Despite the remarkably small amount of used fuel generated by nuclear power, despite the fact that the penetrating radiation in that fuel is effectively gone in 600 years, after which the fuel would have to be swallowed to be harmful, the nuclear establishment is adamant that long-lived radionuclides are an extremely difficult waste problem, requiring deca-billion dollar investments in deep geologic repositories. And even then they are a lurking, barely contained danger. //

Tc-99 is regularly injected into medical patients as a by-product of Tc-99 imaging Tc-99m is by far the most popular form of internal gamma imaging. Reference \cite{doe-1996} says ``a total of approximately 38,000 diagnostic procedures involving radioactive isotopes are performed each day in the U.S. Most of these procedures use Tc-99m." Tc-99m has a decay half-life of 6 hours and a specific activity of 19.5e17 Bq/g, 300 million times higher than the Tc-99 to which it decays. It emits a 141 keV gamma. Yet it is approved by the FDA for all sorts of diagnostic purposes, including children. The approved dose varies with use; but in many cases it is in excess 1.0e9 Bq or about 52 nanograms of Tc-99m. This would be 65 mGy to the body and 3.45 Gy to the thyroid.

EPA correctly says this is safe because of the short decay half-life and the fact that the biological half-life is about 1 day.\cite{epa-2002} Every atom of Tc-99m that decays produces an atom of Tc-99. The EPA claims Tc-99 is hazardous because of its long decay half-life.\cite{epa-2002} Yet Tc-99 has the same 1 day biological half life as Tc-99m. The dose the patient receives from the supposedly hazardous Tc-99 is about 100 millionth of the dose the patient receives from the Tc-99m. The medical profession for once is correctly unconcerned. //

The repository studies are exercises in monumental hubris. The idea that we can predict what will happen 100 years from now is preposterous. The idea that we can predict what will happen 1000 years from now --- well, there is just no word for it. And then we assume this omniscient species which can foretell the future for millenia, all of a sudden forgets how to measure radiation.

The humble, prudent, common sense approach is;

1) Shield and cool the used fuel adequately. We know how to do this. It is not difficult.

2) Keep the material where you can repair the shielding as necessary.

3) In no more than 600 years, effectively all the penetrating radiation will be gone. The valuable fissile and fertile isotopes can easily be extracted. The remainder will be low level waste that can be landfilled.

Forget about predicting the future for millenia and trying to come up with a system that will last that long.