The Results of the Study Performed for the Characterization of Representative Person for Belarusian NPP

A "representative person" concept according to the ICRP 101 Publication recommendations is set up in the Belarusian national radiation safety standards for the purpose of radiation protection of the public. That is why a set of parameters describing the "representative person" had to be defined for the dose assessment purpose for public living around Belarusian NPP. According to the Belarusian regulation one of the elements of the radiation safety provision is performing of radiation-hygienic monitoring which includes dose assessment to public. The Republican Scientific Practical Center of Hygiene under the Ministry of Health (RSPCH) has developed and tested the method for the defining of parameters characterizing the Representative Person for the Belarusian NPP. The method includes a specially-tailored questionnaire for the public living in the vicinity of the Belarusian NPP and the data collection from regional and local authorities. Since 2014 and up to now the RSPCH is caring out pre-operational studies for Belarusian NPP to establish 'baseline' activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in food and drinking water. At the same time the RSPCH is making surveys of socio-hygienic characteristics of the region (households, sources of drinking water supply, type of housing, consumption of local food, mushrooms, berries, game, fish, etc.)., habits of local population for subsequently determining the impacts of this facility to public health. The study is carried out for the observation zone of Belarusian NPP (12.9 km radius around the site with the population of about 8 thousand people) and in the Ostrovets city (the nearest to the site big settlement).