Safety_Series_041_1975 - gnssn - International Atomic Energy ...

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7 8 APPENDIX IV
It must be emphasized that observance of the 'dose limits'
is not enough to ensure adequate radiological protection. The
ICRP recommends that the competent authority should limit releases
to the environment to values below the 'radiological capacity' (i. e.
to that release which corresponds to the dose limits). This derives
from the concept of 'as low as is reasonably possible' (ICRP No. 22)
and also allows for further installations, which should not be penalized
as to their protection costs. It is thus possible to define a
protection factor P = authorized release/radiological capacity, which
must also be taken into account in monitoring. The working limits
multiplied by this factor, DWL XP, are called Authorized Working
Limits (AWL). Environmental monitoring should show that these
AWL values are being observed.
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Environmental monitoring programme of the Ispra Establishment
1. Radioactive effluents of the Ispra Establishment
The Ispra Establishment of the Joint Research Center of the
European Communities covers an area of about 1.5 km and includes
few large installations and several laboratories (see Fig. 7). The
main facilities are three nuclear reactors (Ispra-1, ECO and
ESSOR), a hot laboratory for metallurgical studies of irradiated
materials (LMA) and radiochemistry and radiobiology laboratories.
The operation of these installations involves the production of radioactive
wastes, part of which is released into the environment
directly (gaseous effluents) or after decontamination treatment
(liquid effluents). The solid wastes deriving from the latter process
as well as from other operations are sealed into suitable containers
(tar or concrete) and stored on the soil or buried into pits filled
with concrete.
The radioactive liquid effluents produced at the various facilities
are sent to a treatment station, where they undergo a decontamination
process and then are released into the sewer system of the
Establishment. The volume of these effluents fluctuates around
2000 m3/a and the overall activity ranges from a few tens to a few
hundreds of mCi/a, mainly due to 137 Cs, 60Co and 90Sr. The
discharge is not continuous and consists of 20 to 40 single release
operations per year.