Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM VI) Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material All minerals and raw materials contain radionuclides of natural origin. For (NORM VI) most human activities involving minerals and raw materials, the levels of exposure to these radionuclides are not significantly greater than normal background levels. However, certain work activities can give rise to signif- Proceedings icantly enhanced exposures that may need to be controlled by regulation. Material giving rise to these enhanced exposures has become known as of an International Symposium naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Historically, most regula- tory attention has been focused on the mining and processing of uranium Marrakesh, Morocco, 22–26 March 2010 ore, because such activities are a direct consequence of the radioactivity in the ore and form part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Over the past decade or two, however, more and more countries have introduced measures to reg- 1 ulate exposures arising from a wider range of natural sources. The NORM VI symposium, which was held in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 22–26 March 2010, provided an important opportunity to review the developments that had taken place during the three year period since the NORM V sym- posium in 2007. This period, which began with the publication of new radiation protection recommendations by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, was characterized by ongoing activities to revise international standards on radiation protection and safety. These Proceedings contain all 38 papers accepted for oral presentation and four rapporteur reports, as well as a summary that concludes with the main findings of the symposium. Text versions of 43 poster presentations are provided on a CD-ROM which accompanies these Proceedings. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–113910–8 ISSN 0074–1884 1 @ P1497_cover.indd 1 2011-06-03 14:53:49 NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL (NORM VI) The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. PROCEEDINGS SERIES NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL (NORM VI) PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL ORGANIZED BY THE HASSAN II UNIVERSITY OF MOHAMMEDIA AND THE CADI AYYAD UNIVERSITY OF MARRAKESH IN COOPERATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY AND HELD IN MARRAKESH, MOROCCO, 22–26 MARCH 2010 INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2011 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at: Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria fax: +43 1 2600 29302 tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 email: [email protected] http://www.iaea.org/books © IAEA, 2011 Printed by the IAEA in Austria June 2011 STI/PUB/1497 IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM VI) : proceedings of the sixth International Symposium on naturally occurring radioactive material organized by the Hassan II University of Mohammedia and the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakesh in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and held in Marrakesh, Morocco, 22–26 March 2010 . — Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2011. p. ; 24 cm. — (IAEA proceedings series, ISSN 0074–1884) STI/PUB/1497 ISBN 978–92–0–113910–8 Includes bibliographical references. 1. Radioactive substances — Congresses. 2. Ionizing radiation — Dosage — Congresses. 3. Radiation protection. I. International Atomic Energy Agency. II. Series. IAEAL 11–00682 FOREWORD All minerals and raw materials contain radionuclides of natural origin, of which the most important for the purposes of radiation protection are the radionuclides in the 238U and 232Th decay series and 40K. For most human activities involving minerals and raw materials, the levels of exposure to these radionuclides are not significantly greater than normal background levels. Such exposures, while having been the subject of much research, are not of concern for radiation protection. However, certain work activities can give rise to significantly enhanced exposures that may need to be controlled by regulation. Material giving rise to these enhanced exposures has become known as naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Historically, most regulatory attention has been focused on the mining and processing of uranium ore, because such activities are a direct consequence of the radioactivity in the ore and form part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Over the past decade or two, however, more and more countries have introduced measures to regulate exposures arising from a wider range of natural sources, in particular minerals and raw materials other than those associated with the extraction of uranium. Two important developments in this regard were the establishment of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (published in 1996 as IAEA Safety Series No. 115) and the European Council Directive 96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996, both of which contained provisions for protective measures against significantly increased exposures of workers and members of the public to natural sources. As a direct consequence of the European Council Directive and its possible implications for non-nuclear industries in Europe, a symposium on NORM, the first in the current series, was held in Amsterdam in 1997. The second in the series (NORM II) was held in 1998 in Krefeld, Germany, the third (NORM III) in Brussels in 2001, the fourth (NORM IV) in Szczyrk, Poland, in 2004 and the fifth (NORM V) in Seville, Spain, in 2007. In addition, a symposium on Technologically Enhanced Natural Radiation was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1999, reflecting the growing interest within regions beyond Europe in the management of exposure to NORM. The close involvement of the IAEA in most of these symposia is reflected in the fact that the proceedings of the Rio de Janeiro and Szczyrk symposia have been published as IAEA-TECDOC-1271 and IAEA- TECDOC-1472, respectively, while the Seville symposium was published in the IAEA Proceedings Series. In the case of this NORM VI symposium, the IAEA entered into a formal cooperation arrangement with the organizing bodies, the Hassan II University of Mohammedia and the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakesh, in terms of which the IAEA, in addition to publishing these Proceedings, served on the Steering Committee and Scientific Committee of the symposium and provided financial support to several participants from Member States eligible to receive assistance under the IAEA technical cooperation programme. The Hassan II University of Mohammedia and the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakesh were assisted in the organization of the symposium by two other Moroccan institutions, the Centre National de l’Energie, des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires (CNESTEN) and the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches des Phosphates Minéraux (CERPHOS). The NORM VI symposium was attended by 140 participants from 33 countries and provided an important opportunity to review the developments that had taken place during the three year period since the Seville symposium in 2007. This period, which began with the publication of new radiation protection recommendations by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, was characterized by ongoing activities to revise international standards on radiation protection and safety. These Proceedings contain all 38 papers accepted for oral presentation and four rapporteur reports, as well as a summary that concludes with the main findings of the symposium. Text versions of 43 poster presentations are provided on a CD-ROM which accompanies these Proceedings. The IAEA, on behalf of the organizers, the Hassan II University of Mohammedia and the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakesh, gratefully acknowledges the cooperation and support of all the organizations and individuals that have contributed to the success of this symposium. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was D. Wymer of the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety. EDITORIAL NOTE The papers in these Proceedings (including the figures, tables and references) have undergone only the minimum copy editing considered necessary for the reader’s assistance. The views expressed remain, however, the responsibility of the named authors or participants. In addition, the views are not necessarily those of the governments of the nominating Member States or of the nominating organizations. Although great