ABSTRACT

Radioactive materials have proven to be valuable tools in medicine. At hospitals and clinics, radionuclides make the diagnosis of disease easier and have made new treatments possible. Two difficulties overshadow plans for radioactive waste management. First, radioactive waste management is perhaps the nation's most politically sensitive waste problem. Second, the rules for low-level radioactive waste management are inconsistent. In the context of all radioactive waste generated, low-level radioactive waste is characterized by high volume and very low hazard. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the primary authority among federal agencies for setting standards for the safe use of radioactive materials in the United States. Radioactive materials with short half-lives should be held in storage onsite until the activity of the waste is reduced to background levels. The high cost and difficulty of liquid scintillation cocktail disposal has troubled many medical and academic generators.