Environmental Monitoring for West Cumbria in 2016 John Titley Reactor Assessment and Radiological Monitoring Team Title Slides Your audience needs to know who you are and what you are going to talk about. Give your presentation an opening slide showing the title of your presentation, your name and position or job title. Keep it simple. Your audience is far more likely to be distracted at the start of the presentation, when they are still settling down. Job titles should be kept to a single phrase - ‘Managing Director’ or ‘Events Manager’ - and qualifications used only if they are strictly relevant to your audience or presentation. Your closing slide should mirror the opening one, showing the title of the presentation and any contact details, if those are relevant. You can duplicate blank title slides, either by holding down Ctrl and click-dragging into the desired position in Slide Sorter mode (View - Slide Sorter), or by using Insert - New Slide - Title Slide.

Contents Sellafield and LLWR permits Other sites in West Cumbria Effluents and gaseous check monitoring Solid LLW check monitoring Environmental monitoring in West Cumbria Doses to public in West Cumbria Conclusions RETAIN

Sellafield’s permit in 2016 Discharges of gases; mists; dusts (no changes) Gross alpha & beta activities. 13 specified radionuclides. All discharges of radionuclides well below permit limits in 2016 Liquid discharges via sea pipe-line (1 change). 16 nuclides specified, 2 alpha/beta and 1 for U by mass. Variation in discharges from changes in amount of fuel reprocessed. December 2016 Beta limit revised from 2.0E+14 Bq to 1.8E+14 Bq For detail of discharges see Appendix 2 of RIFE report RETAIN KEY POINTS FOR 2016; • Gaseous discharges generally decreased, except for antimony-125 which increased, in 2015 • Liquid discharges were generally similar in 2015 ADD SPEAKER NOTES ON BIGGEST DISCHARGE AS %AGE OF LIMIT FOR AERIAL AND LIQUID RESPECTIVELY AND REFER AUDIENCE TO DETAILED SLIDES ON WEBSITE (PRESENTATION WILL BE PUBLISHED ON WCSSG WEBSITE)

LLWR permit status in 2016 In October 2015 the Environment Agency issued a new permit allowing the disposal of radioactive waste beyond vault 8. Introduced limits on disposal against lifetime capacity for the site. Annual limits on radiological disposals removed Table A2.3 records waste received & disposed of in FY 2016-17 and cumulative total. Planning permission covering waste disposal, the construction of future disposal vaults and final capping of the site was granted by Cumbria County Council in July 2016. RETAIN

Other sites in West Cumbria Metal Recycling Facility Operated by Cyclife UK Ltd (formerly Studsvik UK Ltd) at Lillyhall Industrial Estate. Processes metallic LLW for recycling. Permitted discharges: Liquids - alpha limit = 5E+05 Bq/y; discharge = <1% beta limit = 5E+05 Bq/y; discharge = 2.0% Gases – beta limit = 5E+05 Bq/y; discharge = 2.8% Lillyhall landfill Operated by FCC Environment for landfilling of VLLW No VLLW accepted during 2016 UPDATE – REGULATOR FOR STUDSVIK NOW CATHY SCHEIB I THINK

Effluent and gaseous discharge check monitoring 2016 RUN THROUGH THIS SECTION QUICKLY

Effluent & gaseous discharge check monitoring 2016 Agency checks on radionuclides in discharges & disposals in its check monitoring programme Aerial discharges (bubblers & filters) From Sellafield (Magnox Reprocessing & THORP) Liquid effluents From Sellafield (EARP, SIXEP, SETP, Factory Sewer, Lagoon & Laundry) From LLWR (near Drigg) RETAIN

Sellafield - gaseous monitoring 2016 RETAIN Overall 2016: 48 analytical comparisons.

Sellafield - liquid effluent monitoring 2016 Overall 2016: 484 analytical comparisons

LLWR - liquid effluent monitoring 2016 RETAIN Overall 2016: 16 analytical comparisons .

Checking of solid LLW disposals EA is the regulator for the disposal of radioactive solid wastes Industry must characterise solid wastes adequately to ensure disposal is possible EA has a capability to carry out assurance and verification of the characterisation carried out Regulatory audit Technical review Independent measurement/checks Supported by contract – NNL/Nuvia/Cavendish/Fraser Nash RETAIN AND UPDATE THIS SLIDE ONLY

Checking of solid LLW disposals EA checking (assurance) arrangements for LLW. Targeted checking of key waste streams. Reference drum checking Reference drum test at EDF Hartlepool Sludge wastes from EDF Heysham 2 Windscale pile chimney diffuser Wastes from Urenco UK to Clifton Marsh in Lancashire RETAIN AND UPDATE THIS SLIDE ONLY

Checking of solid LLW disposals – 1 Hartlepool reference drum test EA deployed 2 reference drums RD-01 and RD-16. RD-01 easy drum – homogeneous waste and low density RD-16 difficult drum – range of density and radionuclides. Hartlepool used ‘Dawson’ method which gives dose rate and is totally dependant on correct radionuclide mix (fingerprint) being known 5 Hartlepool fingerprints were applied to the measurements Radionuclide specific content ranged from -100%* to +300% Correct EA fingerprint gave estimated inventories 77% to 95% more than the drum inventories. Text added after the meeting for clarity: *Where a radionuclide was in the reference drum but was not in the applied waste fingerprint. RETAIN AND UPDATE THIS SLIDE ONLY

Checking of solid LLW disposals – 2 Sludges from Heysham Managed by an offsite radioactive sludge service Review of the characterisation carried out Found that the waste characterisation approach and methodology is suitable for the project objective of characterising the waste streams. RETAIN AND UPDATE THIS SLIDE ONLY

Checking of solid LLW disposals – 3 Windscale pile diffuser - wastes Waste fingerprint developed for the waste. Found to be robust and well underpinned. Fingerprint dominated by Cs-137 and H-3. Very little alpha activity is present. Waste volumes estimated from engineering drawings – seem well understood. Average activity concentrations 48 Bq/g – but calculations not checked. More characterisation once the wastes are on the ground. RETAIN AND UPDATE THIS SLIDE ONLY

Checking of solid LLW disposals - 4 Urenco UK disposal of LA-LLW to Clifton Marsh EA sought assurance that the techniques currently employed by UUK would ensure waste is compliant with the Clifton Marsh Material Acceptance Criteria (MAC). Technical Review of the approach taken by UUK Investigation of UUK’s low resolution gamma spectrometer (LRGS) Single fingerprint for all UUK – investigated fingerprints LRGS may lead to overestimation of rad waste content. HRGS – more accurate and could allow use of Out of Scope route RETAIN AND UPDATE THIS SLIDE ONLY

Environmental Monitoring in 2016. RETAIN

Environmental Monitoring in 2016 The Environment Agency is responsible for monitoring non-food parts of the environment. Sediments, water, seaweed, grass, soil, dose rates. Ensuring the dose limit of 1 mSv/y is not exceeded. The Food Standards Agency is responsible for monitoring the food chain. Fish, shellfish, milk, vegetables and meat. Ensuring that doses from foods are assessed. Direct radiation - Office for Nuclear Regulation ONR Results from the 3 organisations are used to assess total dose – compared with dose limit. RETAIN BUT SKIP OVER Up to four times per year

Environmental dose rates 2016 Cumbrian and Lancashire Coastlines Average UK background dose rates silts 0.07 Gy/h sand 0.05 Gy/h Highest annual dose rates ins 2016 (2015) River Mite 0.14 Gy/h (0.14 Gy/h) Newbiggin viaduct 0.12 Gy/h (0.12 Gy/h) Upper River Calder 0.093 Gy/h (0.11 Gy/h) LINK TO LATER SLIDE ON ANNUAL DOSE TO RAVENGLASS ESTUARY MARSH USERS

W Cumbria Coast - Dose rate trends RETAIN

Summary - silt concs – Eskmeals Nuclide Silt concentrations Bq/kg Average 2016 (2015) 1998-2015 (98-14) Cobalt-60 25 (27) 2.7 (3.5) Ruthenium-106 64 (71) <5.8 (<5.6) Caesium-137 472 (488) 200 (300) Americium-241 1167 (1140) 860 (1200) Plutonium-239/40 634 (635) 400 (620) REMOVE TO APPENDIX

West Cumbria – Eskmeals West Cumbria – Eskmeals. Co-60 levels in sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y) RETAIN

West Cumbria - Eskmeals Ru-106 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y) RETAIN

West Cumbria - Eskmeals Cs-137 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y) RETAIN

West Cumbria - Eskmeals Am-241 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y) RETAIN

West Cumbria - Eskmeals Pu-239/40 levels in sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y) RETAIN

Doses in West Cumbria in 2016 PUT THIS SECTION BEFORE ENV MON SECTION?

Doses to public in 2016 RIFE-22: Presents ‘total dose’ as main result ‘Total dose’ methodology agreed in 2004 with the National Dose assessment working group NDAWG. Uses information on habits of people around nuclear sites ‘Total dose’ assessments completed at all nuclear sites Doses using other assessment methods are retained (but not at front of RIFE) EXPLAIN TOTAL DOSE

Total dose to the public - method The method uses mostly measured levels in the environment – i.e. Radionuclides in foods and the environment Dose rates Where any measured data is not available – modelling provides the data. EXPLAIN TOTAL DOSE

Total dose to the public - method habits data are combined with environmental levels Several ways habits data can be used in dose assessment Total dose to representative person various options for applying habits data to calculate total dose Various options were assessed against criteria:- Reproducibility; Rigour and realism; Transparency; Homogeneity Best option was a method called “habits profiling” EXPLAIN TOTAL DOSE

Total dose to the public - method Option Reproducibility Rigour and realism Transparency Homogeneity Habits profiling Representative person dose from habits profile a small set of habit data. Others could make an assessment using the profiles Realism:- the representative person is similar to people who exist Selection of the potential Representative person by a single pathway means simpler presentation - transparent. Key habits leading to exposure - Profile is homogeneous

Habits profiling approach Habits data are ordered by ranking of a particular habit – for example fish consumption. Observations for individuals who have highest intake rates (of fish) to 1/3rd of the highest. (Observations below 1/3rd not included). Profile uses data from highest to 1/3rd of highest Average habits of the highest consumers are calculated = “habit profile” (fish consumer for example). Repeat for all habits profiles (crustacean, molluscs, milk, vegetables etc) - maybe as many as 25 profiles Profiles combined with monitoring to calculate “Total dose.” Profile that gives the highest total dose is representative person (ICRP recommended assessment of representative person dose)

Total dose around Sellafield Graph Courtesy of CEFAS

Highest total doses - Sellafield mSv/y

Total dose in 2016 Total dose to local high rate consumer of seafood was 0.41 mSv/y, below dose limit of 1 mSv/y. In 2015 total dose was 0.42 mSv/y. Most of the dose (0.34 mSv/y) was from Po-210 from historic discharges from a closed Whitehaven works. (0.35 mSv/y in 2015) Doses from the nuclear industry was 0.074 mSv/y (0.078 mSv/y in 2015) The source specific assessment (high-rate seafood consumers) was 0.43 mSv/y UPDATE AND RETAIN

Doses at Barrow to houseboat dwellers Graph Courtesy of CEFAS

Graph Courtesy of CEFAS Doses at Ravenglass Graph Courtesy of CEFAS

Conclusions – 1 Disposals & discharges Permit variation to liquid discharges at Sellafield: December 2016 Beta annual limit reduced from 2.0E+14 Bq to 1.8E+14 Bq Variation to LLWR permit – from annual disposal limits to limits on radiological capacity Discharge monitoring – broadly acceptable agreement for liquid and gaseous discharges from Sellafield and from LLWR. Solid LLW check monitoring continued UPDATE AND RETAIN

Conclusions – 2 Environment Dose rates - generally unchanged Environmental concentrations – generally unchanged and with similar trends to previous years Residue of higher historic environmental burden from 1970s and 1980s continue to affect levels seen. Results are “noisy” with variation from year to year UPDATE AND RETAIN

Conclusions – 3 Doses Total dose < 1 mSv/y dose limit. Highest total dose (0.41 mSv/y) – past discharges from Whitehaven plant - (0.34 mSv/y) and Sellafield (0.074 mSv/y) Slight decrease from 2015 to 2016 - primarily because of; Small decrease in seafoods eaten. Increase of Po-210 concentrations in locally caught lobsters and crabs Representative person in 2016 is a high rate mollusc consumer who also ate significant quantities of other sea food near Sellafield. UPDATE AND RETAIN

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Dose (mSv/y) West Cumbria (local seafood consumers) MAY BE ABLE TO REMOVE THIS IF FSA ARE COVERING