What Did Marie Curie Do with Her Garbage?

The book gives a historical, interdisciplinary, and theoretical discussion on management of radioactive waste. Chronicling the lifetime achievements of Marie Curie, the book seeks to inform readers what radioactive waste is, where it comes from, and how we came to our current state of affairs. The book discusses the “ever-increasing amounts of waste” as more nuclear power plants come into use and plans of other nations are discussed.  It covers the development of all of the topics mentioned throughout the book (e.g. medical, low level wastes, TRU wastes, and high level waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing) both from a technological and scientific standpoint as well as political and public acceptance). Topics such as “radiation hazards including radiotoxicity of various radionuclides in radioactive waste as a basis for determining radioactive waste management standards and practices, as well as the various types of radioactive wastes are addressed.  Regulations of radioactive wastes by various countries and on an international level are included as well.  An Afterword discusses alternative pasts and futures. The book strives to present possible solutions to lingering questions: What might have been done during the past hundred years?  What choices do we have now?  What are the possibilities of doing the right thing, whatever that is?  Is there either technical or political leadership available to create a safe and sustainable ending? The book contributes to the intelligent discussion of complex problems our society must resolve as we enter the 21st Century.