Potential biological hazard of curium isotopes in deep burial

The potential biological hazard (PBH) of radionuclides from the decay chains of Curium (Cm) isotopes in the pore water of sandy rocks has been investigated. The effect of the Pu isotopes from the Cm fraction after reprocessing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and storage during 70 years on the PBH has been estimated. The effects of radionuclides toxicity and malignant neoplasms development in people were estimated as lifetime attributable radiation risk of cancer caused by oral consumption of radionuclides. It was found that, according to the fraction isolated from SNF with isotopes, Cm decreases by 10 times after the removal of Pu isotopes with a 0.1% residue in radioactive waste. It is shown that the processing of Cm with the release of Pu allows to reduce the time of occurrence of the radiation-migration balance with uranium raw materials for nuclear fuel, as well as to reduce the amount and danger of radioactive waste for deep burial.