Decontamination and dismantling of radioactive concrete structures

The treatment and disposal of contaminated concrete is a major issue for almost all decommissioning projects due to the very large quantities of material which may be involved. The selection and use of different dismantling and decontamination techniques can significantly influence the total amount of contaminated material that needs to be managed. For example, if a contaminated building is fully demolished, all debris is considered contaminated and requires special handling. In the event that a surface removal technique is first used to separate the contaminated concrete, the volume of material requiring disposal as radioactive material will be significantly reduced, though care wil be needed in case of possible non-superficial contamination along cracks and in pipe penetration.