Safety in the handling of plutonium

The evaluation of experience shows that today the mean individual dose incurred by external irradiation in reprocessing plants is less than one tenth of the limit of 50 mSv stipulated in the radiation protection ordinance and, hence, corresponds to the value s observed in nuclear power plants or uranium fuel-assembly factories or even clearly less. So far, the protection concept of plutonium processing has secured the protection of the environment - though not completely so in the case of the Sellafield reprocessing plant. With a few exceptions, the protection of operating staff has also been ensured. To meet future requirements, the radiation exposure of operating staff needs to be considered in the facility concept to a greater extent. This results in the glove box technology to be developed further to a remote-controlled and automated containment technology without manual interventions by the operating staff during normal operation. In addition, it is desired to have receiving inspection and material follow-up of plutonium during the processing stage and in wastes and residues. (orig./HSCH)