PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ
Paris, 4 June 1996

Radioactive waste management is often cited as the most important unresolved issue concerning nuclear energy, but a broad scientific and technical consensus exists among specialists that all categories of radioactive waste can be managed and disposed of in accordance with all regulatory requirements. Many stages of radioactive waste management, including the disposal of low-level and medium-level waste, are in fact safely implemented under routine industrial procedures. Strategies are also being developed to store and dispose of high-level, long-lived waste in deep geological repositories.

"Radioactive Waste Management in Perspective" is a clearly-written, concise report intended for the non-specialist reader interested in the situation concerning radioactive waste management in the OECD area, and in the current expert consensus on the subject. It explains the different principles and stages of radioactive waste management for each category of waste, and addresses issues of environmental protection, safety assessments, financing, public concerns and international co-operation. Annexes summarise the current national radioactive waste management programmes in OECD countries.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency has been particularly active in the area of radioactive waste management, serving as an international forum for the exchange of information between specialists, helping to harmonise national legislation and setting up a number of international research projects which have led to important advances in understanding and safety assessment methods for the disposal of long-lived wastes.

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RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT IN PERSPECTIVE
OECD, Paris 1996
France only: FF 240 - All other countries: FF 310; US$ 63; DM 89
ISBN 92-64-14692-X
Available from the OECD Publications Distributors - see attached list.

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