IAEA Programme on Occupational Radiation Protection in NORM Industries Jizeng Ma Occupational Radiation Protection Unit Radiation Safety & Monitoring Section, NSRW

Content Application of GSR Part -3 requirements into NORM industry sectors Agency Definitions Industry Characteristics Graded Approach & Regulation of NORM (with national authority and industry approaches) Related IAEA Safety Requirements & Guidance, On-going activities of the Agency in regard to NORM, and Findings & suggestions of NORM VIII symposium CRCPD May 2017

NORM - Definition of the Agency NORM (Naturally occurring radioactive material) definitions: NORM: Radioactive material containing no significant amounts of radionuclides other than naturally occurring radionuclides (regulatory decision & activity concentration of process material is the key) NORM Residues: Material that remains from a process and comprises or is contaminated by naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). NORM waste: Naturally occurring radioactive material for which no further use is foreseen. Natural Sources NORM NORM Residues NORM Waste Therefore, a NORM residue may - or may not - be waste. Source - IAEA Safety Glossary 2007 Edition CRCPD May 2017

The IAEA NORM Programme NORM is a cross-cutting issue Various groups in the Technical Departments of the Agency have NORM-related activities Radiation protection Waste management Waste management technology Radioactivity measurement The IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme implements training events and some other assistance to the Member States related to NORM. Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology CRCPD May 2017

NORM Industry Characteristics The regulation of NORM industries often involves multiple regulatory authorities. NORM industries are strongly driven by economic viability of individual projects. When profit margins are small the pressures to keep costs low are large. Generally multi-hazards situations. Radiological risk generally not dominant. Doses always expected to be below thresholds for deterministic effects. NORM residues are almost always long-lived. Lack of RP culture and difficult to achieve the same level as nuclear industry. Clear zoning may be difficult (classification of areas). A graded approach is needed. CRCPD May 2017

Safety Requirements – GSR Part 3 An integrated and consistent set of Safety Requirements that establishes the requirements that must be met to ensure the protection of people and the environment, both now and in the future. BSS follows ICRP 103 recommendations Protection and Safety requirements of the BSS apply to all facilities and activities Planned, emergency and existing exposure situations Occupational, public and medical exposure categories 52 overarching requirements – for governments, regulatory bodies, industry, health and safety professionals, workers and public CRCPD May 2017

Graded approach to regulation One of the key principles in the BSS application of the requirements for planned exposure situations “shall be commensurate with characteristics of the practice or source and with the magnitude and likelihood of exposures.” Particularly relevant for NORM industries the exposures are generally moderate with little or no likelihood of extreme radiological consequences from accidents. The graded approach optimizes the use of regulatory and operator resources CRCPD May 2017

Regulation of NORM Activity concentration are specified in the GSR Part 3 as being values below which it is usually unnecessary to regulate, irrespective of the quantity of material or whether it is in its natural state or has been subject to some form of processing: 1 Bq/g for any radionuclide of the uranium and thorium series decay chains 10 Bq/g for 40K These values can also be used as clearance levels for release of NORM residues from practices Exposure to natural sources – normally considered as an existing exposure situation However, with certain exceptions : requirements for planned exposure situations are applied These values were derived by considering the upper end of the worldwide distribution of activity concentrations in soils. Activities involving material in which either of the above activity concentration values is exceeded would, by implication, need to be considered by the regulatory body. CRCPD May 2017

Scope of regulation for NORM CRCPD May 2017

National regulatory approaches Adopt BSS directly or with some modification Wide acceptance of the Industry sectors most likely to require some form of regulatory consideration Uranium mining and processing Rare earths extraction Thorium extraction & use Niobium extraction Non-U mining – incl. radon Oil and gas Production and use of TiO2 Phosphate Industry Zircon & zirconia Metals production (Sn, Cu, Al, Fe, Zn, Pb) Burning of coal etc. Water treatment – incl. radon Still differences between countries or even within a country CRCPD May 2017

National regulatory approaches General acceptance of the 1 Bq/g criterion Need for an evidence based approach for regulatory decisions Uncertainties in worker and public dose assessment Conservative modelling and prediction of exposure scenarios far from real situations CRCPD May 2017

Industry-specific approach No single approach is appropriate for all industrial processes – a challenge in deriving a uniform approach The nature and level of the radiological risk varies considerably from one industrial process to another Most of the actions taken to comply with regulation is situation specific and hard to generalise Examples – Oil and gas industries, Mining industries Need for industry specific approach IAEA - industry specific safety reports – widely recognized. CRCPD May 2017

Exposure of workers Methodologies for realistic assessment of worker doses suffer from non-standardised approaches Worker doses < 1 mSv in most workplaces of NORM industries with few exceptions of U/Th mining and processing, rare earths extraction etc. Potential for higher exposures if adequate control measures are not implemented. CRCPD May 2017

Previous Agency work on NORM Safety Reports Series 49 addresses the question under what circumstances does it become necessary to regulate? The characteristics of NORM and the implications for their management are specific to the industrial process. (2006) (2007) (2011) (2012) (2013) CRCPD May 2017

Previous Agency work on NORM management The NORM VIII symposia – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 18-21 Oct 2016. The Agency also develops many topical reports on aspects of NORM Management (2015) (2011) (2010) (2013) (2013) CRCPD May 2017

Safety Guides applicable to NORM Brief description of each document CRCPD May 2017

Documents Safety Standards: Occupational Radiation Protection (DS453) Safety Reports and other supporting documents (under preparation): Uranium mining & processing (completed, under publication), Coal and Coal Ash industry (on going ), RP and NORM Residue Management in the Industrial Uses of Thorium (completed, under publication) Available Training Materials Training course series No.40 – Oil and gas industry Training Package on ORP in NORM Industries (5 days programme with case studies) NORM Publications (available @ IAEA official web-site) Exposure to Radiation from Natural Sources https://www-ns.iaea.org/publications/norm-publications.asp CRCPD May 2017

New audience with weak awareness of radiation and radiation safety DS459 Safety Guide on Management of Radioactive Residues from Uranium Production and Other NORM Activities Background Focus on residues generated from uranium production and other activities For residues of new generation and new facilities, including from operation, decommissioning and remediation New audience with weak awareness of radiation and radiation safety Less developed knowledge and experience to NORM residues compared with those for radiation sources and nuclear fuel cycle CRCPD May 2017

Based on the Requirements on NORM Residues in GSR Part 3) 3.1(f) the mining and processing of raw materials that involve exposure due to radioactive material; 3.4 (a) Exposure due to material in any practice specified in para.3.1 where the activity concentration in the material of any radionuclide in the uranium or thorium decay chains is greater than 1 Bq/g or the activity concentration of 40 K is greater than 10 Bq/g. 3.4 (b) Public exposure delivered by discharges or in the management of radioactive waste arising from a practice involving material as specified in para. 3.4 (a) I-4. For radionuclides of natural origin, exemption of bulk amounts of material is necessary considered on a case by case basis by using a dose criterion of the order of 1 mSv in a year, commensurate with typical doses due to natural background levels of radiation. CRCPD May 2017

Structure of DS459 1. Introduction 2. Overview of NORM Residues 3. Governmental, legal and regulatory framework 4. Protection of people and the environment 5. System for regulatory control 6. Strategies for NORM residue management 7. The safety case and safety assessment for NORM residues management 8. Safety consideration for long term Management of NORM Residues Appendix A. Special considerations of residues from uranium production Appendix B. Residue management plan for uranium production Appendix C. Decommissioning plan for uranium production facility References Annex I. Residue be assessed for possible regulatory control Annex II. Reuse and Recycling of NORM Residues Annex III. Sampling and determining radionuclide activity concentrations Annex IV. Bibliography CRCPD May 2017

System for Regulatory Control CRCPD May 2017

International initiatives ICRP Task Group 76 “Application of the Commission’s Recommendations into the NORM industries” Launched in 2010, membership updated in 2013 & still active To develop a report on the application of the Commission’s recommendations (ICRP 103) on radiological protection against enhanced exposures from industrial processes using NORM (existing exposure situation) To complete the series of reports on existing exposure situations (Pub. 111, 126, TG 83) After 2017 ICRP symposium, the report will be introduced for consultation (through ICRP web-page) EC Working Party on exposure to natural sources of ionising radiations (WP NAT), quite new (first meeting in Feb 2017) Established under Article 31 of the EURATOM Treaty To discuss and propose solutions to current issues related to radiation protection of individuals subject to exposure to natural sources of ionising radiations. To be used by the Commission to develop guidance supporting the implementation of Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM Priority areas; Rn at workplaces, Building materials, NORM industries, Rn Action Plans IAEA has observer status for both of the committees Application of the Commission's Recommendations to the Protection of People Living in Long-term Contaminated Areas after a Nuclear Accident or a Radiation Emergency, ICRP Publication 111 Radiological Protection against Radon Exposure, ICRP Publication 126 Draft Report for Consultation: Radiological Protection from Cosmic Radiation in Aviation, TG 83 (consultation is over) CRCPD May 2017

NORM VIII (18-21 Oct 2016, Brazil) Organized by IRD of Brazil , cosponsored by IAEA and some other international organizations Attended by 180 experts from 31 countries Findings & suggestions Standards; very well understood, exemption level for regulation with graded approach (many countries have similar type of understanding, regulations, ordinance, regulatory guıdance, etc.), however still fractured Robust regulatory systems (avoid from regulatory burden with good structured policy and strategies) Guidance on applications, practical cases studies (dilution, blending, building materials etc.), NOT gold standards Transferring knowledge in a timely manner Industry oriented guidance (need to work more closely) Regulator is driving the system, but much more industry input is needed. NORM requires long term commitment. Slight deviation from Radiation Protection to OH&S requirements (radiation is not the dominant and one of the risk agent) Balancing risk and its management (holistic approach) CRCPD May 2017

Next NORM Symposium Session on NORM – Environment, Radioecology, Remediation, decommissioning, waste management strategies Industry representation for experience sharing: Invited speakers from RP Offices from key NORM industries (Zircon , IFA – International Fertilizer Association, Titanium Dioxide Association) Rare-earth NORM industry Regulators from Developing countries Site visit to a NORM facility Practical information courses -Refresher course about NORM practical, studies Remote sessions (such as webinars) Change the style of the symposium, more time for discussions, poster presentations is a good practice that should continue CRCPD May 2017

Conclusions Radiation protection experience is limited in many NORM industry sectors, uranium mining being an exception. Industry specific guidance is needed to address the radiological issues of NORM industries Synergies with the conventional worker health and safety issues should be strengthened. NORM industries are lacking to develop a common language for engaging open and transparent dialogues with stakeholders (e.g. decision makers, regulators, the public, industry, etc.). Building stakeholder trust is important for management and operation of NORM sites. Continuing to provide appropriate standards for management of NORM, and providing for the application of these standards are drivers of Agency’s programme for NORM. CRCPD May 2017

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