Below the Arctic Seas. International Arctic Seas assessment project: summing up

In 1993, the IAEA responded to the concern of its Member States and the request of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter by launching the International Arctic Seas Assessment Project (IASAP). It had two objectives: to assess the risks to human health and to the environment associated with the radioactive wastes dumped in the Kara and Barents Seas, and to examine possible remedial actions related to the dumped wastes and to advise on their necessity and justification. The Project involved more than fifty experts from fourteen countries and was steered by an International Advisory Group. Its working areas consisted of: examination of the radiological situation in Arctic waters; prediction of potential future releases from the dumped wastes; modelling of environmental transport of released nuclides and assessing the associated radiological impact on humans and biota; and examination of the feasibility, costs and benefits of possible remedial measures