND THEY SHOULD CONTINUE WITH THIS -- there are many tons of contaminated nickel which the out cry of people caused DOE to stop their plan to release and recycle…this should become a permanent policy, not a temporary ban.
• NO DOE RADIOACTIVE WASTE SHOULD BE SENT TO REGULAR LANDFILLS FOR DISPOSAL this is not adequate protection!
• DOE SHOULD INSTITUE A PROGRAM TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF VIRGIN MATERIAL THAT THEY BRING TO THEIR SITES, and thereby reduce the amount of newly contaminated stuff they have.
• SINCE THERE IS NO SAFE DOSE OF RADIATION, AND ALL DOSES ADD UP, DOE MUST DEFINE RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND CONTAMINATION AS ANY RADIOACTIVITY ABOVE NORMAL, NATURAL LEVELS.
• NO LEVEL OF RELEASE OR RECYCLE OF RAD WASTE IS OK. DO NOT GO FORWARD WITH THIS PLAN FOR METAL OR ANY OTHER STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for speaking out on this issue! If others have missed this meeting (or you have more thoughts) and want to make written comments, they can do so by sending their thoughts to the following address: Rad Metals Comments Office of Technical Program EM–22, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585–0113.

Via fax to Metals 301–903–9770 or send e-mail to Metals.Disposition.PEIS@em.doe.gov.