What makes radioactive waste an international concern?
Many other countries in addition to the United States generate electrical power using nuclear fuel. Altogether, there are 436 nuclear power plants around the world, operating in 31 countries. All countries using nuclear power must contend with radioactive waste, regardless of the number of reactors they have in service. Nuclear energy production eventually creates waste in the form of spent nuclear fuel. Spent nuclear fuel is depleted or used fuel from nuclear power plants and research facilities. Spent nuclear fuel is highly radioactive, and remains so for thousands of years. Isolating this high-level waste from people and the environment is an important and challenging issue for countries that use nuclear power. Social, economic, political, technical, and geographic considerations shape a countrys radioactive waste management decisions. Basic types of radioactive waste Generally speaking, radioactive waste can be either long-lived or short-lived. Long-lived radioactive waste decays a
