The environmental impact of industrial activities of exploring, exploiting and nuclear materials preparation; environment protection and recovery - two priority aims of Uranium National Company

Specific regulations, including monitoring and environment's protection, for nuclear materials field were instituted in 1975 together with the application of Republican Nuclear Security Standards for geological research activities, extraction and processing of nuclear materials. Consequently, the majority of corresponding environmental problems (particularly recovery problem) were generated by the lack of legislation in this field in the period from 1950, the inception of nuclear mining activity in Romania, until 1975. Geological research and mining activity developed between 1975-1989 when there was no legislation concerning environment's protection. Environment pollution caused by activities implying uranium and titanium-zirconium concentrate, developed so far by Uranium National Company, resulted in a 1,000 hectares contaminated area and in surface waters with uranium and radium 226 concentrations above the admissible limits. There are mentioned the specific environment protection measures undertaken until now. As part of PHARE programs two projects are now under way: 'Recovery Concept of Affected by Mining and Uranium Processing Environment in Central and East-European Countries' and 'Preparing to Recover the Areas Affected by Mining and Uranium Processing Activities in PHARE Countries; Insurance of the evaluation means of radiological risks'. Recently there was initialized and approved a new proposal of project to be financed as part of PHARE programs, concerning the preservation and recovery of tilling pounds with radioactive sterile; this project is at present in a developing stage