Book Description
A crisis awaits the states without adequate Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) disposal capacity, and states now struggling to comply with U.S. National Policy-widely believed unworkable. Some states may find that they are unable to dispose of the LLRW they generate! Long underestimated-or politically boondoggled-the dread subject of LLRW disposal is now being brought to climax, amidst conflicting viewpoints from generators, regulators, environmentalists and the public...from...medical-clinical labs...nuclear power plants...state and federal agencies...scientists and engineers...consultants...attorneys. This book emphasizes siting, disposal, historical approach to radwaste regulation, public attitudes, and NIMBY. AND deals comprehensively with radiation, biological effects, risk assessment, public health protection and government regulation, safety of LLRW, biological effects, and attempts to develop solutions to this pervasive problem. This text is essential to those likely to find themselves engulfed by LLRW problem: scientists, engineers, managers in many companies and institutions, consultants, and, of course, Government Agency Officials, public interest groups, technical, social science, law, and public libraries. There is no easy solution-but there will be a solution. And we believe this book is part of that solution. Expert authors-provide chapters carefully researched and written for this book; and provide their personal and professional experiences. This book is certainly a step toward understanding and solving the LLRW problem. ... Read more

Book Description
Today, the world faces two major problems: potential scarcity of energy and the pollution of the environment.How countries handle these problems can impact the quality of life for their citizens, their environment, and their economic prosperity.One answer to these problems may be nuclear power; currently, there are over 400 nuclear reactors operating in the world, with 109 of those in the United States.But, what is to be done with the spent nuclear fuel and other wastes created by nuclear power?Approval for new nuclear electric plants and continued use of existing ones may depend on safely disposing of these dangerous wastes.In making decisions about power plants, it is important that citizens and lawmakers know the nature of the waste problem and be able to distinguish opinions, feelings, and myths from the facts.

Unfortunately, much of what is written is rhetoric intended to frighten or soothe.There is a wealth of technical literature, but it is often written in highly complex technical terms.Reports on plans and progress are in formal government-ese, making them hard to translate into plain English.In this new edition of Understanding Radioactive Waste, Dr. Raymond Murray explains clearly the origin and nature of nuclear by-products; provides facts and figures about nuclear wastes and the actions being planned on a national basis; provides perspective on the safety of waste isolation systems; and distinguishes knowledge from opinion whenever possible, in an unbiased and candid manner.

The author rejects exaggerated statements about the waste problem at both poles of the debate -- assertions by proponents that it is merely a matter of politics, by opponents that a technical solution is impossible.

This book -- through its straightforward writing and informative illustrations -- helps you understand such nuclear topics as uranium, radioactivity, radiation, and fission, along with the role of materials, chemical processes, and geology in the treatment and long-term handling of wastes.In addition, the human side of radioactive waste, from the biological impacts to the societal attitudes, are covered.

A proven textbook and resource, this latest edition of Understanding Radioactive Waste provides new information on transportation of spent fuel and other nuclear wastes; high-level radioactive waste regulations; licensing of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; and protecting nuclear facilities against terrorist attacks.

Dr. Murray believes that an informed public makes the best decisions.Read Understanding Radioactive Waste, and be informed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Understanding Radioactive Waste
This is an excellent book for those who are new to the concept's of radioactive waste and management.It not only include's information related to the types of hazardous waste, but also includes law and future projections on the subject matter. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this subject. ... Read more

Book Description
Topics covered include: an overview of sources of radioactive waste; an introduction to radioactive decay and radiation shielding calculations; management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste; low-level waste; transuranic waste; Uranium mill tailings; mixed waste; transportation of radioactive waste; decontamination and decommissioing of nuclear facilities; and environmental restoration.Technical and regulatory aspects of waste management are presented.Discussion questions at the end of each chapter provide an opportunity to explore the many facets of waste management issues.An extensive reference list at the end of each chapter retains the references from the first edition of the book and incorporates references used in preparing this revised text, giving the reader an opportunity to look at historical records as well as current information. ... Read more

Book Description
This book presents a critical review of designing, siting, constructing and demonstrating the safety and environmental impact of deep repositories for radioactive wastes. It is structured to provide a broad perspective of this multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary topic: providing enough detail for a non-specialist to understand the fundamental principles involved and with extensive references to sources of more detailed information.

Emphasis is very much on deep geological disposalat least some tens of metres below land surface and, in many cases, many hundred of metres deep. Additionally, only radioactive wastes are considered directlyeven though such wastes often contain also significant chemotoxic or otherwise hazardous components. Many of the principles involved are generally applicable to other repository options (e.g. near-surface or on-surface disposal) and, indeed, to other types of hazardous waste.

* Presents a current critical review in designing, siting, constructing and demonsrating the safety and environmental impact of deep repositories for radwaste
* Addresses the fundamental principles of radioactive waste with up-to-date examples and real-world case studies
* Written for a multi-disciplinary audience, with an appropriate level of detail to allow a non-specialist to understand ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Methods of Storage/Disposal of Radioactive Waste: An Overview
This anthology of articles is quite comprehensive for its small size. Each article has a large bibliography for further study. A nation-by-nation survey of radwaste-disposal methods is elaborated. Costs are included.

There is a good introduction to the sources of radioactivity and its classification, the main radioactive isotopes responsible, relative volumes of wastes per waste-classification category, etc.A brief history of radwaste disposal is given. Then attention is devoted to the enclosure of radwastes in ostensibly leak-proof containers, in ostensibly water-proof geologic sites (e. g., abandoned salt mines), etc. There is discussion of the storage of radwastes in such things as boreholes, previously-molten rock, etc.

Some visionary proposals are mentioned. The impracticality of laser-induced destruction of radioactive isotopes is vividly demonstrated. Disposal of radwastes into outer space is contemplated, and shown to be impractical--apart from being risky.

A major political factor in radwaste disposal has come to be known as the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome, although the authors do not use this term to describe it (pp. 228-229). It is difficult to convince people that a local accumulation of radwaste is not dangerous and that it is immobile. Part of the problem is that laypersons do not understand the mathematical models of radwaste repository behavior and how they predict the immobility of radwastes over long periods of time.
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Book Description
The development of stabilization and solidification techniques in the field of waste treatment reflects the efforts to better protect human health and the environment with modern advances in materials and technology. Stabilization and Solidification of Hazardous, Radioactive, and Mixed Wastes provides comprehensive information including case studies, selection criteria, and regulatory considerations on waste characterization, contaminant transport and leachability, testing methods for stabilized waste forms, and the interactions between contaminants and stabilizing components.The book describes various systems based on cement technology that are used for stabilization and solidification of wastes. It demonstrates how to design a stabilized waste form, including the use of statistical techniques for generating response surface models for large, complicated applications. It provides guidelines for the selection of bonding materials, such as hydraulic cements, polymers, and hydroceramics, and discusses several additives and sorbents used to enhance immobilization, binder properties, and contaminant stabilization. The book portrays the transport mechanisms of contaminants in treated wastes and how to predict the transport of contaminants with various mathematical models. Following a discussion of waste types, principles, and properties of cemented waste forms, such as microstructure and durability, it outlines the test methods used to evaluate them.Fusing research, technology, and general practice principles taken from the firsthand experience of scientists, engineers, regulators, and teachers, Stabilization and Solidification of Hazardous, Radioactive, and Mixed Wastes can be used in advanced environmental engineering courses and as a reference for stabilization and solidification engineers, technology vendors and buyers, laboratory technicians, scientists, environmentalists, policymakers, and managers in treatment storage and disposal facilities. ... Read more

Book Description
This handbook is concerned with developing principles and standards for the safe disposal of solid radioactive wastes by burial deep in the Earth's crust. Radioactive wastes have focussed thinking on long-term environmental protection issues in an unprecedented way. Consequently, the way in which principles and standards are set, and the thinking behind this, is of wider interest than to the nuclear field alone. The issues are not just technical and scientific. There is also a much wider philosophical context to the debate, centering on ethics, human values and the expectations of society.

In this handbook it is intended that all theses issues are brought together, suggesting appropriate ways forward in each area, culminating in a proposed structure for safety regulations. It also aims to provide a detailed discussion of some of the most difficult logical an ethical issues facing those wishing to dispose of long-lived radioactive wastes. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Hazardous Materials, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
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Book Description
This digital document is an article from New Internationalist, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1180 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Toxic time bomb: millions of cubic metres of poorly contained radioactive waste threatens to become an ecological disaster for Central Asia. Gulnura Toralieva visited Mailuu-Suu in Kyrgyzstan where authorities and local villagers are on edge after massive landslides hit local dump sites.(KYRGYZSTAN)
Author: Gulnura Toralieva
Publication: New Internationalist (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 382Page: 10(2)

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Book Description
In Hanford: A Conversation About Nuclear Waste and Cleanup, Roy Gephart takes us on a journey through a world of facts, values, conflicts, and choices facing the most complex environmental cleanup project in the United States, the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site.Starting with the top-secret Manhattan Project, Hanford was used to create tons of plutonium for nuclear weapons.Hundreds of tons of waste remain.

In an easy-to-read, illustrated text, Gephart crafts the story of Hanford becoming the world's first nuclear weapons site to release large amounts of contaminants into the environment.This was at a time when radiation biology was in its infancy, industry practiced unbridled waste dumping, and the public trusted what it was told. The plutonium market stalled with the end of the Cold War.Public accountability and environmental compliance ushered in a new cleanup mission.Today, Hanford is driven by remediation choices whose outcomes remain uncertain.It's a story whose epilogue will be written by future generations.

This book is an information resource, written for the general reader as well as the technically trained person wanting an overview of Hanford and cleanup issues facing the nuclear weapons complex. Each chapter is a topical mini-series. It's an idea guide that encourages readers to be informed consumers of Hanford news, to recognize that knowledge, high ethical standards, and social values are at the heart of coping with Hanford's past and charting its future.

Hanford history is a window into many environmental conflicts facing our nation; it's about building upon success and learning from failure. And therein lies a key lesson: when powerful interests are involved, no generation is above pretense. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An honest look at the nuclear waste legacy
With the unrest in the world and the increasing number of countries joining the "nuclear club," it is very important that we understand the legacy of nuclear weapons and materials. Why? Because, quite simply, those that do not understand history are doomed to repeat it.

Roy Gephart's book explores one important, but often ignored, part of the nuclear club -- the nuclear waste left behind. Roy does this by taking us inside the cleanup of the Hanford Site, where plutonium was created for the world's first atomic weapons. Roy discusses the types of waste created, environmental monitoring, and environmental regulations. Then, he talks about cleanup at Hanford and throughout the U.S. He explores the difficult question of what are the risks from these sites. Finally, he delves into the culture of Hanford and its impact on nuclear waste decisions.

Reading this book is like having a conversation over coffee with a trusted friend, informed, open minded, fair, and never condescending. This book tells it like it is -- with no hidden agenda, no propoganda, and no scare tactics.

This book should be required reading for anyone who is worried about the impacts of the "nuclear club" on the world. It would also be a great book for those that live near Manhattan Project sites. ... Read more

Book Description

The book describes and assesses current concepts for long-term disposal of highly radioactive waste. Different types of rock are discussed and assessed with respect to practical difficulties in construction of a repository, and the efficiency in isolating radioactive waste. Safety matters are most important and are treated in the respective chapters and in a final, conclusive chapter. Cost issues and related quality matters are discussed for the case of constructing a virgin repository and repositories in the form of converted abandoned mines.