SE20
Waste Management and Biosphere Protection

Main Organiser
Jean-Baptiste Peyaud
Universite Paris Sud
jean-baptiste.peyaud@total.com

Co-Organiser(s)
Arcilla Carlo
University of the Philippines
carloarcilla@hotmail.com

Guthrie Vanessa
Alcoa World Alumina Australia
PO Box 252
Applecross WA 6953
Australia
vanessa.guthrie@alcoa.com.au

McKinley Ian
NAGRA
ian.mckinley@nagra.ch

Brief Description
All human activities, especially industrial but also domestic, generate wastes that constitute a potential hazard to the environment. Examples of environments at risk include open dumps, mine tailings, abandoned mines, industrial sites contamined by organic, inorganic or radioactive pollutants, etc. Wastes may accumulate in the biosphere, marring the landscape, poisoning soil and contaminating aquifers. This area of study is of particular concern in the Asia-Oceania region due to massive exploitation of mineral resources, very rapid industrial development, extremely highly concentrated population centres, legacies of past nuclear activities (e.g. weapons testing), etc. This session will focus on development of environmentally sound disposal methods for hazardous wastes and the determination of the consequences from - and eventual remediation of - sites contaminated by past activities.