The waste itself is harmful, for eternity, simply by virtue of the fact that it is uranium. It's a toxic heavy metal, like lead, regardless of any radioactivity

The waste itself is harmful, for eternity, simply by virtue of the fact that it is uranium. It's a toxic heavy metal, like lead, regardless of any radioactivity. The duration of the serious concern due to radiation is gone in roughly 10,000 years but if course the original enrichment and subsequent use of the fuel can have large impacts on this figure. The reality is, nuclear waste should mostly be treated similarly to the toxic waste that is generates by other sectors of heavy industry.