Radioactive waste: Polite debate

Radioactive Waste Management

Disposal of Radioactive Waste

Perhaps the most important single problem arising from the increasing use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes is how to dispose of the growing amounts of radioactive waste. Many of its complex aspects were discussed at the scientific conference on the disposal of radioactive waste held by IAEA in Monaco from 16 to 21 November 1959. The conference was organized jointly with UNESCO, with the c...

Waste management Radioactive waste management policies

Eight senior government representatives outlined the views and policies of their countries in the field of radioactive waste management at a "scientific afternoon" during the 27th Regular Session of the General Conference of the IAEA in Vienna in October. The countries represented were Argentina, France, the Federal Republic of Germany. India, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the USA; sta...

Reframing nuclear power in the UK energy debate: nuclear power, climate change mitigation and radioactive waste.

In the past decade, human influence on the climate through increased use of fossil fuels has become widely acknowledged as one of the most pressing issues for the global community. For the United Kingdom, we suggest that these concerns have increasingly become manifest in a new strand of political debate around energy policy, which reframes nuclear power as part of the solution to the need for ...

Optimization of radioactive waste storage.

In several countries, low-level radioactive wastes are treated and stored awaiting construction and operation of a final repository. In some cases, interim storage may be extended for decades requiring special attention regarding security issues. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommends segregation of wastes that may be exempted from interim storage or ultimate disposal. The pap...