Foreword
i) On 13 May 1996, the Council of the European
Union adopted Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM laying down
basic safety standards for the protection of the health of
workers and the general public against the dangers arising
from ionising radiation. The Directive replaces an earlier
Directive 80/836/EURATOM, as amended by 84/467/EURATOM. The
provisions of the earlier EURATOM Directives are implemented
in the United Kingdom through a number of different Acts and
regulations including the Radioactive Substances Act 1993,
the purpose of which is to ensure control over the keeping
and use of radioactive material and the accumulation and
disposal of radioactive waste.
ii) The purpose of this consultation document is
to seek the views of interested parties on the revision of
arrangements under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 that
may be necessary to comply with the Directive. This includes
the setting of levels of radioactivity below which
radioactive material will be outside the framework of
regulatory control. Where there are options for how the
requirements of the Directive may be implemented, the
Environment Departments (Department of the Environment,
Transport and the Regions (DETR), Scottish Office, Welsh
Office and Department of the Environment for Northern
Ireland) are seeking the views of industry, interested
organisations and members of the public. Where it is thought
that there are no options for implementation the document
notes and explains the requirements of the Directive. The
Departments will be happy to receive comments in whatever
form is easiest for respondents. You may find the tear-out
reply proforma at the end of the document convenient to use
but do not feel constrained by it.
iii) Those responding from England should send
their comments to:
Tony Brown
Zone 4/E7
Radioactive Substances Division
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
PO Box 29129
London
SW1E 6ZN
Telephone: 020 7944 6275
E-mail: bss.directive@defra.gsi.gov.uk
to arrive no later than 25 June 1999. Those responding in
Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales are asked to send their
comments to the appropriate address below and to copy
their replies to DETR at the address above.
Paul Burns
Environment Policy Division
Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland
River House
48 High Street
Belfast
BT1 2DR
Telephone: 01232 257367
E-mail: georgekearns.doe@nics.gov.uk
Matthew Cormack
Area 1J
Environment Protection Unit
Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department
Scottish Office
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
Telephone: 0131 244 0392
E-mail: matthew.cormack@scotland.gov.uk
Clare Griffiths
Environment Division
Welsh Office
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF1 3NQ
Telephone: 01222 823499
E-mail: nick.betty@wales.gov.uk
iv) Each response will be acknowledged but
individual responses to the points raised will not be
possible. The Departments may wish to publish responses to
the consultation paper, or to deposit them in the Libraries
of the Houses of Parliament or in the Departments' own
libraries, unless specifically requested to treat a response
as confidential. Confidential responses may nevertheless be
included in any statistical summary of numbers of comments
received and views expressed.
Contents
- Summary
-
- Part 1: Background
- Introduction
- The Radioactive Substances Act (1993)
- The Basic Safety Standards Directive
- Introduction
- Title II - Scope
- Title III - Reporting and authorisation of
practices
- Title IV - Justification, optimisation and
dose limitation
- Title VI - Fundamental principles governing
operational protection of workers etc.
- Title VII - Significant increase in exposure
due to natural radiation sources
- Title IX - Intervention
-
- Part 2: Issues on which comments are
specifically sought
- How natural and artificial radioactivity
are treated
- How work activities with artificial radioactivity
are treated
- How radioactive material outside the framework
of regulatory control is treated
- Naturally-occurring radioactivity in solid
materials - Options for revision of Schedule 1
- Naturally occurring radioactivity in liquids
and gases - Options for revision of Schedule 1
- Artificial radioactivity - Options for the
Substances of Low Activity Exemption Order
- The System of Conditional Exemption Orders
-
- Part 3: Other issues
- Clocks and watches
- Case-by-case regulation
- Very Low Level Waste
- Title IV - Justification, optimisation and
dose limitation
- Title V - Estimation of effective dose
- Title VIII - Implementation of radiation
protection for the population in normal circumstances
- Title IX - Intervention
-
- Part 4: Future action
- List of tables
- Table 1a: Present
Schedule 1 levels and possible new levels for naturally-occurring
radioelements in solids
- Table 1b:Present
Schedule 1 levels and possible new levels for naturally-occurring
radionuclides in solids
- Table 2: Present Schedule 1 levels and their
radiological impact for naturally-occurring radioelements in liquid
form
- Table 3: Present Schedule 1 levels and their
radiological impact for naturally-occurring radioelements in gas
or vapour form
- Table 4: Present levels in Substances of
Low Activity Exemption Order and possible new levels for artificial
radionuclides
- Table 5: Current conditional exemption orders
- Glossary
- List of acronyms and abbreviations
- References
- Appendices
- Appendix 1: Council Directive
96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996
- Appendix 2: Derivation of clearance levels
for solid radioactive materials
- Appendix 3: Derivation of clearance levels
for naturally occurring radioactive materials in liquid and gas
or vapour forms
- Appendix 4: Proforma - Proposals for implementing
The Revised Basic Safety Standards Directive 96/29 Euratom under
the Radioactive Substances Act 1993
Further copies of this document are available from:
Defra Publications
Admail 6000
London
SW1A 2XX
Tel: 08459 556000
Fax: 020 8957 5012
Email: defra@iforcegroup.com
-
Published 25 March 1999
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