noun
- the radioactive by-products from the operation of a nuclear reactor or from the reprocessing of depleted nuclear fuel.
noun
- any waste material containing radionuclidesAlso called: nuclear waste
Radioactive materials that may be left after a commercial or laboratory process has been carried out. Some is “low-level” waste, such as objects that have touched the radioactive tracers used in certain medical tests. Other waste may be “high-level,” such as the material left in a nuclear reactor after the fuel has been consumed.