What is Low Level Waste (LLW)?
LLW contains enough radioactive material to require action for the protection of people, but not so much that it requires shielding during handling, storage or transportation.
What is Radiation?
‘Radiation’ is a broad term, and includes things such as light and radio waves. In the context of radioactivity, we are referring to the disintegration of atoms. Radioactivity occurs naturally in the earth and such naturally occurring radioactive materials are around us all the time in building materials, food, in the air we breathe and our own bodies. Such radiation is referred to as ‘Background Radiation’, and includes cosmic radiation.
On average, our background radiation exposure due to all natural sources amounts to about 2.4 millisieverts (mSv) a year (International Atomic Energy Agency figures), though this figure can vary, depending on the geographical location, by several hundred percent. For example the average Australian would receive about 1.5mSv per year of background radiation. Someone living at a higher altitude, or exposed to more granitite materials in the earth, such as a person living in Katoomba, would receive about 2.5 mSv per year.
What is a Sievert (Sv)?
A measure of the risk of biological harm is the dose of radiation that the tissues receive, and this unit of absorbed radiation dose is the sievert (Sv). For example, one chest X-ray will give about 0.2 mSv of radiation dose.
Is the transportation of low level nuclear waste putting the community at risk of radiation exposure?
No. When transporting LLW the risks to the community of exposure to dangerous levels of radiation are negligible. The waste in the truck is in a solid form and emits low levels of radiation. It is also sealed in steel drums and transported in containers that are designed to remain intact in an accident.
How much radiation would you receive if you stood by a truck filled with LLW?
Standing two metres away from a truck of LLW for an hour would give you less radiation than if you took a return flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.
Will ANSTO transport any liquid waste to the repository?
No. All waste will be transported in solid form.
What if there was a fire on the truck or a terrorist group launched a missile attack while in transit?
If such an event occurred the levels of radiation dispersed would not pose a significant health risk to the general public.
Can dirty bombs be made from LLW?
No. The levels of radiation in LLW would not be high enough to warrant building such a device with these materials.
What’s ANSTO going to do with the reprocessed spent fuel returns to Australia in 2015; if a store is not found will it come back to ANSTO?
The Commonwealth Government has said the reprocessed fuel will not be sent to ANSTO.
Why should ANSTO have a reactor when radioisotopes can be produced by cyclotrons that do not produce waste?
Cyclotrons produce neutron-deficient radioisotopes and reactors produce neutron-rich radioisotopes – these complement each other. Each radioisotope, whether sourced from a reactor or cyclotron, has its own special use or uses and there is little overlap between those uses. The major isotope in the diagnosis of cancer and other medical conditions, Technetium-99m – used in over 70% of nuclear medicine procedures – can only be produced in a reactor.
Will the new reactor create more radioactive waste than HIFAR?
The volume of radioactive waste produced by the new reactor will be similar to the current reactor – HIFAR. Advances in radioisotope production technology will mean that, even with the projected increases in the production of medical radioisotopes, the volume of wastes arising from radioisotope production will be less than at present.
Are the spent fuel rods stored at ANSTO high level waste?
International and national standards do not consider spent fuel as waste. The definition of high level waste comes from the IAEA and is waste material that generates heat at a rate greater than 2,000 watts per cubic metre. Neither HIFAR nor the new reactor generates high level radioactive waste.
Should local people be issued with iodine tablets in case of a major incident at ANSTO?
Any decision to distribute stable iodine tables is the responsibility of the NSW Government, not ANSTO. ANSTO views the distribution of tablets as unnecessary. Even if there were an incident the levels of radioactivity released would not be such as to require the administration of stable iodine to the public. In the United States, tablets have never been distributed to residents living in the vicinity of research reactors, although some have been issued to people living near power reactors.
It is important to note that ANSTO does not have a nuclear power reactor, which are typically hundreds of times larger than HIFAR or the new reactor and operate under much higher temperatures and pressures.