{"operation":"document","citation":"06-0003","title":"Thompson & Simmons, PLLC — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2006-06-26","effective_on":null,"summary":"06-0003 response to Thompson & Simmons, PLLC concerning 173.401, 173.436.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-06-0003.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-06-0003.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-06-0003","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2006/060003.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nus ansporation\n400 Seventh Street, S.W.\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nPipeline and\nHazardous Materials Safety\nAdministration\nJUN 2 6 2006\nMr. Charles T. Simmons\nRef. No.: 06-0003\n1225 Nineteenth St., NW, Suite 300\nThompson & Simmons, PLLC\nWashington, DC 20036\nDear Mr. Simmons:\nThis is in response to your December 28, 2005 letter regarding the transportatior of\nradionuclide-bearing drinking water treatment wastes under the Hazardous Materials\nthe meaning of the phrase \"natural materials\" in § 173.401(b)(4). Your questions are\nRegulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically you ask several questions related to\nparaphrased and answered as follows:\nQ1. Does the exception for \"natural materials\" in § 173.401(b)(4) include naturally\nradionuclides from public drinking water supplies and are intended to be managed as\noccurring zeolite water treatment medium that have absorbed naturally occurring\nwaste?\nAl.\nThe answer is no. The term \"natural materials\" in § 173.401(b)(4) means materials\nand radionuclides existing in nature, not those produced by humans. Radionuclides\naddressed by § 173.401(b)(4) do not include those contained in filters used in\nremoval of radionuclides from drinking water, produced in nuclear reactors, or by\noccurring radionuclides in public drinking water supplies are absorbed onto zeolite\nother technological means. In the scenario described in your letter, the naturally\nmedium through a water treatment procer. Therefore, these radionuclides, while\nthe zeolite medium since they are transferred from another medium (i.e., the water).\nnaturally occurring in the pre-treatment drinking water, are not naturally occurring in\nIf the zeolite medium contains naturally occurring radionuclides prior to its use as a\nfiltering medium, the exception in § 173.401(b)(4) is applicable. However, after the\nare absorbed. § 173.401(b)(4) does not apply.\ndrinking water is processed through the zeolite medium and additional radionuclides\n02.\nDo the radionuclide activity concentration values for exempt material in § 173.436\napply to parent nuclides when footnote b is referenced?\nA2.\nThe answer is yes. Daughter products listed in association with a specific parent\nradionuclide in Footnote (b) in § 173.436 are accounted for when determining the\nexempt value for the parent in the Table in $ 173.436\n173.401(64)\n173.436\n060003\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\n03.\nDoes the radium-228 activity concentration for exempt material account for progeny,\nincluding thorium-228 and its decay products?\nThorium-228 is not included as a daughter product of radium-228. Based on\nFootnote (b) in § 173.436, only actinium-228 is accounted for in the activity\nconcentration exemption value for radium-228.\nQ4.\nMay a person who offers for transportation a radium specific drinking water\ntreatment media rely on the § 173.436 activity concentration value for radium-228\nbased on the parent nuclide only?\nA4.\nThe entry for radium-228 in Footnote (b) in § 173.436 specifies the presence of\nthe material utilizing the formula in § 173.433(d)(6).\ncontact this office.\nI hope this information is helpful. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to\nSincerely,\nHattie L. Mitchell\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Standards\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nPollack\nTHOMPSON & SIMMONS, PLLC.\n3173.401(b)(4)\n1225 19th Street, N. W., Suite 300\nWashington, D. C. 20036\n$173.436\n202.496.0780/202.496.9111\nFax: 202.496.0783\nRAM\n06-0003\nWaterbury, Connecticut 06702\n440 Meadow Street\nANTHONY]. THOMPSON\nDecember 28, 2005\nCHARLES T. SIMMONS\nVia E-Mail and U.S. Mail\nimmons@athompsonlaw.co\ndmitted in CT and D.\nDirector of Hazmat Standards\nMr. Edward Mazzullo\nCHRISTOPHER S. PUGSLEY\nUSDOT/PHMSA, Suite 8422\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Safety\n400 7' Street, S.W.\nWashington, D.C. 20590-3012\nRE: Request for Regulatory Interpretation\nDear Mr. Mazzullo:\nregulations pursuant to 49 C.F.R. 107.14(b) made on behalf of Water Remediation\nThis is a request for interpretation of U.S. Department of Transportation (\"DOT\")\nechnology, Inc. (\"WRI\"\nprocesses\nradionuclides from drinking water supplies.\nThis request generally relates to DOT regulations implementing the IAEA TS-R-1\nregulations governing the safe transportation of radioactive materials, and specificall\nertains to the 49 C.F.R. 173.401(b)(4) exemption from the scope of regulation fol\n\"natural materials and ores\" as it applies to radionuclide-bearing drinking water treatment\nederal standards by 2007. Unlike conventional technologies that discharge radionuclide\nnunicipal drinking water providers nationwide to remove radionuclides to meet very lo\nion selective media, which must, when saturated, be transported for waste management or\ndisposal. Because the spent media will contain radionuclides, it is important that\n(radioactive) hazardous material could be a disincentive to complete radionuclide\nHaving to transport spent treatment media as Class 7\nremoval and isolation, as offered by WRT's technology.\n' For further information, please see: http://www.wrtnet.com.\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\nMr. Edward Mazzullo\nPage 2\nDecember 28, 2005\nmeeting with DOT staff, if necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned if\nWe welcome the opportunity to clarify any of the information presented in this request by\nDOT has any questions or requires further information regarding this request\nI. Background Information\nbackground radioactivity has been shown to be highly variable worldwide, depending on\nThe primordial radionuclides are ubiquitous in the natural environment and natural\nocal geological influences (Reterence: EPA NORM Report 1991; Myrick, T.E., B.A\nerven, and F.F. Haywood, \"Determination of Concentrations of Selected Radionuclide\nin Surface Soil in the U.S.,\" Health Physics, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 631-642, 1983;\nUNSCEAR 1998). Human interactions with the natural environment can alter the\nradionuclide content of natural materials, or cause the removal of radionuclides from one\nenvironmental medium and subsequent transfer to another.\nChemical and/or physical processing of materials obtained from the earth is often\nmunicipal drinking water supplied from deep wells must meet federally imposed\nrequired to purify such materials to render them fit for a particular purpose. For example,\nistributed EPA's ae leation crae into fect in 20d and municipal so be carele\nstruggling with how to meet them.\nShese cite a can be met by chenie or prysical rening dead imm dies in water,\nonly to transport them to another environmental medium. Hydrous manganese oxide\n(\"HMO\") and reverse osmosis processes, for example, result in the discharge of\nconcentrated radionuclides to surface water or the sewer.\nWRI manufactures, installs and maintains an alternative technology for radionuclide\nemoval through contact with a radionuclide-specific absorhent zeolite medium tha\nthe alkaline and alkaline-earth metals.3\nelectively absorbs radium. Zeolites are naturally occurring hydrated aluminosilicates o\nvessel, which fluidizes the bed of media and results in absorbed radionuclides being\nThe WRT technology employs an upflow movement of water through the treatment\nis not regenerated by stripping off the radioactive material and discharging these\nRadionuclides are transferred from drinking water to the treatment media, and the media\nradioactive residuals to the environment (e.g., to the sewer). The spent media must be\n3 United States Geological Survey, \"Zeolites\"(1995).\n2 See: 67 Fed. Reg. 76708, December 7, 2000.\n1225 19'h Street, NW., Suite 300 • Washington, DC 20036\n\n<<<PAGE 5>>>\n\nMr. Edward Mazzullo\nDecember 28, 2005\nPage 3\nmedia may range from 1 to 10 or more Bq/g. It is therefore critical that persons who offer\ntransported for waste management or disposal, and the activity concentration of the\nthese materials for transportation understand how the current exemption language of\n§173.401(b)(4) applies to this material.\nII. The Regulations\nDOT's regulations harmonizing 49 C.F.R. 173 with the International Atomic Energy\nAgency's (\"IAEA's) TS-R-1 Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material,\neffective October 1, 2004, contain the following provision:\n§173.401 Scope\n(b) This subpart does not apply to:\n(4) natural material and ores containing naturally occurring radionuclides which\ne not intended to be processed for use of these radionuclides, provided th\ntivity concentration does not exceed 10 times the values specified in $173.43(\nincludes the following information for the naturally occurring radionuclides Ra-226 and\nThe table at §173.436 shows a variety of parameters for different radionuclides, and\nRa-228:\nRadion clide\nSymbol of\nElement and\nAtomic\nActivity con-\nActivity con-\nActivity limit\nNumber\nconsignment\nfor exempt\nActivity limit\noration for\ncentration for\nnateria\nmaterial\nexempt\n(Bg/g)\n(Ci/g)\nRa-226(b)\n1.0 x 10'\n2.7 × 10-10\n1.0 x 104\n2.7 x 10]\nRa-228(b)\n1.0 10'\n2.7 x 10-10\n1.0 x 105\n2.7 x 10°\nsecular equilibrium are listed in the following:\" and identifies the following decay chains\nFootnote b to the table at §173.436 states \"Parent nuclides and their progeny included in\nfor Ra-226 and Ra-228:\nRa-226 Rn-222; Po-218; Pb-214; Bi-214; Po-214; Pb-210; Bi-210; Po-210\nRa-228 Ac-228\n1225 19'h Street, NW., Suite 300 • Washington, DC 20036\n\n<<<PAGE 6>>>\n\nMr. Edward Mazzullo\nDecember 28, 2005\nPage 4\nIll. Request for Clarification\nA. Scope of \"natural materials.\"\nWe are seeking clarification of the phrase \"natural materials\" in the first clause of\n§173.401(b)(4) as it applies to natural materials that are used to absorb natural\nradionuclides from drinking water.\nAn important distinction separating \"natural\" from \"artificial\" is that the radionuclides in\ndeep aquifers are all naturally occurring and not man-made - e.g., created in a particle\naccelerator or nuclear reactor. In the case of WRT's technology for radium removal from\ndrinking water, a non-radioactive zeolite - a type of natural clay - is used to absorb the\nradionuclides from drinking water in a manner that evenly distributes the radionuclides\nthroughout the zeolite media. In the drinking water treatment context, the quality of\n\"naturalness\" called for in the regulation should be liberally construed! to include\nmaterials onto which naturally occurring radionuclides are absorbed from drinking water\nMoreover, the radium that is removed from drinking water is not intended io be \"used\"\npursuant to a federal mandate and is intended to be disposed of at an approved disposal\nfor any particular purpose.\nRather, radium must be removed from drinking water\nfacility.\nmedia exceeding 1 Bq/g as Class 7 (radioactive) hazardous material\nTo conclude otherwise may require public water providers to transport water treatment\n§173.401(b)(4) encompasses naturally occurring zeolite water treatment media that\nonsequently, we request DOT clarify that the exemption for \"natural materials\" in\nhave absorbed naturally occurring radionuclides from public drinking water supplies\nand are intended to be managed as waste.\nB. The 10x exemption of §173.436\ndrinking water treatment media containing uranium and/or radium, as follows.\n1225 19th Street, NW., Suite 300 • Washington, DC 20036\n\n<<<PAGE 7>>>\n\nMr. Edward Mazzullo\nDecember 28, 2005\nPage 5\nFor example, the\nintended to convey the message that the activities of decay progeny are taken into\naccount in the $173.436 table values.\nPlease confirm that the radionuclide activity concentration for exempt material values\nin §173.436 that reference footnote b apply to parent nuclides.\nRa-228 would have an exempt activity concentration of 10 x 10 Bq/g, or 100 Bq/g Ra-\nmaterial is 10 Bq/g and that under §173.401(b)(4), natural materials and ores containing\n228. The §173.436 table listing for Ra-228 references footnote b, which identifies only\nthe Ac-228 decay isotope, unlike Ra-226 which identifies the full complement of its\ndecay progeny, including the relatively longer half-life Pb-210, in footnote b. Our\n• Whether only listing Ac-228 in the footnote b decay series for Ra-228 is a result\nof technical modeling done by IAEA and takes the full complement of Ra-228\ndecay progeny into account; or\n•\nWhether the regulations are intended to restrict computing Ra-228 activity\nconcentration to the activity concentrations of the Ra-228 and Ac-228 isotopes.\n[This interpretation could mean that materials having an exernpt activity\nconcentration of Ra-228 could ultimately become non-exempt over time, as Th-\nconcentration than kas, 28 cies 8 versus 10m Bc for eateral matais ty\nores satisfying the §173.401(b)(4) exemption).]\nTherefore, we request the following:\n• Please clarify whether the Ra-228 activity concentration for exempt material\naccounts for progeny, including Th-228 and its decay products; and\nWhether a person transporting a radium-specific drinking water treatmen\nredia may rely on the 8173.436 exemption value for Ra-228 bused on th\nparent nuclide alone.\n4 See: Report from the Special Working Group on Exemption (Backelandt, et al., 1996),\nnuclide.\"\n\"Where daughter products are involved, these values refer to the activity of the parent\n1225 19\"h Street, NW., Suite 300 • Washington, DC 20036\n\n<<<PAGE 8>>>\n\nMr. Edward Mazzullo\nPage 6\nDecember 28, 2005\nIV. Conclusions\nThe requested clarifications will greatly assist WRT and municipal drinking water\nrequirements and maintaining compliance with DOT's regulations\nproviders charged with radium removal from the nation's water supply in meeting EPA'\nhesitate to contact the undersigned if you have any questions or require further\nPlease do not\ninformation.\nSincerely,\nCharles le\nTieres\nCharles T. Simmons\nCc: Fred Ferate, Health Physicist\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Technology DHM - 23\n1225 19t Street, NW., Suite 300 • Washington, DC 20036","truncated":false,"body_characters":13755}