CEH, UK Coordinator

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CEH, UK (Co-ordinator) SSI, Sweden IRSN,
France NRPA , Norway EA, England Wales
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ICRP statements

• 1977 Although the principal objective of
  radiation protection is the achievement and
  maintenance of appropriately safe conditions for
  activities involving human exposure, the level of
  safety required for the protection of all human
  individuals is thought likely to be adequate to
  protect other species, although not necessarily
  individual members of those species. The
  Commission therefore believes that if man is
  adequately protected then other living things are
  also likely to be sufficiently protected
• 1991 individual members of non-human species
  might be harmed but not to the extent of
  endangering whole species or creating imbalance
  between species

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But some reservations

• No evidence is given by the ICRP in support of
  this assertion..
• may be invalid in certain situations, where human
  populations are non-existent or far removed.
• issues related to radioactivity and/or
  radioactive waste and the environment are
  increasingly being addressed in conventions on
  environmental protection in contexts going beyond
  narrow compliance with radiological criteria.
• Need to demonstrate that protecting humans
  protects wildlife
• Legal requirements to regulate appearing in
  various countries

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ICRP Committee 5

• Radiological protection of the environment
• - will aim to ensure that the development and
  application of approaches to environmental
  protection are
• compatible with those for radiological protection
  of man,
• and with those for protection of the environment
  from other potential hazards.

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UNSCEAR

• report on authoritative scientific basis for
  future international efforts in international
  radiation protection
• - currently preparing a report on radiation
  doses and their effects on wildlife

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Stockholm conference 2003 the time is ripe for
launching a number of international initiatives
to consolidate the present approach to
controlling radioactive discharges to the
environment by taking explicit account of the
protection of species other than humans

• In response, IAEA develop Plan of Activities on
  Radiation Protection of Environment (approved by
  Board of Governors Sept 2005)
• The revision of the IAEA Basic Safety Standards
  will include the drafting of a requirement on
  radiation protection of the environment in line
  with Principle 7 of the Safety Fundamentals.

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England and Wales an example of regulation
UK Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations
1994 Implements the EC Habitats Directive in the
UK on conservation of natural habitats, flora and
fauna. - There is a requirement to assess the
impacts of consents and authorisations affecting
Natura 2000 sites under the Habitats Regulations
(1994) Environment Agency took the view, based on
legal advice and with the support of statutory
consultee English Nature, that this should
include ionising radiation
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Habitats Directive Assessments

• About 430 Natura 2000 sites in England Wales
  currently being assessed

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PROTECT - Overall Objectives

• Evaluate the practicability and relative merits
  of different approaches to protection of the
  environment from ionising radiation.
• Compare these with methods used for
  non-radioactive contaminants, particularly on the
  adequacy with respect to the European framework
  defined for chemicals.
• PROTECT will provide
• A basis on which the EC could develop protection
  policies and revise its Basic Safety Standards,
• Ensure a fruitful collaboration with, and
  constructive input into, current ICRP and IAEA
  task groups.

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WP1 Protection Concepts (1)

• Consult widely with industry and regulators to
  review regulatory approaches to chemical and
  radioactive substances. Emphasis on
• Regulatory instruments
• Procedures
• Underlying principles
• Criteria
• What is on the horizon (policy development)?
• Send questionnaires to regulators and industry

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WP1 Protection Concepts (2)

• Identify similarities and differences in
  approaches between chemicals and radioactive
  substances
• Define the endpoints for chemicals and
  radioactive substances
• Make recommendations for generating common
  approaches to the protection of the environment

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First workshop March 07 mainly regulators

• 8 Regulators
• 1 NGO
• 2 Industry
• 4 International organisations
• 11 consortium

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Issues Discussed (in part defined by
questionnaire responses)

• Questions were each discussed in three separate
  breakout groups
• Justification for regulating the nuclear
  industry
• Alignment of chemical and radioactive
  substances regulation
• Appropriate targets for protection
• Demonstration of compliance against protection
  goals
• Credibility of currently suggested benchmark
  values for ionising radiation and appropriateness
  of methods used to derive them
• Treatment of background exposure within
  assessments

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Purpose of the Workshop

• Before the meeting a questionnaire had been sent
  to both regulators and industry and gt20 responses
  had been received
• The workshops main focus was to elicit views from
  regulators.
• A summary document, which outlined responses to
  a questionnaire on current regulatory approaches
  and requirements, was circulated prior to the
  workshop.
• The aim of the workshop was to discuss and
  explore in more detail areas relating to the
  protection of the environment and, in particular,
  obtain views on the following
• Expectations or requirements of environmental
  protection (as a whole)
• Expectations or requirements of both chemical and
  radioactive approaches
• Suitability of any approaches that derive
  numerical values for use as criteria or standards
• Suitability of any numerical values currently
  applied as criteria or standards

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Examples of methods and derived values (µGy/h)
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Record of the Workshop a working document only

• The report records discussions during the meeting
  and does not necessarily reflect the views of
  members of the PROTECT consortium (N.B. no
  attempt has been made to comment on (or
  correct) the discussions during the preparation
  of this document).
• It is now for the PROTECT consortium members to
  review and extract relevant information for
  PROTECT from the record of the meeting for use in
  other phases of the PROTECT project.

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WP2 Objectives

• Evaluate practicability of existing and
  developing approaches
• Consider acceptability and relevance of current
  approaches compared to needs of industry and
  regulators and different situations
• Test available approaches against any relevant
  ICRP recommendation or outputs from WP3
• Assess the availability, usability and
  transparency of available approaches to groups
  other than those involved in their development

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WP3 Objectives

• Derive and propose numerical target values for an
  extended list of ecological targets and
  protection levels,
• Analyse implications of derived values for
  society

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WP3 Meeting Aix, France 13th-16th May 2008

• A workshop will be held to discuss proposed
  numeric values for protection of the environment
  against ionising radiation with a wide audience
  of interested parties. This will allow us to
  identify areas of consensus and dissent, common
  grounds for further work, and make
  recommendations for the future.
• The scientific basis used to derive target values
  by different national and international
  organisations and projects.
• The dose rates currently used within
  environmental assessments.
• The numeric target values and their application
  as proposed by PROTECT.
• Implications for industry, regulators and society
  in general costs and benefits of assessment.
• The workshop is open to regulatory, industrial or
  non-governmental organisation with an interest in
  environmental protection. Numbers will be limited
  by the venue. We try to insure all parties are
  adequately represented. However, we will not be
  able to financially support all attendees at this
  workshop.
• Contact Pal.Andersson_at_ssi.se

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PROTECT information

• Web site www.ceh.ac.uk/protect
• Newsletters
• Deliverables
• Presentations and tutorials
• derivation of species sensitivity distributions
  used in ERICA to derive the benchmark of 10
  µGy/h value for Tier 1 2

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Deliverable dates