What is low-level waste?
Waste that is only slightly radioactive and gives off small amounts of radiation is called low-level waste. Low-level waste is produced in virtually every state by hospitals, universities, companies, and nuclear energy plants. This waste includes such things as filters, cleanup rags, lab supplies, and discarded protective clothing. Most radioactive waste from a nuclear power plant is low-level. The principle sources of low-level radioactive waste are the reactor coolant (water) and the components and equipment that come in contact with the coolant. The major constituents of low-level waste from a nuclear power plant are activation products and a very small percentage of fission products (if any leaks out of the fuel rods). It does not include used fuel from the reactor fuel assembly. Because it emits only small amounts of radiation, low-level waste is usually sealed in steel drums and buried at special sites. Today, most of the low-level waste from nuclear power plants in the U.S. is d
