In the next few years, an amazing transfer of hazardous waste will take place. On any given day, hundreds of thousands of pounds of hazardous waste are transported on US roads. The waste that is routinely transported is waste that meets the criteria of being hazardous in accordance with EPA standards set forth in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA waste is waste that is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic. This waste is shipped utilizing a shipping document known as the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (manifest).

Department of Transportation regulations govern the over-the-road shipment of any hazardous waste. One of the regulations requires hazardous waste transporters to placard their trucks or trains to ensure that emergency crews are aware of potential hazards in a response situations. You've all seen the placards, affixed to the sides of transport vehicles.

In the last year, DOT has also required companies who ship or transport hazardous waste or materials to conduct transportation security training. I conduct this training.

The real threat, however, is coming in the near future. The federal repository for radioactive waste located at Yucca Mountain, NV is close to being completed, in fact, waste will be shipped before 2010. The repository will house all the high-level radioactive waste in the US that is no longer usable. Nevada screamed loud and long but alas, they lost.

The problem is the waste will all have to be transported to Nevada via road or rail and the potential for terrorists creating mayhem is significant. A terror group that has knowledge of a shipment could create the worlds first, and largest, "Dirty Bomb".

"Dirty Bombs" are conventional explosives such as C-4 or dynamite that is coupled with radioactive waste. The effects would be devastating, not only in practical terms, but psychological terms as well. The main effect would be the damage created by the conventional warhead, not necessarily the radioactive material, unless the radioactive waste was high-level. This type of waste is much more difficult to come by at present.

Some radioactive waste has a half life of ten-thousand years. Let's suppose that a pound of high-level radioactive waste has a half life of 500 years, in 2504, the amount of radioactive waste will be one half of a pound, in 3004 it will be one quarter pound and so on. You can imagine the horrific environmental havoc that would be created should high-level radioactive waste fall into the wrong hands.

This is the driver behind the repository. One central storage location that will be heavily protected as opposed to the situation we now find ourselves in. Radioactive waste is currently stored for the most part where it was used as material; hospitals and power plants. The national repository is the best solution, getting it there is the tough part.

To get an idea of the scope see this map and the transport procedures for spent fuel here.