Actual public exposure to this radiation decreases dramatically with increased distance from the cask. Drivers and other workers would receive a proportionately higher, if still very small, dose from routine transportation of spent fuel. In much the same way, workers at a repository or interim storage facility would be exposed to small amounts of radiation during routine waste handling at the operations center. Since these facilities would be isolated from members of the public, the public would receive virtually no radiation from routine operations. Another concern is the risk of an accident that could result in a release of radioactive material.
Many scenarios are possible, but all have a low probability of occurring.
In the near term, a serious transportation accident or a failure in waste handling procedures or equipment at the repository or interim storage facility could result in the release of unknown amounts of radiation. HLW transportation casks are built to withstand extreme impacts, and the probability of an accident that could break open a canister is very small. A serious accident at the site would be highly unlikely. Since these facilities would be isolated from population centers, the public would receive virtually no radiation from routine operations. Activities at the Nevada Test Site, including past testing of nuclear weapons and ongoing disposal of low-level radioactive wastes, could possibly result in radionuclide releases to the environment.