What is Half-Life vs. Hazard Life?
The half-life of low-level radioactive waste is very different from the hazard life, and many people confuse the two terms. – Half-life is the length of time during which one-half of the existing radioactivity naturally decays. – Hazard life is the length of time after which radioactive material in a disposal facility no longer presents a risk. Hazard life is determined by the concentration of the radioactive material. There is a difference between how long low-level waste is radioactive versus low long it is hazardous. Some elements of low-level radioactive have a half-life of thousands or millions of years, but that does not mean the waste is hazardous for that long. Federal government classifications identify the hazard life of Class A, B & C low-level radioactive waste as 100, 300 and 500 years, respectively. After this time period, low-level waste in a containment facility no longer poses a risk to people or the environment. Are isotopes with a long Half-Life always dangerous? No.
