Investigation into emission criteria for granting Nuclear Energy Act permits in the processing industry

According to the EU Directive (96/29/Euratom), the EU member states must identify activities where the exposure of members of the public due to the presence of natural radiation sources increases to such an extent from the viewpoint of radiation protection that it cannot be disregarded. Processing industries carrying out these activities use large amounts of raw materials like ore, marl or clay, which contain natural radionuclides. These radionuclides, present in the releases into air and water, may impose a radiological risk to the population residing near an industrial site. A system of reporting and authorization for such releases is now under development in the Netherlands. An activity is entered into the system when the maximum individual dose or collective dose due to releases to air or water exceeds a certain value: the so-called basic dose criteria. Choosing a maximum individual dose of 10 microSv/a and a collective dose of 1 manSv/a as dose criteria is under consideration. In developing the system the processing industry is classified into a limited set of reference situations, for which the dose criteria are then translated into operational emission criteria per radionuclide by calculating the releases that result in a maximum individual dose of 10 microSv/a and a collective dose of 1 manSv/a. Along with the description of the system, its practical use for a few specific processing industries in the Netherlands is demonstrated. The final selection of criteria by the regulator is, however, made by balancing between the simplicity and practicability of the system, on the one hand, and by minimizing the possibility of undeserved enforcement of the obligation to apply for a permit on the other.