Research and development on radioactive waste management

R and D programmes on radioactive waste management have been implemented in most countries operating nuclear power plants for a few decades now. The resulting knowledge and achievements are considerable. They have been widely disseminated and lead to: the identification of the major problem areas, development and optimisation of waste treatment processes and waste forms in view of their later disposal, technologies for quality control of waste packages, selection of engineering concepts and demonstration of specific mining and handling techniques for disposal. Large amount of information and data have been collected on the behaviour of the various barriers under representative disposal conditions. Methodologies and models are available today to evaluate adequately the potential long-term radiological impacts of a carefully designed radioactive waste disposal system on humans and the environment. However, collection and evaluation of data from proposed disposal sites are the major tasks on which further progress is needed. International cooperation through organizations like IAEA, OECD/NEA and the European Commission has contributed to increase the information and experience exchange among the Member States through a variety of mechanisms with the result to come closer to an international consensus on the fundamental principles and basic standards used in the disposal of radioactive waste. (author). 21 refs, 2 tabs