Modeling and analyses to support EPA's low-level radioactive waste standards

EPA is developing a generally applicable standard for the management and disposal of LLW as part of the US National Radioactive Waste Management Program. It will issue a proposed standard in September 1981 and a final standard in early 1984. EPA will use predetermined models to estimate the health risks and costs/benefits from disposing of LLW by a number of land and sea disposal alternatives. These estimates will be used to support EPA's decision on the proposed standard and for the supporting EIS and Regulatory Analysis. This paper describes why EPA is using a generic systems approach to modeling the impact of LLW disposal, the types of disposal alternatives which will be evaluated, its approach to cost/benefit analysis, the current status of model development, general input data requirements for the model, and a general schedule for development of the models and the standard