1. Background
The Onkalo Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository encapsulates the concept of final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Such an extreme course of action is necessary as the radionuclides – atoms with unstable nuclei that undergo radioactive decay – in spent fuel rods remain radioactive for more than 100,000 years. ( Black, R. 2006, April 27. Finland buries its nuclear past. BBC. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ) The design underlying the repository is based on the KBS-3 means of burying nuclear waste developed by Svensk Karnbranslehantering AB in Sweden.
2. Critique of Impact:
As nuclear waste cannot be removed easily and in the short-term due to the long-lasting effects of radiation, it is imperative to organize the disposal of said materials such that it does not pose harm to organic nature. Hence, subterranean spaces are necessary in this context as the storing these waste materials into reinforced canisters and burying them underground ensure that radiation would not leak out and contaminate the surrounding area.