What is Decontamination and decommissioning

While a lot of us may have a vague idea of what hazardous waste disposal is, it is safe to assume that most of us don’t know what really goes into it. Actually, decontamination and decommissioning is one of the main steps in hazardous waste disposal. Of course, it follows that we would want to know the reason behind it/ Why is it important to have decontamination and decommissioning, and what would happen if we decided to skip these steps instead. These questions are the ones we will tackle in our post today.

Machinery and equipment get old. So do buildings, and at some point they need to be taken down to either be repaired or replaced. When the DOE declares a facility like an old factory or an old plant as surplus, it is first shut down. Then, it is prepared for both decontamination and decommissioning.

To put it simply, decontamination and decommissioning is the safe way to dismantle, remove and of course, decontaminate different structures. This process is applicable to structures or facilities that may once have had, or continue to have hazardous chemicals in them. Decontamination and decommissioning is important so that old structures and facilities can be safely released or reused, depending on the need. Decontamination and decommissioning is most often performed on nuclear reactor plants, storage tanks, processing plants and old laboratories, to name a few.

The first step of decontamination and decommissioning is to assess the severity of the hazard, or the amount of contamination the facility has. Decontamination and decommissioning involve the use of various chemical and radiological sensors. Robotic samplers are also used to determine the most effective clean up method that will be used for the particular project. After decontamination and decommissioning, it is expected that the area, or the surplus materials be safe for future or other uses.

This, in a nutshell is what D & D is all about. It’s main purpose is to make a place or a facility safe and free from different chemical hazards. Buildings and plants should not skip this step, as serious consequences may happen if they do.