The NUSS Codes of Practice and supplementary Safety Guides promote a common approach to governmental organization, siting, design, operations, and quality assurance at nuclear power plants. Environmental risks of energy production Properly viewed, the level of risk nuclear power poses to human health and the environment compares favorably with that of viable energy alternatives. To help provide this perspective, the Agency, together with other organizations, is comparatively assessing the risks of nuclear power production with viable energy alternatives, building up a reliable database on different types of health and environmental impacts posed by the total cycle of the energy system. This assessment represents a pioneering international effort to develop an integrated approach to risk management. In 1991, it will team with UNEP, WHO, and a host of other organizations to sponsor an international symposium aimed at understanding the environmental and health effects of different means of generating electricity and how this knowledge can be translated into practical policies and practices on electricity and the environment.
Efforts concentrate on the control, containment, and isolation of such wastes from the biosphere.
Practical assistance, guidelines for safety assessment procedures, publications, symposia, and training are provided in radioactive waste management. The IAEA publishes safety standards on radioactive waste management and disposal. A new safety standard released in 1989 reflects an international concensus on the safety principles and technical criteria for the underground disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. The practical contributions of nuclear energy and the IAEA's activities to enhance environmentally sound and sustainable international development have gained wide recognition in the global community. The use of nuclear techniques in fields such as agriculture, industry, and research supports environmental objectives.