Handling of radioactive waste

Measures to minimize the accumulation of waste produced at all stages of the hfetime of the plant should be described in this section. This should include measures taken to reduce the waste arising to a level that is as low as practicable. The assessment should show that both the volume and the activity of the waste are minimized in such a way as to meet any specific requirements that may be posed by the design of the waste storage facility. 

Measures to condition the waste produced at all stages of the lifetime of the plant should be described in this section. Where it is considered prudent, waste may be processed in accordance with established procedures, and the options considered should be described here. However, consideration should also be given to establishing the most suitable option that, to the extent possible, does not foreclose alternative options, in case preferences for waste disposal change over the lifetime of the plant. 

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Geological aspects of handling of radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel in decommissioning of nuclear submarines... 

R4. Rodger, W. A., The Handling of Radioactive Wastes. Talk given before the Natl. Ind. Conf. Board (October 1955). 

The liquid waste processing system is provided for use in the processing and handling of radioactive wastes generated during various modes of plant operation. The system is designed to receive, segregate, process, monitor, and recycle for reuse all primary... 

Quite a number of monographs have been written on reactor physics, the various reactor types with their structural advantages and disadvantages, on safeguard models, the probability of hypothetical disastrous events and the handling of radioactive waste. One topic, however, has been slightly neglected with respect to its importance in the field of safety problems. This is radiochemistry. 

Firstly, the Perception of Risks Risks related to the handling of radioactive wastes are perceived veiy differently by different groups of people. 

Handling of radioactive waste and monitoring and control of radioactive releases ... 

Adequate systems shall be provided for the handling of radioactive wastes and for storing these safely on the site for a period of time consistent with the availability of the disposal route on the site. Transport of solid wastes from the site shall be effected according to the decisiorts of competent authorities. 

Handling of experiments, maintenance operations, decontamination of contaminated items, replacement of water in the spent fuel storage pool, and spills or leakages from the core and related systems lead to the production of radioactive waste. This waste accumulates with time and must be properly collected and treated. Aspects of the handling of radioactive waste are discussed in Section 6. 

Concerns over safe handling of radioactive materials and issues around the cost and disposal of low level radioactive waste has stimulated the development of nonradiometric products and technologies with the aim of replacing radioactive tracers in research and medical diagnosis (25). However, for many of the appHcations described, radioactive tracer technology is expected to continue to be widely used because of its sensitivity and specificity when compared with colorimetric, fluorescent, or chemiluminescent detection methods. 

The main drawback to nuclear power is the production of radioactive waste. Spent fuel from a nuclear reactor is considered a high-level radioactive waste, and remains radioactive for a veiy long time. Spent fuel consists of fission products from the U-235 and Pu-239 fission process, and also from unspent U-238, Pu-240, and other heavy metals produced during the fuel cycle. That is why special programs exist for the handling and disposal of nuclear waste. 

In the former U.S.S.R. vast areas of the counti y are contaminated by poor handling of nuclear waste, especially from that associated with the manufacturer of weapons. Some radioactive waste, espe-... 

Caution Handle all radioactive substances according to the radiation safety regulations instituted at each facility approved to handle such materials. Use adequate precautions to protect personal safety and the environment. Dispose of radioactive waste only by following approved guidelines. 

The beneficial use of radiation is one of the best examples of how careful characterization of the hazard is essential for its safe use. A radioactive substance can be safely stored or transported if appropriately contained. Depending on the characteristics of the radioactive material, it can be safely handled by using appropriate shielding and safety precautions. Laboratory workers usually wear special badges that quantify radiation exposure to ensure that predetermined levels of exposure, which are considered safe, are not exceeded. Unfortunately, after more than 50 years, society has not yet been able to design and implement a safe way to dispose of radioactive waste. The hazardous properties of radiation are explored further in a subsequent chapter. 

Thus, the view from Washington is an optimistic one. With support of the vast amount of research, development and engineering that scientists and engineers have completed and will do in the future, this country certainly is now headed towards a successful and orderly program for handling all radioactive wastes safely and inexpensively. The high-level waste program, for instance, will require only about 2% of the cost of electricity produced from nuclear power. 

Cell harvesters were developed to capture multiple samples of cells on membrane filters, wash away unincorporated isotopes, and prepare samples for liquid scintillation counting on special equipment developed to process and count multiple samples. Despite miniaturization and improvements in efficiency of this technique, the disadvantages of multiple liquid handling steps and increasing costs for disposal of radioactive waste materials severely limit its usefulness. Although specific applications require measuring DNA synthesis as a marker for cell proliferation, much better choices are available for detecting viable cell number for HTS. 

Caution This experiment requires the use of significant amounts of 32P-ATP. Wear gloves and safety goggles at all times during the experiment. Plexiglas shields should be used to screen students from excessive exposure to the radioisotope. Consult the instructor for proper handling and disposal of radioactive waste. 

In any case, and albeit the different regulation in different countries, as a general principle only licensed personnel working in an authorized facility are authorized to handle and use radiopharmaceuticals. Facilities and procedures are subject to periodic inspection by official radiation safety officers that control production and handling of radioactive material, its transportation, proper use, as well as personnel dosimetry and radioactive waste disposal. 

For these reasons, activation analysis is preferably applied for certification and calibration purposes in trace element analysis. On the other hand, activation analysis is seldom used as a routine method, because handling of radioactive samples and disposal of the radioctive waste require special precautions. 

In the nuclear industry one of the main applications of colloid technology is in the handling and reprocessing of radioactive waste, where the problems are mainly concerned with the flocculation and separation of particulate radioactive materials. A second application is that of the sol-gel process to the preparation of nuclear fuel in the form of spherical particles of uniform size. 

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