TENORM is Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material. Rocks and soil contain natural radioactivity. When resources are extracted from the earth, the natural radioactive material comes with those resources. In processing the desired resource, the radioactive material is removed and becomes a waste. The radioactive wastes from extraction and processing are called 'Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive-Material' (TENORM) because human activity has concentrated the radioactivity or increased the likelihood of exposure by making the radioactive material more accessible to human contact.
The most common naturally occurring radioactive elements are uranium, thorium, radium, and radon. Common sources of TENORM waste are mining, mineral processing, oil and gas production, and drinking water and wastewater treatment. TENORM wastes are not specifically regulated by EPA or NRC. As a result, the responsibility for regulating TENORM disposal falls to the states.
