1. What is radioactive waste? Radioactive waste is material that contains or is contaminated with radionuclides, whose radiation intensity exceeds regulatory limits, and which is no longer expected to be of use. Radioactive waste must be specially handled to prevent harm to the environment or human beings. As with the handling of radioactive substances, all radioactive waste should be labeled to give warning. 2. What are the sources and classification of radioactive waste? Radioactive waste mainly comes from the nuclear industry, nuclear power plants, radiological medical treatment, and scientific research on nuclear energy applications. Radioactive waste can be categorized into solid, liquid and gas according to its physical form (referred to as the three wastes); and according to its radiation level can be categorized into high, medium and low-level radioactive waste (referred to as high-level, medium-level and low-level waste). 3. How to deal with radioactive waste? There are basically three ways to deal with radioactive waste: dilution and discharge, concentration and storage and recycling. Radioactive liquid and gaseous wastes can be discharged into the natural environment by diluting them to below the prescribed discharge standard. Radioactive liquid waste can be concentrated or converted into a solid, which can be stored in a dedicated repository with general solid radioactive waste. Chemical treatment of nuclear fuel used in reactors to remove fission products and recover unused and newly generated nuclear fuel material, which can be more recyclable. 4. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China *** How is low-level radioactive waste handled? The Radiation Board established under the Radiation Ordinance sets out the requirements for the disposal of radioactive waste. The Department of Health (DH) has also drawn up a set of codes of practice for the packaging, transportation, storage and disposal of radioactive waste. Importers of radioactive substances are required by law to return radioactive substances that are no longer in use to the manufacturer. Radioactive waste with a short half-life can be stored for a short period of time until the level of radioactivity is below the prescribed level before it is disposed of as ordinary waste in landfills or diluted as necessary and discharged into sewers. Radioactive waste with a longer half-life and which cannot be returned to overseas producers needs to be properly stored. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has set up a low-level radioactive waste storage facility at Siu O Chau on Lantau Island to store the existing and future low-level radioactive waste generated in Hong Kong, China, for the next 100 years. 5. Does the Observatory generate radioactive waste in its daily work? In its environmental radiation monitoring work, the Observatory needs to utilize radioactive scale sources to adjust its instruments at regular intervals to ensure accurate measurement results for the protection of public safety. The scale sources selected by the Observatory do not have high radiation levels and are stored in safe and appropriate places. When the scale sources have to be decommissioned due to radiation decay or instrument replacement, the Observatory will properly store or dispose of the radioactive materials in an appropriate manner without affecting the public and the environment. 6. What kind of radioactive waste is generated from the daily operation of a nuclear power plant? Impurities in the reactor cooling circulating water are radioactive and the residue filtered out by the purification system becomes radioactive waste. Radioactive impurities will also contaminate the equipment of the power generation system, so tools used in maintenance works and discarded equipment are categorized as radioactive waste; and the reactor cooling water will produce radioactive gas waste when it is irradiated by neutrons; in addition, high level radioactive waste will be generated during the replacement or recycling of nuclear fuel, which has to be handled appropriately. 7. How does a nuclear power plant handle radioactive waste? Nuclear power plants to deal with radioactive waste is in line with the radiation protection principle of reasonable suppression of low gas and low-level radioactive wastewater can be discharged to the outside after treatment and monitoring; higher radiation levels of liquid waste will be converted into solid storage. Solid wastes are compressed or mixed with sand and cement and put into sealed containers for storage or burial; wastes with very high radiation levels are transported to remote areas for recycling or buried in deep underground repositories. 8. How does the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China *** handle radioactive waste during a nuclear emergency? A Waste Disposal Action Plan (WDAP) developed by the Environmental Protection Department describes the requirements and procedures for the disposal of contaminated waste in the event of a nuclear accident emergency. Departments that need to dispose of radioactively contaminated waste are required to provide information on the waste to the Waste Disposal Officers (WPOs) of the Environmental Protection Department, who will advise on the requirements for the collection and disposal of the waste, taking into account the level of radioactive contamination and the risk to emergency responders. Generally, the level of contamination of radioactively contaminated waste is very low and it can be disposed of as ordinary waste. Only if the level of radioactive contamination of the waste exceeds the prescribed level will it be classified as radioactive waste and will be collected and transported by contractors experienced in handling radioactive waste or by emergency responders with protective equipment. The waste will be disposed of by appropriate measures including burial in a deep trench at the landfill site.
Reference: Radiation Health Division, Department of Health, Radiation Health Leaflet Series 5: Code of Practice for the Handling, Storage, Packaging, Transportation and Disposal of Radioactive Waste, 2004
Radioactive waste is defined as material which contains or is contaminated with radionuclides, the intensity of which exceeds the regulatory limits, and which is no longer expected to be of use. Radioactive waste must be specially treated to prevent harm to the environment or humans. As with the disposal of radioactive materials, all radioactive waste should be labeled with a warning weather/radiation/tidbit/200703/images/symbol Radioactive waste comes mainly from the nuclear industry, nuclear power plants, radiomedical treatment, and scientific research in nuclear energy applications. Radioactive waste can be categorized into solid, liquid and gas according to its physical form (referred to as the three wastes); and according to its radiation level can be categorized into high, medium and low level radioactive waste (referred to as high-level, medium-level and low-level waste).
Reference: inter
What is radioactive waste? Radioactive waste is material that contains or is contaminated with radionuclides, the intensity of which exceeds regulatory limits, and which is no longer expected to be of use. Radioactive waste must be specially treated to prevent harm to the environment or humans. As with the handling of radioactive materials, all radioactive waste should be labeled to give warning. Solid waste is generally categorized into low, medium, and high levels of radioactivity. Low-level waste includes everyday wastes that are slightly contaminated by radiation, such as paper, gloves, plastic containers, disposable coveralls and overshoes. LLRW will be compacted and sealed in metal canisters. Intermediate-level waste includes radioactive resins and chemical precipitates, filters, etc. collected during the treatment of exhaust gases and liquids or during maintenance work. The intermediate-level waste will be mixed with sand and cement and dumped into concrete tanks after it has set. These low and intermediate level solid wastes are stored temporarily within the nuclear power plant, and are eventually sent to shallow underground or surface waste storage and burial.
Reference: Books
What is radioactive waste? Radioactive waste is material that contains or is contaminated with radionuclides, the intensity of which exceeds regulatory limits, and for which no further use is expected. Radioactive waste must be specially handled to prevent harm to the environment or humans. As with the handling of radioactive materials, all radioactive wastes should be labeled with a sign as a warning.
Reference: weather/radiation/tidbit/200703/radioactive_wastes_c