Radioactive waste disposal medical applications

Chapters 16 (waste disposal). Chapter 17 (radioactive materials transportation), and Chapter 18 (decontamination and decommissioning) are related to many radioactive processes and materials. Radioactive waste is generated wherever radioactive materials are handled and used. This includes medical applications of radioactive isotopes and their production, as well as the facilities and processes involved in nuclear power. This waste must be stored and/or disposed of in a way that isolates it from the environment until the radioactive materials decay. 

All countries that utilize nuclear technology have accumulated radioactive waste. The cost of geological disposal remains an important issue for countries that have small quantities of long-lived waste from medical, industrial, and research applications, but that do not have to dispose of any nuclear fuel waste. 

The massive production of radionuclides (radioactive isotopes) by weapons and nuclear reactors since World War 11 has been accompanied by increasing concern about the effects of radioactivity upon health and the environment. Radionuclides are produced as fission products of heavy nuclei of such elements as uranium or plutonium. They are also produced by the reaction of neutrons with stable nuclei. These phenomena are illustrated in Figure 12.11 and specific examples are given in Table 12.5. Radionuclides are formed in large quantities as waste products in nuclear power generation. Their ultimate disposal is a problem that has caused much controversy regarding the widespread use of nuclear power. Artificially produced radionuclides are also widely used in industrial and medical applications, particularly as... 

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