DEFINITION OF HIGH LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE :
Source : US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) :
High-level radioactive wastes are the highly radioactive materials produced as a byproduct of the reactions that occur inside nuclear reactors. High-level wastes take one of two forms:
1) Spent (used) reactor fuel when it is accepted for disposal.
2) Waste materials remaining after spent fuel is reprocessed.
Source : International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) :
High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) is produced from the burning of uranium fuel in nuclear power reactors. It is of two kinds:
1) Spent nuclear fuel.
2) Waste resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Due to its high radioactivity and very long half-life, HLW has to be well contained and isolated from the human environment.
RADIOACTIVE WASTE 10,000 X MORE RADIOACTIVE THAN URANIUM ORE
Source: Nuclear
