H12: Project to Establish the Scientific and Technical Basis for HLW Disposal in Japan Supplementary Report Background of Geologic Disposal

Radioactive waste is produced from a wide range of human activities. The wastes arising from the nuclear fuel cycle occur as a wide range of materials and in many different physical and chemical forms, contaminated with varying activities of radionuclides. Their common feature is the potential hazard associated with their radioactivity and the need to manage them in such a way as to protect the human environment. The safe disposal of radioactive waste is a key reequirement of the nuclear industry worldwide. The present state of knowledge of the characteristics of radioactive waste is generally sufficient to allow the hazards of the waste to be determined and the appropriate measures for their safe management to be designed.