The DOE must demonstrate that there is a reasonable expectation that, for 10,000 years of undisturbed performance after disposal, releases of radionuclides from waste in the Yucca Mountain disposal system into the accessible environment will not cause the level of radioactivity in the representative volume of ground water to exceed the limits in the following Table 1:
Table 1--Limits on Radionuclides in the Representative Volume------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radionuclide or type of Is natural
radiation emitted Limit background included?------------------------------------------------------------------------Combined radium-226 and 5 picocuries per Yes.
radium-228. liter.Gross alpha activity 15 picocuries per Yes.
(including radium-226 but liter.
excluding radon and
uranium).Combined beta and photon 40 microsieverts (4 No.
emitting radionuclides. millirem) per year
to the whole body
or any organ, based
on drinking 2
liters of water per
day from the
representative
volume.------------------------------------------------------------------------