The proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on High Level Radioactive Waste Management, held on April 29-May 3, 1996, Las Vegas, Nevada, continues a concerted effort to transfer technology and ideas across the functional attributes of high level radioactive waste management, processing, storage, transport, and disposal. The book is divided into three sections: natural systems, integrated systems, and engineered systems. Some of the natural systems discussed were microbial activity, volcanic hazards, hydrogeology, and groundwater flow modeling. The section on integrated systems explored such issues as licensing, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and near-field performance assessment. Engineered systems, the final section, covers such topics as transportation, rock mechanics, repository ventilation, and waste package behavior. The wide range of topics covered in conjunction with the increased participation of the international community provide a basis for informed decisions regarding the scientific and policy issues concerning the safe disposal of high-level radioactive wastes.
