Remediation Process For Areas Affected By Past Activities And Accidents

This report sets out guidance on implementing the requirements for the remediation of sites contaminated by radioactive materials by past nuclear activities and accidents. It provides recommendations for protective and remedial actions intended to reduce existing prolonged exposures due to contamination and to avert potential prolonged exposure or the likelihood of such exposure from related contamination. Topics covered include: regulatory infrastructure and responsibilities; the remediation process and initial decision making; planning and operational aspects; and post-remediation management.

Provides requirements for intervention of areas, including land and industrial sites, that have been contaminated as a result of human activities and could cause the prolonged exposure to radiation of workers and members of the public.

A variety of past activities and events have resulted in contamination of sites and areas by residual radioactive material. In cases where relevant criteria are exceeded, remediation should be implemented to reduce radiation exposure due to contamination, taking into account other non-radiological hazards as appropriate. Remediation includes any actions applied to the contamination itself (the source) or to the exposure pathways to people. This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the planning and implementation of remediation of sites and areas affected by past activities and events based on a systematic, stepwise approach, taking account of the specific characteristics of a given situation and the prevailing circumstances. The Safety Guide is targeted at regulatory bodies, responsible parties, operating organizations and other parties involved in the remediation of sites or areas and contributing to the recovery process to ensure the protection of people and the environment.

Sites with radioactive contamination may require action to protect people and the environment and to enable transition to a different future use. To support environmental management of these sites, this publication presents a process to determine the “end state” of the site to be remediated or being remediated, and implications for the site future use and necessary controls. The approach is intended to assist those responsible for a site in making an informed and transparent decision on what is the mutually agreed end state. It provides a common basis for all stakeholders involved in the decision-making process, who are working on achieving consensus, so that the potential for misunderstanding is reduced.

Nuclear sites become contaminated with radionuclides due to accidents and activities carried out without due consideration for the environment. Naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM) released by industrial processes such as coal power production and fertilizer manufacture may also require clean-up. Environmental remediation and restoration aim to reduce exposure to radiation from contaminated soil or groundwater. This book provides a comprehensive overview of this area. Part 1 provides an introduction to the different types of contaminated site and their characteristics. Part 2 addresses environmental restoration frameworks and processes. Part 3 then reviews different remediation techniques and methods of waste disposal. Explores types and characteristics of contaminated nuclear and NORM sites Provides an in depth guide to environmental restoration frameworks and processes including stakeholder involvement, risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis in the remediation and restoration of contaminated nuclear and NORM sites Offers coverage of remediation techniques and waste disposal from electrokinetic remediation to in situ and ex situ bioremediation of radionuclides contaminated soils

Remediation of Contaminated Environments summarises - amongst other things - what happened to the people and environment around Chernobyl (and other nuclear sites) and what measures need to be taken in future in the event of nuclear accidents etc. plus it has a very important and currently topical use in detailing what to do in the event of a terrorist dirty bomb attack on a city. Remediation, including characterization of contaminated sites; safety requirements; remediation planning; effectiveness of individual measures in different environments; social, ethical and economic considerations; application of modern decision aiding technologies Applicable to different categories of contaminated environments and contaminants, comprising areas contaminated by radiation accidents and incidents, nuclear weapon tests, natural radionuclides associated with nuclear fuel cycle, fossil material mining and gas and oil production Associated side effects (environmental and social) and human based remediation measures, comprising perception of this activity by the population; with particular regard to stakeholders and population involvement in making decisions on environmental safety and remediation of contaminated sites

The nuclear crisis in Fukushima and growing threats of nuclear terrorism must serve as a wake-up call, prompting greater action to prepare ourselves for nuclear and radiological disasters. Our strategy to prepare for these threats is multi-layered and the events of these past years have proved the necessity to re-evaluate the national and international preparedness goals on a scale never before considered. The programme of NATO Advanced Research Workshop on “Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Threats” has been focused on science and technology challenges associated with our need to improve the national and international capacity and capability to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from the nuclear and radiological disasters, including nuclear and radiological accident, terrorist attack by Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) or by “Dirty Bomb”-Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD), that pose the greatest risk to the national and international security and safety.

This Safety Report has been developed as part of the IAEA programme on occupational radiation protection to provide for the application of its safety standards in implementing a graded approach to the protection of workers against exposures associated with uranium mining and processing. The publication describes the methods of production associated with the uranium industry and provides practical information on the radiological risks to workers in the exploration, mining and processing of uranium. It is a compilation of detailed information on uranium mining and processing stages and techniques, general radiation protection considerations in the relevant industry, general methodologies applicable for control, monitoring and dose assessment, exposure pathways, and radiation protection programmes for a range of commonly used mining and processing techniques.