Nuclear Waste On-line is a series of on-line presentations throughout February 2013. Weekly workshops provide an introduction to nuclear waste in Canada, an overview of how nuclear facilities are regulated, a outline of proposals for the deep burial of nuclear waste. and a comparison of different country approaches to assessing nuclear waste burial proposals. Twice per week, February 5 to March 1.
Tuesday February 5 @ noon and Friday February 8 @ 2 pm
Nuclear Waste: Top Ten Things to Know
An introduction and overview of nuclear waste issues in Canada: where the waste comes from, why it is a problem, what the nuclear industry is proposing, and key issues related to the transport and burial of highly radioactive nuclear waste. This workshop provides basic information, as an introduction to the topic of nuclear waste in Canada and as background for other workshops in the series.
Tuesday February 12 @ noon and Friday February 15 @ 2 pm
Safe by What Standard? How nuclear facilities are regulated in Canada
This workshop provides an overview of how nuclear facilities are regulated in Canada, and includes information about how nuclear-related risks are calculated, what standards and regulations are based on, how the rules for protecting the public and environment from radiation are developed, and how security risks are regulated.
Tuesday February 19th @ noon and Friday February 22nd @ 2 pm
Burying Trouble: Deep Geological Repositories for Nuclear Waste
Many countries, including Canada, are considering burying highly radioactive nuclear waste deep underground. This workshop will describe some of the common elements of these proposals, briefly describe several countries’ proposals, and identify some of the outstanding technical challenges. The workshop provides background information for the final workshop in the series.
Tuesday February 24 @ noon and Friday March 1 @ 2 pm
Judging Geological Repositories: How Different Countries Evaluate Nuclear Waste Burial Proposals
In the lingo of nuclear waste burial, the “safety case” is the technical explanation of why a particular design in a particular rock formation will actually contain the radioactive wastes for a predicted period of time. This workshop will compare how different countries intend to assess the ability of a proposed deep geological repository to contain the nuclear hazards over time.