A Brief Overview of the Radioprotection Activities in the Joint Research Centre

Ispra - Italy

Nina JUDGE * and Francesco D’ALBERTI **

* Medical Service Ispra, DG ADMINISTRATION- L7, JRC - Ispra** The Safety, Security and Radiological Protection Unit - IPSC, JRC - Ispra.

2

THE JRC'S MISSION

To provide customer driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of

the European Union policies

3

The seven JRC institutes are located in five Member States

Geel

Karlsruhe

Institute for Transuranium ElementsITU

Institute for Reference Materials and MeasurementsIRMM

4

Ispra

Petten

Seville

Institute for Environment and Sustainability IES Institute for Health and Consumer Protection IHCPInstitute for Protection and Security of the Citizen IPSC

Energy Institute EI

Institute for Perspective Technological Studies IPTS

5

THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE - ISPRA

6

THE RADIOPROTECTION ACTIVITIES

Medical Service Ispra

Capabilities

Provides routine bioassay monitoring for workers on and off the site On - site Emergency decontamination facility

7

Analysis capabilities include:

• Ion Coupled Plasma -Mass Spectrometry

• Gamma Spectrometry

• Alpha spectrometry for plutonium, americium, uranium, thorium, neptunium and others

•Tritium analysis in bioassay samples

8

Fig.1 ICP-MS laboratory

9

Fig.2 Alpha Spectrometry laboratory with 90 counting chambers

10

Fig.3 Microdigest 3.6 open vessel digestion of twelve samples simultaneously

11

Fig.4 Electrodeposition apparatus

12

Am - 241 Pu -238 Pu - 239 + 240

mBq/l mBq/l mBq/l

1998 0,1 0,1 0,1

1999 0,1 0,1 0,1

2000 0,1 0,1 0,1

2001 0,1 0,1 0,1

Minimum Detectable Amount

Am - 241 Pu -238 Pu - 239 + 240

Number of samples per year Method

mBq/l mBq/l mBq/l

1998 < MDA < MDA < MDA 301 a Spectrometry

1999 < MDA < MDA < MDA 376 a Spectrometry

2000 < MDA < MDA < MDA 375 a Spectrometry

2001 < MDA < MDA < MDA 302 a Spectrometry

Radionuclides in Urine

13

Detection limitU-238

ng/l1998 101999 102000 102001 10

Total number of samples per year <10 10 to 50 50 to100 Method

ng/l ng/l ng/l

1998 301 72% 27% 1% ICP-MS

1999 376 72% 27% 1% ICP-MS

2000 375 77% 23% ICP-MS

2001 302 85% 14% 1% ICP-MS

Uranium 238 in Urine

It can be concluded that these results do not show any observable concentrations of Am- 241, Pu- 238, Pu- 239,240

and U- 238 contamination in the urine samples analysed.

15

The Safety, Security and Radiological Protection Unit IPSC- JRC - Ispra

TASKS AND ACTIVITIES

Control of environmental radioactivity inside and outside the JRC

Control of the workers exposed to ionising radiation

Radioprotection Support to the European Union

Consultancy in Radioprotection, instrument calibration and meteorological data for third parties

16

FACILITIES

Radiochemistry laboratory(sample treatment)

Radiometry laboratory (, and radioactivity)

On-line Data System ( and radioactivity in airborne continuously sampled)

Dosimetry Service (environment and workers’ dose assessment)

Instrument Calibration Laboratory (Accredited Secondary Standards Laboratory)

Whole Body Counter (internal contamination)

Meteorological Observatory (pressure, temperature, humidity, solar radiation, intensity and direction of wind)

17

The Safety, Security and Radiological Protection Unit

IPSC- JRC - Ispra

INSTRUMENTS

spectrometry system (solid state detectors)

spectrometry system (solid state detectors)

gross and system ZnS(Ag) and GM counters)

HTO system (liquid scintillator counters)

environmental radiation (plastic scintillator counters)

dose (TLD badges and reader)

18

MEASUREMENTS OF RADIOACTIVITY IN ENVIROMENTAL SAMPLESat The Safety, Security and Radiological Protection Unit, IPSC -JRC - Ispra

airborne samples (HTO, gross and spectr., gross and 90Sr, spectr.) ~ 500/y

fall-out samples (HTO, gross and spectr., gross and 90Sr, spectr.) ~ 80/y

water samples (HTO, gross, gross and 90Sr, spectr.) ~ 350/y

soil samples ( spectr.) ~ 12/y

herbage samples (90Sr, spectr.) ~ 50/y

milk samples (HTO, 90Sr, spectr.) ~ 70/y

fish samples ( spectr.) ~ 10/y

various samples ( spectr.) ~ 50/y

environmentdose rate (TLD) ~ 250/y

Total ~ 1400/y

19

ISPRA DATA

1,00E-04

1,00E-03

1,00E-02

1,00E-01

1,00E+00

1958 1966 1974 1982 1990

Gross beta radioactivity in air

1958-1996 (Bq/m3)

1,00E-01

1,00E+00

1,00E+01

1,00E+02

1,00E+03

1,00E+04

1,00E+05

1958 1966 1974 1982 1990

Gross beta radioactivity in fall-out

1958-1996 (Bq/m2)

20

ISPRA DATA

1,00E-07

1,00E-06

1,00E-05

1,00E-04

1,00E-03

1,00E-02

1958 1966 1974 1982 1990

90Sr radioactivity in air 1962-1996

(Bq/m3)

N

O

D

A

T

A

1,00E-02

1,00E-01

1,00E+00

1,00E+01

1,00E+02

1,00E+03

1958 1966 1974 1982 1990

90Sr radioactivity in fall-out

1958-1996 (Bq/m2)

21

ISPRA DATA

1,00E-06

1,00E-05

1,00E-04

1,00E-03

1,00E-02

1,00E-01

1958 1966 1974 1982 1990

N

O

D

A

T

A

137Cs radioactivity in air 1962-1996

(Bq/m3)

1,00E-01

1,00E+00

1,00E+01

1,00E+02

1,00E+03

1,00E+04

1958 1966 1974 1982 1990

137Cs radioactivity in fall-out

1958-1996 (Bq/m2)

22

ISPRA DATA

0,0E+00

5,0E+00

1,0E+01

1,5E+01

2,0E+01

2,5E+01

3,0E+01

1960 1968 1976 1984 1992

90Sr radioactivity in herbage

1960-1996 (Bq/g(Ca))

0,0E+00

5,0E-01

1,0E+00

1,5E+00

2,0E+00

2,5E+00

1960 1968 1976 1984 1992

90Sr radioactivity in milk 1960-1996

(Bq/g(Ca))

23

ISPRA DATA

1,0E-02

1,0E-01

1,0E+00

1,0E+01

1,0E+02

1960 1968 1976 1984 1992

137Cs radioactivity in herbage

1960-1996 (Bq/g(k))

1,0E-02

1,0E-01

1,0E+00

1,0E+01

1,0E+02

1960 1968 1976 1984 1992

137Cs radioactivity in milk 1960-1996

(Bq/g(k))

24

0,10

1,00

10,00

100,00

1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996

90Sr137Cs

herbage/milk ratio for 90

Sr and 137

Cs

ISPRA DATA

25

ISPRA DATA

1,00E-10

1,00E-09

1,00E-08

1,00E-07

1,00E-06

1,00E-05

1,00E-04

1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991

Pu-239+240

Pu-238

239-240Pu and

238Pu in air 1961-1995 (Bq/m )

3

26

ISPRA DATA

0,0E+00

5,0E+01

1,0E+02

1,5E+02

2,0E+02

1977 1982 1987 1992

Gamma dose inside JRC 1977-1996 (nSv/h)

0,0E+00

5,0E+01

1,0E+02

1,5E+02

2,0E+02

1977 1982 1987 1992

Gamma dose outside JRC 1977-1996 (nSv/h)

27

ISPRA DATA

The presence of low contamination in the environment around JRC and the possible doses to the population are due to the consequences of:

•the nuclear accident in Chernobyl

•the nuclear experiments performed in the atmosphere around 1960

The radioactive effluents discharged by the JRC establishment in the environment have always implied a negligible effective dose

equivalent

The evaluation of the data through the years must take into account the changes in the instrumentation i.e. the improvement of the minimum detectable activities.