Development of an international BRC (Below Regulatory Concern) limit

Conference · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:5833690

Kennedy, Jr, W E

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently investigated the exemption from regulatory control of radiation sources containing limited quantities of radioactive materials. Early efforts were entitled de minimis and were aimed at establishing a philosophical basis and radiation dose limits. The main objectives of more recent work on exemption are to illustrate a method for developing practical radiological criteria, to establish generic criteria, and to determine the practicability of the preliminary exemption principles. The method used to develop the criteria relies on models to evaluate the potential radiation exposure pathways and scenarios for individuals and population groups potentially present following the unrestricted release of materials. This paper describes the assessment methods, presents the generic results expressed in terms of the limiting concentrations of selected radionuclides in municipal waste, and provides a comparison with recent regulatory efforts in the United States for considering selected wastes being Below Regulatory Concern (BRC). 17 refs., 4 tabs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5833690
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-15093; CONF-870859-18; ON: DE88000074
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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