HPA announces consultation on its advice on solid radioactive waste disposal

The Chairman of the Health Protection Agency, Sir William Stewart, has announced that the Agency's Board is consulting stakeholders on its proposals to update advice on solid radioactive waste disposal.

Sir William said: “The Health Protection Agency has a remit across the UK for public health protection from potential radiation hazards. This is an important consultative document, prepared by the Agency's Radiation Protection Division, at a time of increasing interest in nuclear power and in the safe disposal of its radioactive waste.”

There are two main reasons for going out for consultation on this topic now. First, the current guidelines were published in 1992 by the National Radiological Protection Board (which joined the Health Protection Agency in April 2005). They were based on recommendations from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) which have recently been updated. Second, there have been a number of recent policy reviews by the UK Government and others looking at the options for radioactive waste disposal.

The advice is intended for use by planners in the detailed risk assessment of solid radioactive waste disposal facilities. Given the long half-life of some radioactive waste, an important principle underpinning the proposed advice is that people in the future should have the same level of protection as we have today.

The key proposals for consultation include:

• Criteria and methods for assessing the radiation risks resulting from natural processes and events (such as earthquake or landslide) that could affect the waste disposal facility in the future;

• Criteria for assessing the radiation risks to people intruding into the facility. Two types of intrusion are considered: the intentional intrusion by people who are fully aware that it is a radioactive waste disposal facility, and inadvertent intrusion by those who are unaware of the nature of the facility;

• The various measures used to assess future impacts, which combine the likelihood of an event happening with the radiation dose and risk that could result from it.

Press enquiries: contact the HPA Press Office at the Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards on 01235 822744/5 or email [email protected]

Reference

HPA Advice on Radiological Protection Objectives for the Land-Based Disposal of Solid Radioactive Waste. The Consultation Document is available at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/consultation_documents/index.htm

Notes to Editors

1. A summary of the advice from NRPB in 1992 can be found at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absd3-3.htm
2. The Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, updated in 2007, are available from: http://www.icrp.org/index.asp
3. The Health Protection Agency is an independent organisation dedicated to protecting people's health in the United Kingdom . It does this by providing impartial advice and authoritative information on health protection issues to the public, to professionals and to government. The Agency combines public health, biological, chemical and radiological expertise, research and emergency planning in one organisation. It works at international, national, regional and local levels and has links with many other organisations around the world. This means it can respond quickly and effectively to new and existing national and global threats to health.