Safety and security of radioactive sources – international provisions
-
R. Czarwinski
Abstract
For more than 50 years radioactive sources are used beneficially world-wide in medicine, industry, research and teaching. In the early 50ies mainly Ra-226 sources were used especially for medical applications. In the mean time a great number of radio-nuclides with more or less risk to individuals, society and environment are used. The number of these sources is increasing. The available experience with the application of sealed sources in industry, medicine, research and teaching shows that despite the widespread use of such sources a high level of safety can be achieved. One precondition is that the regulatory control of a radioactive source has to be carried out consistently during the life cycle of the sources – “from cradle to grave”. Particular attention has to be given to the so-called orphan sources which are not subject to regulatory control, either because they have never been under control, or because they have been lost, misplaced, abandoned, stolen or transferred without proper authorisation. The concern about orphan sources arising from poor safety and security standards of radioactive material around the world resulted in intensive global actions especially in the light of the security situation after the 11th September 2001. The improvement of regulatory control is one of the key elements in preventing people, goods and environment from being exposed exceptionally by the misuse of radioactive sources. Important steps toward the improvement of the safety and security of high radioactive sources are the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and the European Directive on the Control of High Activity Sealed Radioactive Sources and Orphan Sources.
Kurzfassung
Seit mehr als 50 Jahren werden radioaktive Strahlenquellen nutzbringend in der Medizin, der Industrie, der Forschung und Lehre eingesetzt. Während zu Beginn der 50iger Jahre hauptsächlich Ra-226 vorwiegend im medizinischen Bereich benutzt wurde, werden in der Zwischenzeit eine Vielzahl von Radionukliden mit mehr oder weniger hohem Risiko für Mensch, Gesellschaft und Umwelt verwendet. Die Zahl dieser Strahler ist seit dieser Zeit ständig angestiegen. Die Erfahrung bei der Anwendung umschlossener Strahlenquellen in der Vergangenheit zeigt, dass auch bei einer weit verbreiteten Nutzung ein hohes Sicherheitsniveau erreicht werden kann. Voraussetzung ist, dass die Kontrolle einer Strahlenquelle konsequent über ihre gesamte Lebensdauer erfolgt – “von der Wiege bis zur Bahre”. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit muss den herrenlosen Strahlenquellen, welche nicht unter Kontrolle sind, gewidmet werden. Besorgnis um herrenlose Strahlenquellen entstand durch eine weltweit unzureichende Gewährleistung der Sicherheit und Sicherung von radioaktivem Material und hatte intensive globale Maßnahmen zur Folge, insbesondere im Licht der angespannten Sicherheitslage nach dem 11. September 2001. Die Verbesserung der Kontrolle umschlossener Strahlenquellen ist daher ein Schlüsselfaktor bei der Vermeidung außergewöhnlicher Expositionen von Mensch, Umwelt und Gütern. Wichtige Regelungen zur Verbesserung der Sicherheit und Sicherung hochaktiver Strahlenquellen sind der Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources der IAEA und die Europäische Direktive über die Kontrolle hochradioaktiver umschlossener Strahlenquellen und herrenloser Strahlenquellen.
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© 2005, Carl Hanser Verlag, München
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Articles in the same Issue
- Contents/Inhalt
- Contents
- Summaries/Kurzfassungen
- Summaries/Kurzfassungen
- Technical Contributions/Fachbeiträge
- Integrated management systems in the nuclear field
- Phenomenological model for non-equilibrium deuteron emission in nucleon induced reactions
- Best estimate analysis of group distribution header blockage events in RBMK-1500 reactors
- Simulation of the hydrogen distribution in the confinement of the Ignalina nuclear power plant
- Neutronic calculations for the new fuel configuration of the ETRR-1 research reactor
- Design stability and safety margins of the ETRR-2 core cooling system regarding seismic loads
- Thermal-hydraulic assessment of topaz irradiation processes at the ETRR-2 research reactor
- The HN method for slab albedo problem for linearly anisotropic scattering
- On the plane-wave theory in fertile uranium
- Safety and security of radioactive sources – international provisions
- The singular eigenfunction method: the critical slab problem for linearly anisotropic scattering
- Technical Notes/Technische Mitteilungen
- Results of in vitro intercomparison tests of the Coordinating Office on Incorporation Monitoring in Germany
