DEVELOPMENT OF RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY APPLICABLE TO RADIOACTIVE WASTE ISOLATION

摘要

The risk from radioactive waste disposal in a deep geologic formation has not yet been completely assessed. A complete assess¬ment should include credible estimates of the likelihood that radioactive materials would escape the repository and enter the human environment, and the magnitude of the resultant consequences in terms of human health effects. In addition, such an assessment should identify the dominant contributors to risk and, to the extent possible, quantify the uncertainties in risk estimates. A complete risk assessment may not be possible because of our limited knowledge of various aspects of geology and hydrogeology important to the long term safety of a radioactive waste reposi¬tory. The results of past analyses are not entirely consistent, perhaps as a direct result of the limited knowledge of the pheno¬mena involved.