title: A generic probabilistic risk analysis for a high-level waste repository.
abstract: A generic probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) is developed for high-level radioactive waste buried in a repository. The basic assumption is that an atom of buried waste has the same probability of escape as an atom of average rock at the same depth. Corrections are applied for variation of ground-water flow with depth, and for the fraction of ingested material derived from rock versus from soil. The final result is that we may eventually expect 0.012 deaths/GWe-yr. It is shown that this analysis is a PRA, and that the basic assumption is a conservative one--more likely to overestimate than to underestimate the hazard. This health impact is compared with those from other wastes generated in producing electricity.
mesh_terms: D005502:Food; D011336:Probability; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D012306:Risk; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D011850:Radioactive Waste