Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T23:45:07.600Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The European Waste Catalogue – is it a good tool to raise awareness about Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2009

B. Michalik*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Radiometry, Główny Instytut Górnictwa, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
Get access

Abstract

Since radiation risk is usually considered to be related to nuclear energy or atomic bomb, majority of researches on radiation protection has focused on artificial radionuclides and radioactive waste. Far less attention has been paid to radiation risk caused by exposure to ionizing radiation originating from naturally occurring radioactive materials despite the fact that their presence touches many aspects of our life, especially when a huge amount of bulk waste had been dumped in our vicinity. Existing regulations have pointed out the strong needs to take into account non-nuclear industry where materials containing enhanced natural radioactivity occur and enclose them in frame of formal control of radiation risk but in reality often such cases of radiation risk are still out of, not only control, but even simple monitoring. This is caused by the shortage of information about radiation occurring outside nuclear industry or radioactive source and irradiating apparatus use. Such lacking information can be included in European Waste Catalogue to make the first awareness for the all stakeholders of concern.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Gesell T.F. and Pritchard N.M. The technologically enhanced natural radiation environment. Health Physics 28, 361 (1975)
Kathren, Ronald L., NORM Sources and Their Origins, Applied Radiation and Isotopes (Incorporating Nuclear Geophysics) Vol: 49, Issue: 3, pp. 149–168, (March 1998)
Righi S., Betti M., Bruzzi L., Mazzotti G., Monitoring of natural radioactivity in working places, Microchemical Journal Vol. 67, p. 119–126, (2000)
Baxter M.S.Technologically enhanced radioactivity: An Overview, Journal of Environmetal Radioactivity, VOL. 32, Nos 1–2, 3–17, (1996)
Vandenhove H., European sites contaminated by residues from the ore-extracting and –processing industries, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on High Levels of Natural Radiation and Radon Areas, Munich , Germany, September 2000, Elsevier International Congress Series No. 1225, 2002, ISBN: 0-444-50863-5 (ICHLNRR, 2000)
Ministry of Health, Canada. Canadian Guideline for the Management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive materials, (2000)
Martin A., Mead S., Wade B.O., Materials containing natural radionuclides in enhanced concentrations, Directorate-General Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection, contract No B4-3070/95/00387/MAR/C3 Final report No EUR 17625 EN, 1997
IAEA (2003) Safety Series No. 115/CD, International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (CD-ROM Edition, 2003)
IAEA (2005) TEC-DOC-1472, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM IV), Proceedings of an International Conference held in Szczyrk, Poland, May 2004, issued October 2005
IAEA SAFETY STANDARDS SERIES No. RS-G-1.7. Application of the Concepts of Exclusion, Exemption and Clearance SAFETY GUIDE No. RS-G-1.7 (2004)
IAEA Safety Reports Series No. 49. Assessing the need for radiation protection measures in work involving minerals and raw materials, 2006 ISSN 1020–6450