Monitoring for Compliance with Remediation Criteria for Sites

Sites can become contaminated with radioactive material as a result of: authorized activities, operational incidents or accidents at one or more facilities located at a site; decommissioning activities; radiological accidents (such as at Chernobyl, Ukraine, or Goiania, Brazil); or military activities (e.g. weapons tests). Such contaminated sites may require remediation. In order to reduce the existing and potential radiation exposure from a contaminated site and to ensure the safety of workers, the public and the environment now and in the long term, remediation has to be planned and implemented in accordance with the radiological situation. After the completion of the remediation activities, final radiological monitoring of the remediated site is needed to demonstrate compliance with criteria for unrestricted or restricted use of the site. Facilities and activities that may necessitate remediation are described in the publication Fundamental Safety Principles (IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1). As described in that publication, the process of remediation itself can be considered to be an activity. The IAEA has issued safety standards on remediation of sites contaminated by past activities and accidents (IAEA Safety Standards Series Nos WS-R-3 and WS-G-3.1), and on the development and implementation of criteria for release of sites (IAEA Safety Standards Series No. WS-G-5.1) at the end of an authorized practice. This Safety Report aims to provide detailed and practical advice in support of these safety standards on the development and implementation of a monitoring strategy to demonstrate compliance with criteria for release of contaminated sites for unrestricted or restricted use. The present Safety Report complements the Safety Report on Monitoring for Compliance with Exemption and Clearance Levels (Safety Reports Series No. 67), which focuses on clearance of bulk material from regulatory control.