A brief description of the OMINEX project 'optimisation of monitoring for internal exposure'

OMINEX (Optimisation of Monitoring for Internal Exposure) is an on-going international project part-funded by the European Commission within the 5th (EURATOM) Framework Programme. Monitoring of the workforce in the nuclear industries is carried out primarily in order to demonstrate compliance with European Union Basic Safety Standards for the protection of the health of workers against the dangers arising from ionising radiation. There is however no compilation of information on internal dose monitoring programmes currently in use in the EU countries. The aim of OMINEX (Optimisation of Monitoring for Internal Exposure) is to provide advice and guidance on designing and implementing internal dose monitoring programmes in the workplace, in such a way that best use is made of available resources, while minimising costs. Advice will be provided on both routine and incident (special) monitoring for a range of specific examples of exposures to industrial materials. Topics to be covered will include overall design of monitoring programmes, choice of monitoring method(s), (e.g. excretion monitoring vs. in vivo monitoring), choice of measurement technique (e.g. alpha spectrometry vs. mass spectrometry), monitoring intervals, measurement frequency, required measurement sensitivity, and resulting uncertainty in assessed intakes and doses. The project is being carried out by a consortium of European research/advisory organisations working together with nuclear industry organisations: in France, these are the Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN), Electricite de France (EdF) and Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA); in the UK, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), with additional input from the UK nuclear industry; in Finland, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) and Teollisuuden Voima Oy Nuclear Services (TVONS); and the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN). The project has been underway for 20 months, and will conclude at the end of 2003, at which time a training course will be held to disseminate the results of the project to radiation protection professionals with responsibilities in this field. (orig.)