Outlines various possibilities for the development of a classification system for radioactive wastes. This guide proposes a modified classification system with general quantitative boundaries and gives guidance for the development of quantitative classification systems.

Radioactive waste (RW) is a byproduct of nuclear weapons production, commercial nuclear power generation, and the naval reactor program. RW byproducts also result from radioisotopes used for scientific, med., and industrial purposes. Contents of this report: Measurement of Radioactivity and Hazards of Radiation; Comparative Range of Radioactivity; Spent Nuclear Fuel; High-Level RW; Waste Incidental to Reprocessing; Transuranic Waste; Surplus Weapons-Usable Plutonium; Low-Level RW: Provisions for State Disposal Compacts; Low-Level RW Classification Tables; Mixed Low-Level RW and Haz. Waste; Depleted Uranium; Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring RW Material; Uranium Mill Tailings; RW Disposal Policy Issues. Illus.

Radioactive waste is a byproduct of nuclear weapons production, commercial nuclear power generation, and the naval reactor program. Waste byproducts also result from radioisotopes used for scientific, medical, and industrial purposes. The legislative definitions adopted for radioactive wastes, for the most part, refer to the processes that generated the wastes. Thus, waste disposal policies have tended to link the processes to uniquely tailored disposal solutions. Consequently, the origin of the waste, rather than its radiological characteristics, often determines its fate. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) share regulatory authority for radioactive waste disposal. Radioactive waste classification continues to raise issues for policy makers. Most recently, DOE policy on managing the residue in high-level waste storage tanks proved controversial enough that Congress amended the definition of high-level waste. The disposition of waste with characteristics left undefined by statute can be decided by an NRC administrative ruling. The case for low-activity waste promises to provoke similar controversy. This report will be updated as new radioactive waste classification issues arise. The standards for public exposure to low-level radiation from the repository or cleanup of the weapons facilities have not been reconciled by EPA and NRC. The lower limit on what may be classified as radioactive waste is undefined, and both EPA and NRC jurisdiction overlap on disposal of this waste stream.

Safety and environmental impact is of uppermost concern when dealing with the movement and storage of nuclear waste. The 20 chapters in 'An Introduction to Nuclear Waste Immobilisation' cover all important aspects of immobilisation, from nuclear decay, to regulations, to new technologies and methods. Significant focus is given to the analysis of the various matrices used in transport: cement, bitumen and glass, with the greatest attention being given to glass. The last chapter concentrates on the performance assessment of each matrix, and on new developments of ceramics and glass composite materials, thermochemical methods and in-situ metal matrix immobilisation. The book thoroughly covers all issues surrounding nuclear waste: from where to locate nuclear waste in the environment, through nuclear waste generation and sources, treatment schemes and technologies, immobilisation technologies and waste forms, disposal and long term behaviour. Particular attention is paid to internationally approved and worldwide-applied approaches and technologies.* Each chapter focuses on a different matrix used in nuclear waste immobilisation: Cement, bitumen, glass and new materials.* Keeps the most important issues surrounding nuclear waste – such as treatment schemes and technologies, and disposal - at the forefront.