caa a22 4500 397594259 CHVBK 20180308164947.0 cr unu---uuuuu 161202e19961101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a031845 doi 0144-8420 pii (NATIONALLICENCE)oxford-10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a031845 Western R. Environmental Challenges and Opportunities: The New Era of Radioactive Waste Management [Elektronische Daten] [R. Western] The safe disposal of radioactive waste presents one of the most difficult environmental problems faced by industrial countries. The safety of a nuclear waste repository is largely dependent on the behaviour of the surrounding ground water. This ground water will inevitably enter the repository and dissolve the radionuclides. The contamination of ground water in this way presents the most important risk posed by radioactive waste disposal. Due to the complexity of the chemical and hydrogeological systems that will determine radionuclide migration rates, the quantification of the level of risk presented by radioactive waste disposal is currently subject to errors of many orders of magnitude. As a result of these errors it is possible that the discharges from a nuclear waste repository could result in doses that considerably exceed the regulatory limit. The successful resolution of this problem is critically dependent on the application of a sound scientific approach. This requires a paced approach to the research programme in order that the research results may be assimilated and utilised. Furthermore it requires that the research is subject to full peer review in order that any errors or omissions may be identified and addressed. There are significant opportunities opening up for the countries that successfully develop expertise and technology in this area to export these skills to the growing international market. However, in the UK the nuclear waste disposal body UK Nirex Ltd has been severely constrained by its lack of independence from the nuclear industry. Within its current structure Nirex is not competent to meet the challenge of safe radioactive waste management. Nirex must be disbanded and a new independent organisation with a remit to develop a robust scientifically based approach to long term radioactive waste management must be established. It is only this way that the challenges and opportunities created by the new era of radioactive waste management may be met. Radiation Protection Dosimetry Radiation Protection Dosimetry Oxford University Press 68/1-2(1996-11-01), 143-150 0144-8420 68:1-2<143 1996 68 rpd https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a031845 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a031845 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Western R. NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Radiation Protection Dosimetry Oxford University Press 68/1-2(1996-11-01), 143-150 0144-8420 68:1-2<143 1996 68 rpd Metadata rights reserved CC BY-NC-4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-oxford