Environmental and occupational impacts of natural radioactivity from some non-nuclear industries in the Netherlands

The existence of natural radioactivity in ores and other raw materials and in their products and wastes has long been recognized. National governments have imposed certain levels, above which the use of radioactive materials is restricted. In the Netherlands, the levels are laid down in the Implementing Orders of the Nuclear Energy Act. In general, the present levels are such that they are not exceeded when the primordial radioactive materials are present only in the form of contaminants. However, the concentration of radioactive materials can be such that somewhere in the raw material-product-waste chain or at releases, these levels might be exceeded. Under such circumstances, the industries have to apply for a licence under the Nuclear Energy Act. Part of the application for a licence is that the industry has to demonstrate that the dose to the workers and to the public is ALARA and below certain dose and risk constraints. In some industries compliance with the individual risk criterion for members of the public (10−6 year−1 as a maximum risk for dying as a consequence of the practice) can be problematic. Direct irradiation from stock piles and contamination of the environment by releases in the atmosphere or surface waters might give rise to risks around the constraint value. In this paper some examples are given.