The Agency's activities in radioactive waste management

The Agency's programme on radioactive waste management is aimed at assisting national programmes and the international community to protect man and his environment adequately from radioactive wastes and effluents. The programme covers both treatment technologies and environmental aspects, and it deals with radioactive wastes and effluents not only from nuclear power plants but also from nuclear fuel cycle facilities, including mines, uranium-ore mills, and spent-fuel reprocessing plants. Topics considered in the past were: treatment, storage, and disposal of solid, liquid, and gaseous radioactive wastes and effluents; nuclear power and its environmental impact, including the protection of the marine environment from the disposal of radioactive wastes at sea; and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Activities in these areas are being continued but emphasis is now being placed on the following components: Handling and treatment of radioactive wastes and effluents at nuclear facilities; underground disposal of radioactive waste; and environmental aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle