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Radioactive waste

Under section 2 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA), radioactive waste in Canada is defined as any material (liquid, gaseous or solid) that contains a radioactive nuclear substance for which no further use is foreseen. In addition to containing nuclear substances, radioactive waste may also contain hazardous substances that are not radioactive, as defined in section 1 of the General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations.

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Overview

Under section 2 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA), radioactive waste in Canada is defined as any material (liquid, gaseous or solid) that contains a radioactive nuclear substance for which no further use is foreseen.

Oversight and management of Canada’s radioactive waste

Oversight and management of Canada’s radioactive waste

High-level radioactive waste

High-level radioactive waste (HLW) is used (irradiated) nuclear fuel whose owners have declared it as radioactive waste and/or which generates significant heat through radioactive decay.

Low and intermediate-level radioactive waste

In Canada, low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste refers to all forms of radioactive waste, except used nuclear fuel, limited waste from the production of medical isotopes, and the waste from uranium mining and milling.

Uranium mines and mills waste

The main types of waste generated by the mining and milling of uranium ore are tailings and waste rock.

Historic nuclear waste

Historic low-level waste consists of soil contaminated with uranium and radium, at sites located in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

Port Hope and Clarington

The bulk of Canada's historic waste is located in the Ontario communities of Port Hope and Clarington.

Toronto area

The low-level contamination in the Toronto area comes from production of radioluminescent dials.

Northern sites

From the early 1930s to the 1950s, uranium ore was transported over 2,200 km by the Northern Transportation Route (NTR) from Port Radium (on Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories) to the railhead at Waterways (now Fort McMurray, Alberta).

Deep geological repositories

A deep geological repository is constructed underground, usually at a depth of several hundred metres or more below the surface in a stable rock formation.

Map: Radioactive waste management

This map provides you with the location and type of nuclear facility.

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