Concept of Radioactive Waste Disposal
... 1 The Concept of Radioactive Waste Disposal/Storage The International Atomic Energy Agency defines storage as: The placement of waste in a nuclear facility where isolation, environmental protection and human control are provided with the intent that the waste will be retrieved at a later time.(International Atomic Energy Agency website,2003) The primary distinction between "storage" and "disposal" is the phrase "with the intent that the waste will be retrieved at a later time". If waste retrieval is not intended, then it is "disposal". Radioactive wastes are typically stored for one or more of the following reasons: to allow them to decay to lower radioactivity levels; to temporarily hold them awaiting processing (or until a processing method has been developed); or to temporariliy hold them awaiting disposal (or until a disposal facility has been constructed). Each of these reasons may impose slightly different restrictions on storage in terms of length of time, physical form of the waste, radioactivity levels, etc. "Storage for decay" is a cost effective way to manage short lived, low level radioactive wastes. ... After this time, the waste is no longer radioactive and can be disposed of as conventional waste (of course, taking into account any other hazards that the waste might pose, such as biological hazards). ... (Radioactive waste organization website,2003) 3.2 Criterion for selecting a Disposal/Storage site As the waste being stored is hazardous, the site selection has to meet some very specific criteria to be safe under all circumstances: • In an area of low rainfall and have a stable rainfall which is unlikely to change rapidly; • Water table deep enough such that it does not interfere with stored waste; • Geological conditions should be of a nature that models of groundwater; movement can be made to predict movement of any migration of waste • Not near an area of known seismic activity; • In an area of low population density; • Groundwater in the region not used for human or agricultural use (Code of practice for the near-surface disposal of radioactive waste in Australia 2001,National Health and Medical Research Foundation website).