Record Preservation Study on Geological Disposal- Significance and Technical Feasibility-

The geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is based on the passive safe system concept and its long-term safety should not rely on institutional control. On the other hand, institutional control has been discussed since the 1980s and accepted to be effective from the viewpoint of confidence-building in implementing geological disposal. The record preservation system is regarded as an institutional control, and has already been implemented or formulated as concrete measures in some countries. For example, in the U.S. WIPP case, the implementing entity of repository is required to place markers and also preserve documentary records to reduce the possibility that future generations might come in contact with the repository (the US EPA Regulation 40CFR 194, 1998). In addition, from the ethical point of view that the future generations should be given the freedom to make their own decisions with regard to utilization of resources for safety and long-term protection (SKN, 1988), an approach has been conceived that records preservation should play a role towards making and preserving records for decision-making (Nordic Nuclear Safety Research Projec