That's certainly long life, but it's not nearly long enough for radwaste burial containers. Under the right geologic conditions, metallic copper can resist corrosion 2000 to 3000 times longer than any repository is expected to survive. Toughness is another important requirement for radwaste burial containers. Containers will have to be rugged enough to withstand the stresses of manufacture, loading, handling and transport to the repository without damage. They should also be ductile enough to avoid rupture in the event a container is accidentally dropped.
Copper is a very ductile metal.
It is easily worked into thin sheets and fine wires. Copper remains ductile even at low temperatures, and it can tolerate impact type loads without shattering. Strength, somewhat surprisingly, is not an absolutely crucial requirement. On the other hand, fabricability is very important since large numbers of containers will be required. In the U.S. alone, it has been estimated that about 19,800 burial containers will be produced through 2030 just to accommodate high-level wastes 7 .