How Is Low-Level Radioactive Waste Treated Prior to Disposal?
Audeen W. Fentiman Matthew E. Jorat Joyce E. Meredith Before low-level radioactive waste can be transported or placed in a disposal facility, it must be in an acceptable form. Regulations require that the waste be solid and structurally stable so that it can be transported more safely and does not settle after being placed in a disposal facility. When the waste meets these requirements, the risk of human exposure to radiation is reduced. Low-level radioactive waste is generated in many forms. Some of it is solid, and some is liquid. Very little of it is structurally stable. Therefore, the waste must be treated to convert it to an acceptable form for disposal. In addition, low-level radioactive waste is treated to reduce its volume as much as possible before disposal. Minimizing the volume reduces both the size of the disposal facility required and the cost of waste disposal. It should be noted that while treatments can reduce the volume of low-level waste, the amount of radioactive mat
