Public concerns and choices regarding nuclear waste repositories [electronic resource].

Published: Columbus, Ohio : Battelle Memorial Institute, 1981.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Additional Creators: Battelle Memorial Institute and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information

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Summary

Survey research on nuclear power issues conducted in the late 1970's has determined that nuclear waste management is now considered to be one of the most important nuclear power issues both by the US public and by key leadership groups. The purpose of this research was to determine the importance placed on specific issues associated with high-level waste disposal. In addition, policy option choices were asked regarding the siting of both low-level and high-level nuclear waste repositories. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select six groups of respondents. Averaged across the six respondent groups, the leakage of liquid wastes from storage tanks was seen as the most important high-level waste issue. There was also general agreement that the issue regarding water entering the final repository and carrying radioactive wastes away was second in importance. Overall, the third most important issue was the corrosion of the metal containers used in the high-level waste repository. There was general agreement among groups that the fourth most important issue was reducing safety to cut costs. The fifth most important issue was radioactive waste transportation accidents. Overall, the issues ranked sixth and seventh were, respectively, workers' safety and earthquakes damaging the repository and releasing radioactivity. The eighth most important issue, overall, was regarding explosions in the repository from too much radioactivity, which is something that is not possible. There was general agreement across all six respondent groups that the two least important issues involved people accidentally digging into the site and the issue that the repository might cost too much and would therefore raise electricity bills. These data indicate that the concerns of nuclear waste technologists and other public groups do not always overlap.

Report Numbers

E 1.99:pnl-3797
E 1.99: bharc-411/81/003
bharc-411/81/003
pnl-3797

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Note

Published through SciTech Connect.
06/01/1981.
"pnl-3797"
" bharc-411/81/003"
"DE81027835"
Nealey, S.M.; Rankin, W.L.

Funding Information

AC06-76RL01830

View MARC record | catkey: 14097167