Fusion reactor radioactive materials and national waste management regulations

National regulations on waste management do not seem adequate to cope with the fusion case. The paper shows the relevance of this problem, showing some aspects of application of national radioactive waste management practices and regulations to fusion. In particular, the case of Italian waste management regulations is considered. The waste management strategy proposed in the SEAFP and PPCS studies, based upon recycling and clearance techniques, is compared to Italian national regulations. If those regulations were applied to fusion, a relevant part of the fusion radioactive materials should be classified in the Italian High Level Waste category. Also in the case of other national regulations, fusion waste would be rated mostly in the local 'high-level' category. An evolution of those regulations in the future, in order to take into account the special characteristics of fusion radioactive materials, is recommended. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.