Safety analysis of shallow land burial of low- and intermediate-level wastes

The objective of the work described in this paper is to carry out a generic assessment of the radiological protection aspects of shallow land burial of PWR operating wastes in an engineered facility, focusing on the period after disposal operations have ceased and the burial site has been closed. In the assessment the principal mechanisms by which radionuclides may be released from a burial site are identified, their probabilities of occurrence estimated and their radiological consequences calculated. The results are used primarily to draw conclusions about the length of time for which use of the closed site should be restricted. Since the assessment is preliminary and generic the results cannot be used in decisions on the acceptability of any specific burial site or facility. However, the study does serve to demonstrate the type of methodology to be used in more specific assessments and a broader programme of work, in which various types of waste, disposal facility and site are considered, is currently in progress. (author)