Description
The effects on humans and other organisms of any repository-derived chemotoxic species (and/or their degradation products) that might reach the biosphere.
Category
Categorisation as a Feature, Event and/or Process.
Features
are physical components of the disposal system and environment being assessed. Examples include waste packaging, backfill, surface soils. Features typically interact with one another via processes and in some cases events.Events
are dynamic interactions among features that occur over time periods that are short compared to the safety assessment timeframe such as a gas explosion or meteorite impact.- "Processes" are issues or dynamic interactions among features that generally occur over a significant proportion of the safety assessment timeframe and may occur over the whole of this timeframe. Events and processes may be coupled to one another (i.e. may influence one another).
The classification of a FEP as an event or process depends upon the assessment context, because the classification is undertaken with reference to an assessment timeframe. In this generic IFEP List, many IFEPs are classified as both Events and Processes; users will need to decide which of these classifications is relevant to their context and its timeframes.
- Process
Relevance to Performance and Safety
The “Relevance to Performance and Safety” field contains an explanation of how the IFEP might influence the performance and safety of the disposal system under consideration through its impact on the evolution of the repository system and on the release, migration and/or uptake of repository-derived contaminants.
Some components of the waste packages or the repository can be chemically toxic to humans and other organisms. The repository can include a wide range of radiologically stable, but potentially toxic species, such as heavy metals and persistent organic species. Chemical toxicity can also be relevant for some radioactive elements, for example uranium is a heavy metal and as such is chemically toxic. Another issue of potential concern is synergistic (combined) effects of two or more chemotoxic species.
2000 List
A reference to the related FEP(s) within the 2000 NEA IFEP List.
Related References
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Thorne M and Wilson J (2009) Treatment of Chemotoxic Species: (2) Review of Additive and Synergistic Effects, Quintessa Report, QRS-1378M-2, https://rwm.nda.gov.uk/publication/treatment-of-chemotoxic-species-2-review-of-additive-and-synergistic-effects/
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Jorgensen E (2010) Ecotoxicology. A Derivative of Encyclopedia of Ecology, Academic Press, ISBN 978-0-444-53628-0, https://www.elsevier.com/books/ecotoxicology/jorgensen/978-0-444-53628-0