[en] The Royal Decree of 20^th July has entrusted the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) with the task of controlling the territorial radioactivity and the doses received by the population. Within this agenda, a monitoring programme has been developed over many years, in order to follow the main potential exposure pathways of the population. In practice, several potential vectors of contamination are controlled: air (and rain), surface water (including sediments and biota), soils around nuclear installations, food chain, drinking water etc. To carry out such work, the FANC has collaborated with public or private reputable organisations: The Centre of Nuclear Energy Studies of Mol, The National Institute of Radionuclides of Fleurus, and The Louis Pasteur Public Health Institute of Brussels. A synthesis of this monitoring programme will be presented and the most important deductions will be pointed out. For many years, the tendency has been for tighter control of artificial and natural radioactivity in the environment. This has been achieved by increasingly stringent regulations, regarding environmental monitoring efforts, from international organisations (EC, OSPAR, IAEA). In this context, the FANC in Belgium, is involved in a process that will lead to the adaptation of the Belgian monitoring programme. Different aspects of these adaptations and of their consequences will be presented for illustrative purposes

[en] During 1990-1993 monthly measurements on water, air and soil in Shymkent city were being carried out. As observations object different regions of city have been chosen. It is noted direct dependence between the density of the radioactive substances precipitation and amount of dust. However this dependence is not linear. So, the density of the radioactive substances in living region 1,33 times, and in industrial 1,63 times greater then one in park region. Amount of dust precipitation by region differs more sharply -precipitation in industrial region is greater then in park 3,7 times and living region 2,2 times. Dependence between activity A and mass of dust M is expressed by term A=kM^g, were k - proportional coefficient; q - power

[en] A sampling method is a traditional means of determining basic quantitative characteristics and parameters of distribution of radionuclides in a medium. In particular, this method is used to examine soil contaminated as a result of global or accidental fallout. In certain situations, however, the sampling method is hardly practicable. For example, concrete settlers are used for temporary storage of liquid radioactive waste (RW). In the course of the storage radionuclides enter the concrete. A similar situation may occur when solid RW is kept in rooms (storage vaults) with concrete walls and coatings. Upon discharge of the RW it is often necessary to remove an upper layer of concrete that contains radionuclides, therefore it is desirable to have preliminary information on thickness of a layer to be removed. If the sampling method is used for radionuclide content analysis in this case, additional special equipment shall be employed which makes the analysis quite labour intensive. There are field radiometric methods of determining characteristics of soil and bottom deposit contamination that allow evaluating surface activity of radionuclides and thickness of the upper layer of soil that contains more than 80% of the total activity, and establishing some other distinctive features of radionuclide distribution in a medium. (author)

No abstract available

[en] The dismantling work of plutonium-contaminated glove boxes was carried out. These glove boxes had been used for the R and D of plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel for 15 years. The work was carried out in a pressure-controlled greenhouse, and the contamination of air in the greenhouse was monitored continuously. In order to reduce the contamination of air during dismantling, the decontamination and fixation of loose contaminants on the surfaces of glove boxes were very important. The correlation between decontamination and the contamination of air regarding dismantling is reported in this paper. The surface contamination density of the glove boxes was measured utilizing the smear method before and after the decontamination, and the decontamination effects were estimated. The contamination of air during dismantling was continuously measured with a plutonium dust monitor. It was found that loose contamination exponentially decreased by the decontamination process. When the so-called wet glove boxes, which contained wet recovery and waste disposal apparatus, were dismantled, the contamination of air did not exceed 500 (MPC) a. However, the contamination of air exceeded 500 (MPC) a several times in the present work of dismantling the so-called dry glove boxes which had been used for the fabrication of plutonium-uranium mixed oxide pellets. (Kato, T.)

[en] NSW has a mature framework for the identification, regulation and management of legacy contaminated land. This includes ensuring polluters bare the cost of remediation wherever possible. The existing framework has enabled NSW to successfully remediate some large and significantly contaminated sites – these include Rhodes Peninsula, Mortlake Gasworks and, more recently, the former Newcastle Steelworks and Barangaroo - and return them to productive uses. However, we are also looking to prevent and minimise the environmental impacts of contamination and hazardous substances from current activities to avoid legacy contamination for future generations. This is one of the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (NSW EPA)’s key priorities in its 2017-21 Strategic Plan. (author)

[en] This paper reports the results of a study which explores the rate of indoor radon content in four settlements of Chebarkul district in Chelyabinsk region, Russia. A large number of heterogeneous rock formation areas with inclusions of thorium and uranium mineralization is a distinguishing feature of Chelyabinsk region. The natural γ-background in the study area is 110 mSv⋅h⁻¹. The study provides the obtained results of radon content in winter, spring, summer and autumn in rooms in buildings made of wood, brick, concrete panels. Y-background and equivalent equilibrium volume activity were measured in open areas and in premises with ergonometric PAA-10 and “Alpha Guard 2000”. The average annual equivalent equilibrium volume activity of radon for all buildings varied greatly depending on the materials used for construction (from 21.5±2.2 to 176.2±15.6 Bq⋅m⁻³). The highest values were recorded for the premises made of wood. According to the indoor radon content in the premises made of different building materials, the studied settlements were classified into several categories of being radon hazardous (the first, second and third). The range of annual average values of equivalent equilibrium volume activity in different premises was identified in the reducing order which is the following: winter - autumn - spring - summer. The differences of the mean radon content in different seasons were statistically significant. Conservative estimates of annual doses of radon in all the studied premises ranged from 120 mSv⋅year⁻¹ to 195 mSv⋅year⁻¹, depending on the type of construction. (paper)

No abstract available

[en] Soil contamination is no longer restricted to isolated incidents and locations; it is a general and contentious problem. However, the problem is complex, starting with the very definition of what level and type of contamination is unacceptable. A myriad of regulatory and de facto guidelines have emerged, and they are extremely fragmented, inconsistent and incomplete. This review attempts to summarize the historical development of assessment and remediation guidelines, to highlight the unique difficulties of the problem, and then to discuss the scientific information that exists and that is needed to improve guidelines. This is an unlimited scope for research on this subject. (author)

No abstract available