A New Paradigm for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal: Intrinsic Radionuclide Properties and Comparative Hazard

Haruko Murakami Wainwright , Shaheen A Dewji, John McCloy, Brian A. Powell, Robert A Borrelli, Massimiliano Fratoni, Jeffrey Wang, Liam Hines, Dauren Sarsenbayev, Craig H Benson

Disposal regulations and technologies for high-level radioactive waste have evolved separately from other hazardous wastes, despite shared concerns about long-term risks. This study compares these historical trajectories and reassesses the hazard profile and physical/geochemical properties of key radionuclides. Long-lived radionuclides have low specific activity and emit little or no penetrating radiation; their risks arise primarily from internal exposure, analogous to chemical carcinogens disposed of in the shallow subsurface. Actinides have carcinogenic potency comparable to dioxin but are strongly immobilized under reducing conditions, whereas mobile long-lived radionuclides have lower potency. These findings support a paradigm shift in disposal strategies: (a) shifting the long-term safety basis from heavily engineered systems toward inherent geochemical/physical mechanisms; (b) considering trade-offs between hypothetical future risks and present-day environmental impacts; and (c) harmonizing regulatory requirements for disposal, including long-term stewardship. Such a unified, lifecycle-aware framework will enhance overall environmental protection and improve the sustainability of energy systems.
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