A framework is being developed for the comparative life-cycle risk evaluation of the risks and risk trade-offs associated with disposition of wastes generated from Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear material production. Developing a risk-informed decision that considers human health along with other social and ecological factors should include explicit consideration of the trade-offs between reductions in human health risk achieved through each remediation option and the additional human health risks incurred as part of achieving that option. Integrated evaluation of this range of human health risks often is not achieved as part of the remedial decision process. Two preliminary evaluations of the proposed framework to the Idaho Site are presented. The first involves the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) where wastes contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials were buried in unlined pits, trenches, and vaults. The SDA lies above an aquifer that supplies water to many residents in southeast Idaho. The second evaluation involves the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) where approximately 4400 m3 of calcined high-level waste from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing activities is stored in stainless steel bin sets each encased in a thick concrete vault.




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