Single-shell tank constituent rankings for use in preparing waste characterization plans

Waste characterization efforts for underground single-shell tanks (SSTs) containing chemical and radioactive mixed wastes at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site are currently under way. As a component of this effort, an analysis was conducted to give a preliminary ranking of possible constituents in the SST waste and provide data for establishing detection limit requirements for the SST characterization effort. These SST constituent rankings were based on a relative comparison using potential human health impacts modeled using a hypothetical exposure scenario. This modeling effort used preliminary estimates of the SST inventories, simplified estimates of constituent release rates and environmental transport, a hypothetical usage location, and a standard Hanford exposure scenario. The results of this evaluation are SST constitutents for each of six groups of SSTs ranked according to their relative potential for impacts. The relative rankings for different recharge rates at the tank farms were nearly equivalent. Sensitivity tests demonstrated that the rankings are influenced by changes in recharge and transport parameters. 45 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs