OECD Nuclear Energy Agency's activities in relation to low-level radioactive waste management

This paper describes the general objectives of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as well as its role and activities in the field of Radioactive Waste Management. Its contribution to the discussion of radioactive waste management issues at international level is reviewed with particular reference to safety assessments for disposal options. In addition, emphasis is placed on the management of low and intermediate level waste and on their disposal on land at shallow depths. Criteria to limit the concentration of long-lived radionuclides are then discussed, specially in the context of human intrusion risks, after institutional control measures have ceased to apply