ABSTRACT
The solution of long-term radioactive waste management (RWM) contains a technical and an ethical/social dimension. The concept and construction of the necessary repositories implies not only technically achievable measures but also legally and politically feasible aspects as well as publicly acceptable points on ethical and social grounds. The threat posed to humans and the environment by radioactive material results from the release of radioactive material from the repository, its migration into the biosphere, and as a further consequence exposure through ionizing radiation originating through the radioactive decay. If the radioactive material migrates from the repository into the biosphere such an exposure of the natural environment and the human population can take place through the external exposure pathway as well as through the internal exposure pathway by uptake of contaminated food and inhalation of radioactive material. The solution of long-term radioactive waste management (RWM) contains a technical and an ethical/social dimension.
