Current approaches for assessment of the impact of radioactive discharges to the environment: Update of IAEA safety report series 19

Brown, J.; Yankovich, T.; Berkovskyy, V.; Thiessen, K.; Bonchuk, Y.; Beresford, N.A.; Brown,, J.. 2022 Current approaches for assessment of the impact of radioactive discharges to the environment: Update of IAEA safety report series 19. [Lecture] In: 5th international Conference on Radioecology & Environmental Radioactivity, Oslo, Norway, 4-9 September, 2022.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract/Summary

The IAEA Fundamental Safety Principles state that “People and the environment, present and future, must be protected against radiation risks. Radiation risks may transcend national borders and may persist for long periods of time. The possible consequences, now and in the future, of current actions have to be taken into account in judging the adequacy of measures to control radiation risks.” This emphasizes the importance of prospective assessment of radiological impacts to proactively prevent significant adverse effects through proper planning of facilities and activities. In the case of planned exposure situations, the authorized discharge of radionuclides to the atmosphere and surface water environments is a legitimate practice in hospitals, research facilities, nuclear power plants, and for other facilities and activities. For such practices, prospective assessment of public exposure and environmental impacts from radioactive discharges is an essential regulatory requirement to support the optimization of authorized discharges. Both the radiological doses received by members of the public (the representative person) and by wildlife (reference animals and plants) are considered in the assessment. An updated screening methodology (superseding Generic Models for Use in Assessing the Impact of Discharges of Radioactive Substances to the Environment (IAEA Safety Report Series No. 19)) for the integrated assessment of doses received by the public and by wildlife has been developed. The methodology provides a structured approach, including pre-calculated screening coefficients, that can be used to assess the impact of radioactive discharges from facilitates and activities. A series of IAEA Safety Reports have been developed that cover: an updated generic screening methodology for the assessment of doses to the public; a new methodology for the assessment of doses to flora and fauna; and a detailed description of the models, assumptions and data that are used to calculate the screening coefficients and additional information on models and data that can be used for more site-specific assessments. Two supporting TECDOCs have also been produced: the first describes the differences in the screening coefficients for doses to the public between the ‘SRS-19’ methodology and the updated methodology; and the second provides a series of scenarios applying the updated methodology that can be used for familiarization and training. The key aspects of this updated methodology and how it can be implemented in the planning, design and operation of nuclear facilities and activities will be presented.

Item Type:	Publication - Conference Item (Lecture)
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Pollution (Science Area 2017-)
Date made live:	31 Jan 2023 16:43 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533141

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...