1. Environmental Monitoring for West Cumbria in 2016
John Titley
Reactor Assessment and Radiological Monitoring Team
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2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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 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.
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5. 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

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

7. 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)
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8. Sellafield - gaseous monitoring 2016
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Overall 2016: 48 analytical comparisons.

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

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

11. 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
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12. 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
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13. 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

14. 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.
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15. 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.
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16. 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
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17. Environmental Monitoring in 2016.
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18. 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

19. 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 Gy/h (0.11 Gy/h)
LINK TO LATER SLIDE ON ANNUAL DOSE TO RAVENGLASS ESTUARY MARSH USERS

20. W Cumbria Coast - Dose rate trends
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21. Summary - silt concs – Eskmeals
Nuclide
Silt concentrations Bq/kg
Average
2016 (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

22. West Cumbria – Eskmeals
West Cumbria – Eskmeals. Co-60 levels in sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)
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23. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Ru-106 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)
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24. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Cs-137 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)
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25. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Am-241 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)
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26. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Pu-239/40 levels in sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)
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27. Doses in West Cumbria in 2016
PUT THIS SECTION BEFORE ENV MON SECTION?

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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)

33. Total dose around Sellafield
Graph Courtesy of CEFAS

34. Highest total doses - Sellafield mSv/y

35. 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 mSv/y (0.078 mSv/y in 2015)
The source specific assessment (high-rate seafood consumers) was 0.43 mSv/y
UPDATE AND RETAIN

36. Doses at Barrow to houseboat dwellers
Graph Courtesy of CEFAS

37. Graph Courtesy of CEFAS
Doses at Ravenglass
Graph Courtesy of CEFAS

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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 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

41. End
End

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