Development of an assessment methodology for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste into deep ocean sediments

This paper presents the results of a theoretical study concerning the option of disposal of vitrified high activity waste (HAW) into deep ocean sediments. The development of a preliminary methodology is presented which concerns the assessment of the possible effects of a release of radioactivity on the ecosystem and eventually on man. As the long-term hazard is considered basically to be due to transuranic elements (and daughter products) the period studied for the assessment is from 103 to 106 years. A simple ecosystem model is developed so that the transfer of activity between different compartments of the systems, e.g. the sediment column, sediment-water interface, deep sea water column, can be estimated. A critical pathway analysis is made for an imaginary critical group in order to complete the assessment. A sensitivity analysis is undertaken using the computed minimum-maximum credible values for the different parameters used in the calculations in order to obtain a minimum-maximum dose range for a critical group. (Auth.)