Radioactive Waste Management : Linkage of Geoscientific Arguments and Evidence in Supporting the Safety Case.

The long-term safety of deep disposal of radioactive waste is strongly dependent on the performance of the geological setting. The geology fulfills important safety functions including isolating the waste from human contact or intrusion, providing a stable physical and chemical environment, insulating against external disturbances, and preventing or delaying the transport of radioactive materials away from the waste. Thus, a sound understanding of the geology's history and evolution is central in supporting assessments that examine the long-term performance and safety of deep disposal. These conference proceedings examine how geoscientific arguments and data are compiled and linked to create a unified description of the geological setting to support a safety case. They also examine practical aspects and limitations in collecting, linking, extrapolating and communicating such information.--Publisher's description