Final answer:
The universal problematic substance of waste management in relation to nuclear facilities is radioactive waste. It includes uranium mill tailings and used nuclear reactor fuel, which require special containment and storage measures. The lack of a long-term storage facility for high-level radioactive waste is a challenge in managing nuclear waste.
Step-by-step explanation:
The universal problematic substance of waste management in relation to nuclear facilities is radioactive waste. The waste generated from mining uranium, called uranium mill tailings, is the largest waste and contains the radioactive element radium. High-level radioactive waste consists of used nuclear reactor fuel which must be stored and handled with multiple containment.
Radioactive wastes are classified as low-level and high-level. By volume, most of the waste related to the nuclear power industry has a relatively low level of radioactivity. Uranium mill tailings are placed near the processing facility or mill where they come from, covered with a barrier of material like clay to prevent radon from escaping into the atmosphere, and then covered by a layer of soil, rocks, or other materials to prevent erosion of the sealing barrier.
However, there is currently no long-term storage facility for high-level radioactive waste in the United States, which poses challenges in managing and storing the waste.