In parallel with the development of a fission-power industry is the problem of the safe disposal of nuclear waste products. For each kilogram of fissile material consumed in a reactor, about 999 grams of highly radio­active fission products are produced. Some of these have radioactive half­lives of about 30 years and are biologically dangerous for the order of 1,000 years. Hence, safe disposal of these products involves their being isolated from the biological environment for such a period of time.

These waste products occur principally in three forms: high-level products which are highly concentrated, intermediate — and low-level prod­ucts which occur principally as aqueous solutions or slurries, and gaseous products which are largely vented to the atmosphere.

From 1955 to 1965 I served on a committee of the National Acade­my of Sciences National Research Council, which advised the aec with regard to land disposal of these wastes. This committee formulated the policy that: First, all radioactive materials are dangerous and should be completely isolated from the biologic environment during their period of activity. Second, no practice of waste disposal should be tolerated when the quantities of wastes are small that would not still be valid when the quantities become orders of magnitude larger.

On the whole, satisfactory progress has been made with respect to the disposal of high-level wastes. The handling of low-level and gaseous wastes, however, is much less satisfactory, largely because of a desire to cut costs in achieving nuclear-power production which is competitive in costs with power from other sources.

The principal need at present, it appears, is to establish an independ­ent agency of the government whose duty and authority is to monitor all waste-disposal practices, and to make public its reports of its activities and findings.