Management of Problematic Waste and Material Generated During the Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

Decommissioning of old nuclear facilities may introduce several problems associated with management of some specific materials and waste with not only a radioactive nature but also with chemical toxicity, other dangerous properties or complicated characteristics. Materials such as asbestos, beryllium, cadmium, mercury, lead and PCBs could be involved as they were widely used in the past in the construction of facilities. This report describes several specific forms of materials and waste generated during decommissioning of old nuclear facilities, and outlines the management options for such waste and materials, which are different from those for waste generated during the facility’s normal operation.