Swedish Radiation Protection Goes East

Transcription

1 Swedish Radiation Protection Goes East B. Åke Persson and Jan Olof Snihs Swedish Radiation Protection Authority SE Stockholm Abstract. For the past 13 years the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) has pursued bilateral assistance co-operation in the field of radiation protection to countries of Central- and Eastern Europe. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia have been prioritized countries for SSI, with Russia to some less extent compared with the Baltic countries. Initially the co-operation was directed to assistance the Baltic countries to remedy different acute radiation problems, which the new independent states had to face when the access to resources and experts in the field of radiation protection controlled from Moscow was lost. During the years the Baltic countries have developed new legislations and well-established national radiation protection authorities. The implementation of the EU Aquis Communautaire in the field of radiation protection into national legislation and its practical applications has been important tasks in the activities. The radiological emergency planning from the Soviet era has been renewed in all three countries, with the aim to achieve a western standard. Comprehensive support has also been given during the years of co-operation to develop the radiation protection work at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) in Lithuania. The Swedish experience on management, storage and disposal of radioactive waste have been provided as complementary bilateral support in connection with international projects in Baltic countries and in Russia. The ongoing Swedish programme for co-operation with Russia comprise the federal authorities, the nuclear power plant in Sosnivy Bor and Polyarnie Zori and the specialized organisation RADON regarding two of their Solid Radioactive Waste Storage Sites. The priorities for the Swedish support in the field of radiation protection and radiological emergency planning will successively be changed to Russia with an effort also to extend the bilateral co-operation to Belarus and Ukraine. 1. Introduction In the autumn of 1989, the Swedish Government initiated a co-operation programme for Central and Eastern Europe, and Sweden thus became one of the first countries to extend support after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The main task in the initial phase involved support for the growth of democracy and for meeting urgent needs for fundamental political and economic stabilization. A few years in the 1990s, the economic and political reforms had laid the foundations for development of a more longterm nature, in which one of the purposes of the Swedish support programme was the development of knowledge and the build-up of institutions. During the latter part of the 1990s, a task of growing importance was support for the integration of candidate countries into the European Union. It is against this background the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) for the past 13 years has been pursuing bilateral assistance co-operation in the field of radiation protection including radiological emergency planning with countries in the Central and Eastern Europe. Organizationally the SSI assistance activities are included in a special department for International Development Cooperation (SIUS), separated from the supervisory work at the authority. SSI assistance comprises both support to official authorities and industrial support. 2. Co-operation activities with the Baltic countries Initially the co-operation was directed assisting the countries in the work to remedy different acute radiation problems, which the new independent states had to face by them selves. The break up of the Soviet Union meant for the Baltic countries that most of the functions provided by the Soviet system of authorities disappeared, as well as access to the experts in the field of radiation protection controlled from Moscow was lost. It therefore became necessary to develop new legislation and establish new radiation protection authorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In addition to that, there was a need 1

2 for dealing with the various acute technical problems of radiation sources and radioactive waste management in order to limit the risk for radiation exposures to the population and polluting the environment. The countries now have well-established authorities on radiation protection and the national legislations have also taken into account the requirements from EU. The radiation protection authorities pursue monitoring and information activities that are developing positively, although some measures remain to be taken to achieve western standards. The administrative monitoring of the various radiation sources and the management of radioactive waste was, and still is, a source of apprehension for the Baltic countries, but not of the magnitude as for Russia. The old system from the Soviet era regarding the radiological emergency planning was from the beginning of the co-operation in an urgent need to be renewed. Also in this field there is a very positive development, even if many measures need to be taken to achieve a western standard. 2.1 Natural radiation One of the priorities was given to co-operation on issues in the field of natural radiation and radon. The Swedish support has enabled national studies to be carried out. The result is that the Baltic countries now have acquired their own instruments for radon measurements in buildings and the soil, and their own competence for evaluations and assessment of the measures necessary in dwellings and at workplaces to reduce the exposures of the population. Specific in Estonia and Lithuania, measurements are now carried out with the aim of locating dwellings, nurseries and schools having high radon contents. In Estonia an extensive work is in progress on preparing a nation-wide radon chart with experts from the Estonian Geological Survey, the Swedish Geological Survey and SSI. In Latvia, one of the first tasks with Swedish assistance was to investigate the exposures from radon and gamma radiation at sanatoriums that had radon therapy as a speciality with radon baths and radonrich drinking water. The investigation led to that the radon therapy activities were stopped. In Latvia a calibration room has been established for detectors of radon measurements. The calibration facility is aimed to serve as a regional resource for use also by the authorities and other organisations from Estonia and Lithuania. Regional and local authorities now generally carry out most of the work in the radon projects, with Swedish experts serving as advisors for the measurements and lectures in different training coursers. In addition the Swedish experts also participate in the work of the authorities on drawing up regulations and instructions concerning measures that should be taken to avoid high individual and collective doses from elevated radon concentrations. 2.2 Radiation protection in medical care Radiation protection in medical radiology is complex. Radiation therapy, X-ray diagnostics and nuclear medicine all have their special radiation protection problems to be handled. The experience accumulated from some initial projects carried out in this field showed that there is a great need for training hospital physicists who, with a few exceptions, are now lacking at hospitals. It is also essential to develop and introduce quality systems in medical radiology at local hospitals to enable the relevant EU directive to be implemented. Therefore one of the projects in each of the three countries has the objective of introducing and practically assisting in the work of setting up quality systems for medical radiology at a number of local hospitals, as an example to other hospitals. The projects are led by physicists from the Central Hospital in Växjö, Sweden. 2

3 Further bilateral projects for training of physicists employed in medical care are in progress. Training will partially be carried out in Sweden by studies and practical service at, among others, the university hospitals in Huddinge, Malmö and Uppsala. The aim is that the physicists, who are now receiving further training, will in turn assist in training in their own countries of new hospital physicists and other professional groups in medical radiology. The training activities between the university hospitals in Sweden and those in the Baltic countries has also the aim to create networks between experts in radiology and universities for longer-term co-operation even after the Swedish assistance projects have been concluded. Also the national radiation protection authorities in the Baltic countries will, in turn, be given an opportunity to follow and partially participate in the training projects as an element in their work of developing their own supervisory activities for the use of radiation in medical care Nuclear power facilities and radioactive waste The Swedish bilateral assistance programme on radiation protection in the fields of nuclear power and radioactive waste directed to the Baltic countries has for Lithuania been more extensive compared with the support to Estonia and Latvia. This is natural in view of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) in Lithuania, a site with two of the world s biggest nuclear power reactors of RBMK type in operation. In addition extensive preparations are being made for the planned shut down and decommissioning of the two reactor units. A decision had been taken by the Lithuanian parliament that the first reactor shall be taken out of operation in year 2004 followed of the second reactor in Lithuania Some of the SSI projects directed to INPP are designed to improve the radiation protection of workers by improved training of the personnel on radiation protection and modern techniques for individual dose measurements. The INPP has been provided with modern system of TL dosimeters and electronic dosimeters, which now are in use for monitoring and following up the occupational radiation exposures. With the support of experts from SSI, a review has been made of the environmental monitoring programme of the nuclear power plant. The Lithuanian Ministry of the Environment has then approved the programme. Within a project, financed jointly with the Danish Emergency Board, personnel from the laboratory have been trained at the laboratory in Risö in Denmark, and measuring equipment has been procured to enable alpha emitting radionuclides samples to be prepared and measured. In another project on education and training in radiation protection of workers in controlled areas of the INPP, the capabilities and materials are developed through implementing some of the experience taken from the training system used at Swedish NPP s. Comprehensive international support has been given and is planned in the area of management, storage and disposal of radioactive waste and the decommissioning operations at the INNP, with Sweden being one of the contributors. In connection with that Swedish authorities and industry organisations have contributed with own experience as guidance for Lithuania in developing national strategy and methods for the management, storage and disposal of the different kinds of radioactive waste and spent fuel. Other bilateral Swedish support programmes in this area largelyconcern technology issues and equipment to INPP as well as support to technical support organisations (TSO) and the responsible supervision authorities. In co-operation with the Finnish Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (STUK), SSI is leading a Twinning project financed by the EU Commission. The aim is to develop and strengthen the operations at the Lithuanian Radiation Protection Authority (RPC). Advice and support are given for transferring the EU regulations in the field of radiation protection to Lithuanian legislation and for its practical application in the supervision work. Other matters dealt with in the Twinning project include a quality control system at the RPC, developing the work of RPC on information matters in normal 3

4 and emergency situations. The Twinning project also includes a substantial reinforcement of apparatuses and measuring equipment for the laboratories of the RPC. During the project about 30 experts from STUK and SSI will be on short-time duty at RPC. In addition a radiation protection expert from STUK will be stationed at RPC in Vilnius in the capacity of advisor for the duration of the project. The Twinning, which is in progress for a period of 24 months, has a total budget of EUR 750,000 and will be concluded in July In a related EU-project, a further EUR 1.7 million is allocated for the procurement of measuring instruments and laboratory equipment Estonia In Paldiski about 40 km from Tallinn, the Soviet navy used a plant for training the crews of their submarines. The plant had two nuclear power reactors with a thermal effect of 70 MW and 90 MW respectively. The last criticality ended in December The reactor components were installed in two full-scale submarine simulators located in a large hangar. When Estonia took over the plant the rector fuel had been removed from the plant and each reactor had been sealed in concrete, a sarcophagus. Several buildings contained solid and liquid radioactive waste that needed to be decommissioned. The handling of the waste and decontamination work has been carried out with international and bilateral support from Sweden through the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co (SKB) and SSI. Most of the waste is now conditioned for an intermediate storage at the Paldiski plant where rebuilding has been carried out to use the plant as an interim storage of radioactive waste, until such time as Estonia has set up a national strategy for where and how final storage of radioactive waste is to take place. The Sillamäe plant, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, is where uranium-bearing shale was mined during the Soviet era and where uranium was later extracted from the uranium ore imported from Poland, Czechoslovakia and elsewhere. The plant is now used for extracting niobium, tantalum, and other rare earth metals from imported ore. There is a surface storage facility with leaching residues from the operations in Sillamäe. The storage facility, tailings, built along the shore has an area of about 400,000 m 2 and contains radioactive and other environmentally toxic substances. There was serious risk that the dams of the storage facilities would burst and give rise to major leakage of the leaching residue mass out into the sea. With comprehensive international support, in which Sweden has also operated through SSI and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), extensive construction work and reinforcements are now carried out in order to prevent failure of the dams and to isolate the residues from rainwater (and groundwater) to minimize the risk of leaching and subsequent contamination of groundwater and seawater Radiological emergency preparedness In this area the projects have largely been common for the three Baltic countries. The different activities are intended to strengthen and broaden the national competence and the ability of the countries to plan, train and adopt suitable measures for informing and protecting the population if a nuclear accident should occur. The projects have also contributed to start interaction between the preparedness authorities in the Baltic countries, on central level as well as on local level. Support from Sweden and Denmark have enabled the Baltic countries to acquire the own national networks of measurement stations for early warning of emissions of radioactive substances to atmosphere. One of the results is that the Baltic countries now are signatories of the agreement concluded between the nine countries in the Baltic Sea region and Norway and Island, to routinely provide access to one another s data from the national networks. The Baltic countries have also been given support for participation in international and Swedish exercises. The reviewing of the emergency preparedness at the INPP has been another important part within the Swedish bilateral co-operation directed to Lithuania. The aim is to introduce western and international 4

5 standard regarding exercises and the handling of information issues. Swedish support has also been given for purchasing iodine tablets for distribution to the population in the neighbourhood of the power plant together with written directives and information to the general public concerning protective measures that should be taken if an accident alarm is initiated from the power plant. Viewed in the international perspective, the Swedish support measures on emergency preparedness have contributed towards strengthening the preparedness for international co-operation in the Baltic Sea region, with more coordination and improved interchange of information. In that respect SSI will give higher priority in the next years to develop the contacts and the co-operation with the emergency preparedness organisations in the North-West part of Russia. 3. Bilateral co-operation with Russia The bilateral assistance programme directed to Russia started already in the beginning of the 90-ties as a result of earlier contacts and common projects in the field of radiation protection during the Soviet era concerning the evaluation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. The ongoing Swedish programme for bilateral co-operation activities with Russia mainly comprise the Federal Radiation Protection Authorities Gosatomnatzor and Medbioextreme as regards regulative matters. Regarding industry co-operation the main Russian parties so far are the nuclear power plants at Sosnovy Bor (LNPP) outside S:t Petersburg and Polyarnie Zori (KNPP) on the Kola Peninsula and two of the Solid Radioactive Waste Storage Sites within the specialized organisation RADON. 3.1 Authority co-operation The orientation of the co-operation of SSI with Russian radiation protection authorities as the Gosatomnadzor (GAN) and Medbioextreme is so far mainly on assisting in the development and training of methods and tools of the authority for carrying out analyses of the environmental impact of nuclear facilities for storage of radioactive waste. The co-operation is also aimed at supporting the authorities using updated regulations when prescribing the radiation and safety requirements in connection with applications for licences to different reconstruction work at nuclear facilities. That the authorities have access to suitable tools and trained personnel for the evaluation of applications in the work for granting of licences will be of great importance, not least for the Federal Radiation Protection Authorities in their work in conjunction to the management of radioactive waste in north-western Russia. The planned activities regarding the management of radioactive waste is now also being expected to start to a greater extent than in the past when the Framework Agreement on a Multilateral Nuclear Environmental Programme in the Russian Federation (MNEPR) has been signed of the most important parties. SSI therefore regards the development of the co-operation with authorities as GAN and Medbioextreme as important tasks for the next few years. In most cases, the radiation protection authorities from Finland (STUK) and Norway (NRPA) are joining the projects directed to the Russian Federal Authorities. 3.2 Industry co-operation In the industrial area the co-operation with the LNPP and KNPP are related to the on-site radiation protection activities. The prioritised action for assistance by the two plants has been to replace the existing systems for individual dose measurements with modern TL-dosimeter systems and electronic dosimeters. For the exchange of experience between Swedish and Russian radiation protection experts working at nuclear power plants, some experts from the two mentioned Russian plants will pay study visits to NPP s in Sweden. The first visits are planned to take place in 2004 and include the period when the reactors are in normal operation as well as during the outage revision period when most of the dose-consuming work is carried out. Two projects are in progress concerning reconstruction of Solid Radioactive Waste Storage Sites at Leningrad s Specialized Kombinat RADON and the Murmansk Special Plant RADON. This kind of waste comes predominantly from operations outside the nuclear field. The waste storages are in 5

6 poor conditions and there is a need for actions to avoid the environment and the groundwater being polluted by the leakage of radioactive substances. In Russia there are 16 waste storage facilities of this type within the countrywide Russian RADON system for low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste. The SSI projects include risk analyses and feasibility studies for providing decision information for actions to be taken for more urgent actions as well as more radical reconstruction of the waste storage facilities. One of the difficulties in co-operation in this area is the so far absence of a long-term national strategy in Russia for the final disposal of radioactive waste. The co-operation with Information Centre of Minatom (SREC) in S:t Petersburg was renewed during 2003 and the programme includes different activities on problems in communication with and information to the public regarding different issues related to the nuclear power industry and risk communications. Some of the activities also cover the preparedness for handling the information issues in case of an accident. The projects include seminars, training courses and study visits directed to specialist on information as well as to managers and leading specialists from different facilities in Russia. Within an Agreement on co-operation between Medbioextrem and SSI a seminar is planned as a first action to be held in Sweden on the radiation protection of workers related to the specific problems with radioactive waste and spent fuel in the Andreeva Bay. The seminar is expected to concentrate on some specific problems at Andreeva Bay and will be directed to a selected group of Russian specialists in areas corresponding to the problems chosen to deal with at the seminar. In addition to concerned organisations in Russia also NRPA in Norway, STUK in Finland and RWE-Nukem, UK will participate in these activities. The overall purpose with the seminar is to promote the conditions for implementing a good radiation protection standard for the radiation protection work at the site. 4. Conclusions SSI has now pursued international co-operation work for more than a decade, mainly directed to the Baltic countries and to less extent to Russia and countries as Belarus and Ukraine. In 2004 the Baltic countries will enter into the European Union, which means that the bilateral assistance programme financed by Sweden directed to the Baltic countries will be phased out during year 2004, expected to be replaced within the various international cooperation programme and regional support from EU to the new Member countries. This fact will also successively change the priorities for the Swedish bilateral assistance programme for radiation protection from the Baltic countries to Russia, but also with an effort to extend the co-operation to radiation protection authorities and emergency preparedness organisations in Belarus. Some discussion is also on the way regarding to renew the cooperation with organisations in Ukraine involved with radiation protection issues. 6