IAEA’s Activities on Public Exposure

Joanne BrownDivision of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety

Assessment & Management of Environmental Releases

Scientific reports oneffects of radiation

Recommendations for protection

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The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission

on Radiological Protection

Establishing standards in radiation safety

IAEA establishes or adopts safety standards for the protection of health and to minimize the danger to life and property.

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International Basic Safety Standards

Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards published as GSR Part 3 in 2014

• Key safety requirements for radiation safety

• Applies to all facilities and all activities

• Covers all three exposure situations – planned, emergency and existing

• Covers all categories of exposure – workers, patients, public and environment

• Addresses both natural and man-made radioactivity

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Compilation of data to support Radiological Impact assessment

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PROPOSED Coordinated Research ProjectTransfer of Radionuclides in Arid and Semi-Arid Environments for Radiological Environmental Impact Assessment UNSCEAR global survey on public exposure 13 November 2020

International Guidance for Radionuclide Activity Concentrations for Food and Drinking Water

Harmonized guidance being developed by IAEA/WHO/FAO (in progress)Develop values for each radionuclide/food combination above which further investigation is warranted

Codex Alimentarius Standard 193-1995

WHO Guidelines for Drinking–water Quality (4th Edition – 2011)

IAEA GSR Part 3 (5th edition – 2014). Existing exposure situations: The regulatory body or other relevant authority shall establish specific reference levels for exposure due to radionuclides in … food, feed and drinking water, each of which shall typically be expressed as, or based on, an annual effective dose to the representative person generally that does not exceed a value of about 1 mSv.

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Different organizationsDifferent timeframesDifferent purposes

Components of the Project involving data collection useful for UNSCEAR

Natural Radionuclides in Food

• Compile and evaluate data from peer reviewed literature and from MS on:– updated compilation of activity concentrations of naturally occurring

radionuclides in food (1998 - 2017)

– Concentrations of natural radionuclides in natural mineral waters– Concentrations of radionuclides in wild foods– Doses (all radionuclides) from ‘total diet’

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Safety Standards & supporting guidelines: public exposure from radon

TECDOC

Protection against Radon Indoor and Gamma Radiation from Construction material

(in publication)

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Webinars, training material and videos

11 webinars related to radon and thoron

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The IAEA DIRATA database

• DIRATA is the IAEA Member States’ database on discharges of radionuclides to the atmosphere and the aquatic environment.

• Source of worldwide information and an international reference point for Member States and international organisations

• Provides Member States with a technical means for reporting and reviewing discharges within the framework of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

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What does DIRATA contain?

• The database contains the annual discharge records submitted on voluntary basis by the IAEA Member States.

• DIRATA also includes the historical discharge records, collected by UNSCEAR, the European Commission and other international and national organisations.

• Discharge data from 1947 - 2012UNSCEAR global survey on public exposure 13 November 2020

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Member States: sites

33 Member States

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Mainly NPPAlso few Research Reactors, Waste Management Facilities & Other sites, eg fuel fabrication

Plans moving forward

• IAEA to update and maintain DIRATA

• Review to ensure current, complete, accessible & easy to use by MS inputting data

• Collaborate with UNSCEAR (& others) to collect data

• Discharge data needs to be useful to interested parties & appropriate for dose assessment

• Updated & complete database by 2021-22 is planned

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Modelling and Data for Environmental Radiological Impact Assessment

• Environmental assessment models are used to evaluate the radiological impact of releases of radionuclides to the environment from past and potential future practices and accidental releases.

• The models are essential tools for regulatory control of discharges to the environment and for radiological impact assessments, both for humans and non-human biota (wildlife).

• The IAEA began supporting environmental assessment activities in the 1980s.

• A series of programmes initiated in 1985 (BIOMOVS I & II, VAMP, BIOMASS, EMRAS I & II,)

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Exposures andCountermeasures

in UrbanEnvironments

Consistent with and useful for the application of IAEA Safety Standards.

Progrsamme Objectives

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…..to improve capabilities in the field of environmental transfer of radionuclides and public and non-human biota exposures assessment, by means of acquisition of improved data for model testing and comparison, reaching consensus on modelling philosophies, approaches and parameter values and building an international forum for the exchange of information.

WG4: Transfer Processes and Data for Radiological Impact Assessment

Subgroup 1: Distribution coefficient - Kd• identification of user needs for Kd

database, discuss how to report Kdvalues for terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems, presentations of new Kd data

Sub group 2 Fukushima TECDOC• Compilation of transfer parameter data

compiled after the Fukushima accident in Japan – review of main findings and conclusions

Sub group 3 Non temperate systems• discussion and analysis of the arid/semi-

arid and tropical areas and compilation of transfer factor datasets

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Thank you for your kind attention!

IAEA’s Activities on Public ExposureEstablishing standards in radiation safetyInternational Basic Safety StandardsCompilation of data to support Radiological Impact assessmentInternational Guidance for Radionuclide Activity Concentrations for Food and Drinking Water�Components of the Project involving data collection useful for UNSCEARSafety Standards & supporting guidelines: �public exposure from radonWebinars, training material and videosThe IAEA DIRATA databaseWhat does DIRATA contain?Member States: sitesPlans moving forwardModelling and Data for Environmental Radiological Impact AssessmentSlide Number 14WG4: Transfer Processes and Data for Radiological Impact AssessmentThank you for your kind attention!