Long-term disposal of radioactive waste - An international issue

Criteria and technology for the long-term disposal of radioactive wastes by deep geologic emplacement are falling into place throughout the international community for the long-term disposal of radioactive wastes. Selection of a site, design of the waste package and repository and evaluation of its performance requires extensive technical analyses and the necessary technical data for use in the analyses. The development of radioactive waste disposal systems requires extensive knowledge of nuclear, chemical and physical principles, the environment and mathematical techniques. The author believes that the development of the technology will ultimately find application in the disposal of non-radioactive hazardous wastes, quickly becoming a major public concern