Assessing the Risks - TSCA Incinerator - U.S. Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC (DOE)

DOE, regulators and the public must be assured that no unacceptable risks to the public, the environment and workers are presented by the operation of the incinerator. Operating in compliance with the regulations and permits ensures that the incinerator does not pose an unacceptable risk.

In 1997, Governor Don Sundquist appointed an Independent Panel to review the operation of the incinerator. The Independent Panel Report issued on January 29, 1998, recommended that the TSCA Incinerator continue to be operated and provided a number of other recommendations. The report can be viewed at the DOE Information Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, Tenn. (phone: 865-241-4780).

A detailed facility-specific Risk Assessment has been performed as part of the RCRA permit renewal currently under way. The purpose of the RCRA risk assessment is to evaluate potential human health and ecological risks posed by non-radiological emissions from the incinerator. Specific constituents of potential concern are identified to be included in the risk assessment. The constituents of potential concern are selected based on the waste which is typically burned in the incinerator and the toxicity of the constituents. For the TSCA incinerator risk assessment, the constituents of concern include organic compounds from the waste feed, products of incomplete combustion and metals. The risk posed by these constituents is determined based on the Trial Burn emissions data and the pathways by which people or other receptors are exposed to these constituents. For human health, the work plan quantifies not only the inhalation pathway but also the indirect exposure pathways of soil and water ingestion, as well as contaminant exposure through aquatic and terrestrial food chains. The ecological portion of the work plan assesses potential risks to wildlife and other ecological receptors near the incinerator through direct and indirect exposure to emissions.

The RCRA risk assessment work plan was approved by the State of Tennessee on October 14, 2005, and the risk assessment has been completed. The report was submitted to the State of Tennessee in April 2006. A copy of the assessment results are available for review at the DOE Information Center.

In response to a request from the State of Tennessee, the Department of Energy has also prepared and submitted a risk assessment work plan for assessment of the risks posed by radiological emissions from the incinerator. This risk assessment was completed in 2006. A copy of the risk assessment report is available for review at the Information Center.