Review of science and technology for disposal of low-level waste on the seabed and high-level waste in the sub-seabed

The technology exists for the safe disposal of low-level radioactive wastes onto the sea floor. For over 30 years certain types of packaged low-level waste have been dumped into the ocean. During this time, national and international agencies issued guidelines to ensure that dumping operations follow environmentally sound procedures. To supplement these and provide for continuing research, member nations of the NEA established the Research and Environmental Surveillance Program Related to Sea Disposal of Radioactive Waste. Japan has studied the feasibility of dumping packaged low-level waste onto the ocean floor. Their tests indicate that dumping introduces a negligible amount of radioactivity into the ocean. Radioactive soil and defueled nuclear submarines may also be disposed of in the ocean. Research also addresses the question of disposing of high-level waste in the oceans. Swedish nuclear reactor owners plan to dispose of all types of radioactive waste in a repository excavated in granitic rock beneath the ocean. The SWG, a committee under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency, is investigating the feasibility of burying properly packaged high-level waste in the sediments of the ocean floor. The group has not found any indications that buried waste would harm humans or the environment. Studies into marine disposal of radioactive waste must proceed with a commitment to the effective use of the ocean regime and the protection of its resources