Waste

Radioactive waste

The "Radioactive Waste" (RW) fact sheet reports on the production and storage of RW by waste typology, in order to protect workers, the general public and the environment from the dangers arising from ionising radiation.
Description: 

According to Decree-Law No 156/2013, radioactive waste is "radioactive material in gaseous, liquid or solid form, regardless of its origin, whose subsequent use is not provided for or considered by the Government or person, natural or legal, whose decision is accepted by the State and which are regulated as radioactive waste by the competent regulatory authority under the scope of the legislative and regulatory framework in force."

With the entry into force of Decree-Law No. 108/2018, on April 2, 2019, the Portuguese Environment Agency succeeded in the competences and attributions of the Regulatory Commission for the Safety of Nuclear Facilities, taking the role of competent authority for the national regulatory body for the safe management of radioactive waste.

The "National Program for the Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste" (PNGCIRR), states that radioactive waste is produced in Portugal in several areas of activity, such as health, industry, research and education. Examples of RW include sealed sources (sources whose structure prevents, under normal circumstances of use, any dispersion of radioactive substances into the environment), brachytherapy "seeds" (small sealed radioactive sources used in permanent implants for the treatment of prostate cancer), ionic smoke detectors (fire detection devices), lightning rods, etc.

In Portugal, radioactive waste can be legally classified as:

  • Radioactive waste exempt from regulatory control;
  • Radioactive waste excluded from regulatory control and, therefore, legally considered non-radioactive;
  • Waste classified as radioactive waste subject to regulatory control.

Concerning waste classified as radioactive waste subject to regulatory control, it can be technically subdivided into the following categories:

  • Very Short Half-Life Waste (VSLW);
  • Very Low Level Waste (VLLW);
  • Low Level Waste (LLW);
  • Intermediate Level Waste (ILW);
  • High Level Waste (HLW).

Very short half-life waste (VSLW) is usually stored by the producer for subsequent authorized discharge as exempt waste. Also according to the PNGCIRR, given the typology of existing installations, it is not foreseeable that any high level radioactive waste may be managed in Portugal. In view of this national reality and taking into account the RW inventory, it can be considered that the existing RW in Portugal is almost all very low level, low level and intermediate level.

Although it is currently not possible to measure the production of RW per sector, since the information is not systematised, it is, however, possible to present the data regarding RW sent to elimination, by type.

Given the nature of the RW produced in Portugal, the PNGCIRR follows a graded approach that is essentially based on the nature of the risks associated with the existing RW that is expected to be produced. The PNGCIRR also supports a policy that guarantees a high level of safety in the protection of the general public and of the environment against the risks produced by ionising radiation, minimising unnecessary burdens for future generations.

The current PNGCIRR is under review, and an updated version is expected to be published during 2021.

This fact sheet concerns mainland Portugal, the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and Azores and shall be updated whenever new data is made available.

Objectives and targets: 
  • Reduce RW production;
  • Reduce the volume of RW stored;
  • Reduce the burden to be imposed on future generations with RW.
Progress analysis:

The most common radioactive waste consists mainly of sealed out-of-use sources, radioactive lightning rods, ionic smoke detectors, brachytherapy seeds and technetium generators (used in nuclear medicine for medical diagnosis imaging).

Evolution of RW sent to elimination in the 2010-to-2020 period

Source: COMRSIN, 2021

The evolution of RW collected since 2010 pointed initially to an annual increase of approximately 8m3 of waste after packaging. However, it should be noted that this trend was reversed in the last few years, with a decrease in the number and volume collected. It is important to highlight that these values cover a transitional period between two schemes - initially all radioactive materials without further planned use were automatically considered RW and sent for disposal, and after the entry into force of DL 156/2013 and PNGCIRR, the concepts of clearance and exclusion started to be applied. The application of the clearance levels (limits expressed in terms of concentration of activity and/or total activity below which radioactive waste is no longer under regulatory control, and may be delivered to the management of a third party as materials legally considered non-radioactive) and  the exclusion levels (values expressed in terms of concentration of activity and/or total activity that cannot be exceeded to be considered exempt from the requirements of the legal system that establishes the legal and regulatory framework for the responsible and safe management of irradiated fuel and radioactive waste) has allowed, under normal circumstances, a reduction in the number and volume of RW to be collected and disposed of.

In the particular case of technetium generators, COMRSIN licensed storage sites which allow them to be released and managed as non-radioactive waste after an adequate period of time - for this reason the number of these generators sent for disposal has been reduced significantly. The same methodology also covers "seeds" used in brachytherapy.

For the "others" category in the year 2018, it should be noted that the total amount includes 2000 units of H-3 contaminated materials generated in research laboratories with an individual mass of 2g and an individual activity of 3900 Bq. This waste, although the number of units appears to be high, represents only 2 containers with a total volume of 120 L. Also in 2020, the total amount includes 2619 units of materials contaminated with H-3 from the same source, with an individual mass of 8g and an individual activity of 31000 Bq. This waste represents 5 containers with a total volume of 300 L. The remaining waste included in this category has similar origins, mainly resulting from research and development activities.

Waste is managed at the Radioactive Waste Pavilion (RWP) operated by Instituto Superior Técnico. This pavilion has a usable volume of around 350m3, with 265 m3 occupied as of the last available evaluation.

Last update: 
Monday, 2 August, 2021
More information at: 

Portuguese Environment Agency – www.apambiente.pt