Study casts doubt on nuclear waste storage safety

LONDON (Reuters) – Materials that scientists had hoped would contain nuclear waste for thousands of years may not be as safe and durable as previously thought, researchers said on Wednesday.

They used a technique called nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, which is more sensitive than other methods in detecting radiation damage.

It showed that a synthetic material called zircon encapsulating plutonium is susceptible to degradation faster than expected and may not be able to contain the waste until it becomes safe.

“Using the technique on other materials, we can confidently predict how they will behave for thousands of years into the future,” said Ian Farnan, a materials physicist at the University of Cambridge in England.

Reuters