ABSTRACT
Italian legislation requires companies undertaking certain work activities involving naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) to check compliance with action levels (1 mSv y(-1) for workers, 0.3 mSv y(-1) for the public). A project is being carried out by ARPAV and other Environmental Agencies to estimate doses to members of the public from NORM from several activities (refractory and tile industry, integrated steelworks, phosphate industry, aluminium production, coal-fired power plants). Activity concentration values of residues have been compared with general clearance levels given in Radiation Protection 122 part 2 and, in several cases, these levels appeared to be exceeded. Doses due to air emissions from stacks, from wastes in disposal sites and from the use of fertilisers in agriculture have been calculated through simulation models (PC-Cream, Resrad, Unscear algorithms), which produce fairly low dose estimates. A major problem for NORM control in Italy at the moment is the lack of official technical and legislative rules (concerning, for instance, residues and effluents management).
Subject(s)
Environmental Exposure/analysis , Environmental Exposure/statistics & numerical data , Industrial Waste/statistics & numerical data , Industry/statistics & numerical data , Radiation Monitoring/methods , Radiation Monitoring/statistics & numerical data , Radioisotopes/analysis , Body Burden , Environment , Humans , Italy , Radiation DosageABSTRACT
Eni, in collaboration with ARPA Veneto, laid down a procedure for the exposure assessment of workers and the public to natural radionuclides contained in oil sludge during their future removal from hydrocarbons extraction and treatment plants. Reference legislation for this study is Italian Legislative Decree 241/00, which regulates protection from exposure to ionising radiation also for working activities with naturally occurring radioactive materials.
