The current nuclear legacy issues in the US

In the United States, high-level radioactive waste including spent fuel is basically going to be treated with direct disposal (land burial). The 'Nuclear Waste Policy Act' enacted in 1982 stipulated that under the control of the Federal Government, from the construction/installation to the management/operation of the final disposal facility and monitored retrievable storage facility would be performed, and Nuclear Waste Fund (NWF) would be established. This paper mainly outlined the subsequent revisions. Regarding the cleanup of the U.S. front-end radioactive waste, in the Navajo Nation, which holds about 500 sites of the 'abandoned uranium mines (AUM)' among about 15,000 sites in total, the investigation and removal of contaminants finally began in 2008. Numerous Navajo indigenous people who engaged in mining labor have lung diseases or kidney diseases due to radon gas etc., and residents in the vicinity of AUM suffered great damage due to the contamination of drinking water. As for compensation for radiation exposure, there is the 'Radiation Exposure Compensation Act' enacted in 1990, the scope of which has gradually been expanded, but it is still not enough. Regarding the cleanup of radioactive waste produced by the Manhattan Project, environmental restoration is expected to be difficult. With respect to the Manhattan Project National Historic Park, a lot of Americans recognize the contribution of nuclear weapons to the ending of the war, but Hiroshima City etc. point out that nuclear weapons should not become a target of applause. (A.O.)