Assessment of the Potential Release of Radioactivity from Installations at AERE, Harwell. Implications for Emergency Planning

As part of a review of the site emergency organization at AERE, a realistic reappraisal has been made of the potential hazard to the establishment and district of all the buildings containing significant amounts of radioactive materials. To assess the amount of radioactive material which might be released under specified accident conditions, four factors have been applied to the total building stock: (a) the fraction of the stock involved, (b) the percentage conversion to an aerosol form, (c) release from primary containment and (d) release from the building. These potential release figures have been compared with ''site hazardous release'' figures for relevant radionuclides i.e., amounts which could give rise to exposure above defined reference levels. Those buildings with more than one tenth of the potential for causing; a site or district hazard have been designated ''risk buildings''. Such a quantitative assessment, although necessarily very approximate, has been of considerable value in determining the type and complexity of the central emergency organization required and in producing the right emphasis on exercises, training, liaison with outside bodies, etc. (author)