Assessment of the mineral industry NORM/TENORM disposal in hazardous landfills

The main objective of this paper is to describe the assessment methodology utilised in Brazil, to foresee the performance of industrial landfills to disposal solid wastes containing natural radionuclides arising from milling and metallurgical installations that process ores containing NORM. An integrated methodology is utilized and issues as risk, exposure pathways and the plausible scenarios in which the contaminant can migrate and reach the environment and human beings are addressed. A specific example of the procedure is described and results are presented for actual situations. The model consists of an engineered depository constructed of earthen materials which minimise costs and maintain integrity over long-term. In order to define the landfill characteristics and the potential consequences to the environment, an impact analysis is carried out, considering the engineering aspects of the waste deposit and the exposure pathways by which the contaminant can migrate and reach the environment and human beings. Analytical solutions are used in the computer program in order to obtain fast results.