Management of naturally radioactive waste in France

In the framework of the French National Plan of Management of Radioactive Waste, naturally radioactive waste is the subject of specific options of elimination in France. According to their activity and their origin, three principal disposal pathways are to be distinguished: - On-site storage for the uranium mill tailings; - Investigation on a dedicated sub-surface disposal for radiferous ores of low activity; - Disposal in the conventional landfill sites of very low-level waste resulting from the handling or the transformation of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material, exploited for their non-radioactive properties. In each case, the common approach adopted to assess the safety of the disposal relies on a radiological impact study, demonstrating the respect of the public exposure limit. (author)