A WORLDWIDE ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSPORT OF IRRADIATED NUCLEAR FUEL AND HIGH-LEVEL WASTE

The Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency recently undertook informal contacts with many of the countries and organizations that have been involved in transporting irradiated nuclear fuel and high-level wastes, requesting information on shipments completed to date, and future shipment plans for these two types of radioactive material. Although the data provided are incomplete, the results are enlightening regarding the quantities of these materials that have been transported. This paper summarizes the results of this informal survey. Considering data from many of the larger shippers and some smaller shippers of these materials, it has been concluded that approximately 73,000 to 98,000 metric tons of heavy metal in the form of irradiated nuclear fuel and high-level waste have been transported throughout the world to date, and these shipments constituted approximately 24,000 to 43,000 flask shipments by all surface modes of transport (i.e. road, rail and sea).