The potential harm of long-lived radionuclides estimated as the product of the activity of a radionuclide and the dose coefficient is examined. The potential harm of actinides in high-level wastes is calculated taking account of the harm due to their decay products. At the same time, an analogous calculation is performed for the uranium isotopes 238 U, 235 U, and 234 U consumed in the reactor. The value obtained, which depends on the time, can be regarded as the averted harm. The time for establishing radiation equivalence between the high-level wastes and the consumed uranium is determined as the time in which the potential harm from actinides becomes equal to the averted harm. It depends on the holding time of the spent fuel before radiochemical reprocessing. For a 5 yr holding period, it is ∼49000 yr.

The principles for selecting matrices for immobilizing high-level wastes are examined. It is concluded that actinides should be separated and embeeded in the matrix separately from fission products. The minimum significant specific activity, regulated by NRB-99, cannot be used to estimate the storage time. It is suggested that such values be established as a function of the leach rate of radionuclides and matrix materials from matrices. For this, a standard leaching method using pulverized materials must be specified. Two criteria are proposed for comparing matrix materials.