What is it?
According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Low-level wastes take the form of:
- Items that have come into contact with radioactive material or have become radioactive due to exposure to radiation ("Low-Level" 1). This may include the following items
- Gloves that handled radioactive materials
- Cloth/rags that came into contact with radioactive material
- Contaminated protective clothing
- Mops that came into contact with radioactive materials
- Tools that were used with radioactive elements
Disposal
According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- an Agency that was developed to oversee the processes of the nuclear energy industry to ensure that the nuclear materials are used according to safe regulation standards and radioactive materials are disposed of to limit harm to the environment -- most of the low-level wastes are stored in locations on the site of the nuclear plant, until enough of the radioactive material has decayed to a point that the wastes are able to be disposed of as standard trash ("Low-Level 1). Unlike high-level radioactive wastes, there are currently 4 sites where low-level wastes are able to be sent to for disposal. At these sites, the wastes are stored until they are deemed to be safe meaning that the radioactive levels are low enough that they can not do any harm to biological life forms or to the environment.
Map depicts the 4 current locations (as of August 9, 2017) of low-level nuclear waste disposal locations in the United States.
**Map from source
**Map from source
Video
This video depicts the disposal process of primarily low-level wastes and all of the safety measures that nuclear wastes undergo to ensure the safety of the workers and the environment.
**Video from the International Atomic Energy Agency source