high-level radioactive waste
1
7.8
- noun
- Specialized
:
residuos radiactivos de alto nivel
- My concern is not with generically defined 'nuclear waste' but with high-level radioactive waste as I previously defined it.
- high-level radioactive waste disposal
Examples
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Under this system, the disposal of the high-level radioactive waste that results from nuclear fission (n24) became the responsibility of the federal government.
Academic text (2000) -
The disposal of high-level radioactive waste requires extensive planning and adherence to government regulations.
-
Taking on the burden of managing and storing high-level radioactive waste.
Academic text (2012) -
A little over 2 weeks ago, I made my submission on the topic of high-level radioactive waste, its production in nuclear reactors, and the apparent lack of concern for its eventual fate.
Blog text (11) -
This review board is an independent agency of the U.S. Federal Government with the sole purpose of providing oversight to the Department of Energy's program for managing and disposing of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
Blog text (25) -
The government would be responsible for arranging for and providing a cask(s) and all necessary transportation of the spent nuclear fuel and/or high-level radioactive waste from the utility's site to the DOE facility.
Academic text (2017) -
It has been twenty years since the first nuclear power plants went into service, so we have less than two decades before those are due to be decommissioned and dismantled (Gorman 1991), and we have still not decided where to store permanently such high-level radioactive waste (Broad 1990).
Academic text (1991) -
The nuclear facility must implement stringent safety measures to manage high-level radioactive waste properly.
-
Scientists are studying methods to safely store high-level radioactive waste for thousands of years.
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
6.5
Radioactive material from medical tests and hospital procedures that has low radiation and needs safe handling
How Radioactive
- Specialized
1
7.8
- Specialized
1
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
high-level + radioactive + waste
The phrase is compositional: 'high-level' indicates a high degree, 'radioactive' describes emission of radiation, and 'waste' is discarded material, so a learner who knows these words can infer it means waste with a high level of radioactivity that needs careful disposal. The modifier+adjective+noun pattern is common cross-linguistically, making the construction predictable for B1 learners.
Etymology
High-level radioactive waste describes the leftover material from used nuclear fuel that is very radioactive and even gives off heat, so you can imagine a glowing, hot container. The word high-level shows it is a 'high' amount of radioactivity and radioactive waste is the dangerous leftover. That's why it means the 'most dangerous' kind of nuclear waste that must be stored carefully for a very long time.