French policy concerning radioactive waste management

After having mentioned the origin of nuclear waste, the problems brought about by the existence of radioactive products and the change in the regulations, the processing and packaging of waste is examined. In the economic calculations the total cost of waste management, including storage, must be allowed for, and the risks-profits study must be applied to the waste and the sum total of the doses for the populations and the workers minimized. The temporary or definitive storage depends on the sort of wastes: beta-gamma without alpha stored on the surface or at small depth, low or medium activity stored temporarily whilst awaiting a site and the high activity waste which is vitrified then stored in situ and cooled before deep storage. Although there is no complete solution as yet for the problem of waste, it is technically very advanced and it is from the political and psychological angle that it meets most difficulties