Radiation protection control report for the Research Centre Seibersdorf for the year 2000

This report comprises the results of the surveillance of the radiation exposure of the employees of the Research Centre Seibersdorf. The monitoring of working places and laboratories by external dose rate measurements, smear tests and by measurements of the activity concentration in air is described. Furthermore - in fulfilment of the license regulations and conditions - the monitoring results of the radioactive emissions from the research reactor (shut down on July 31), waste-incineration plant and other departments handling radioactive substances as well as the activity concentrations in the effluent water are presented. Also the results of the extensive environmental surveillance programme by monitoring the activity content of surface air, tap- and surface water, soil and vegetation in the vicinity of the Research Centre Seibersdorf are described. In 2000 again no exposure of persons above the limits was observed. The maximum annual exposure of a single person amounted to 87 % (17,30 mSv/a) of the regulatory limit (20 mSv/a). The average exposure of the Seibersdorf staff was 1.54 mSv, including background radiation. Subtracting the natural background radiation of about 0.95 mSv, the net dose, therefore, amounted to 0.59 mSv, i.e. 3.0 % of the annual limit for occupationally exposed workers. Incorporation monitoring gave no reason to suppose significant intake of radioactive material. Dose calculations with worst case situations as time of intakes or compounds show that maximum incorporation doses are far bellow the regulation limits releases to the environment were also below the limits set by the authorities, generally by orders of magnitude. In July 31, 1999 the research reactor was shut down. The releases of the reactor (most natural radioactivity) amounted to 0.25 %, of the incineration plant to 0.03 % alpha emitter and 0.0012 % beta emitter, of the SAL to 2.6 % alphaemitter and 0,72 beta emitter, of the chemical laboratories 0.22 %, of the department of Radiopharmaceutical 0.5 % for 1311 and 3.0 % for 1231 and of the liquid effluents to 7.6 % of the respective limits. In accordance with this, the measurements in the environment of the research centre proved that practically no influence of the research centre on the environment is observable. The surveillance and inspections as described in this report are specified in a special QM-handbook for the Seibersdorf radiation protection control. The measurements are carried out with the help of the 'QM-handbook 3 6/1 - Radiometry' of the 'test laboratory radiation protection'. As mentioned above the ASTRA-Researchreactor was shut down an July 31, 1999 after the board of directors decision following a proposal of the management of the Austrian Research Centers. As the fuel-elements can only be disposed at a later date, this facility is still a nuclear facility and all radiation protection regulations are still applied. (author)