| All
raw materials contain traces of natural radioactivity.
The presence
of NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material)
in industrial processes is receiving increased attention
from regulatory agencies and, to a lesser extent, from
the general public.
This attention is focused
on industries where enhancement of natural radioactivity
takes place resulting in the generation of TENORM
(Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive
Material), this term is used in several countries.
|
Nick's
definition of NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material):
Material containing no significant amounts of radionuclides
other than naturally occurring radionuclides, disturbed
or altered from natural settings, or present in enhanced concentrations above background radiation levels
due to human activities that may result in a relative increase
in radiation exposures and risks to the public and the environment.
The material also needs to be designated
as requiring regulatory attention in a particular jurisdiction. |
|
|
Processing
of raw materials in various 'non-nuclear' industries may
result in:
1. Radiation exposure of
workers and members of the public that could not be disregarded
from the radiation protection point of view;
2. Generation
of waste with elevated concentrations of radionuclides
from the natural uranium and thorium decay chains, and
increase in environmental mobility of these radionuclides;
3. Possibility
of future legislative requirements for materials which
are currently not regulated, risk of future liabilities
and litigation due to the exposure to NORM.
|
|
|
This
part of the web site was an attempt to classify the information
available from numerous sources and sort it by the industry/product.
All data presented on this page is in public domain.
The information is an update of the earlier TENORM
Report presented at the TENR-2 Conference in Rio de
Janeiro in 1999. Full text of the report is available on
this site and the summary - in the International
Atomic Energy Agency TecDoc No.1271 in 2002.
|
The updated information for all substances is available in the updated Appendix I -Activity concentrations for materials that could be encountered at international borders from the NORM-V Congress paper The trade in radioactive materials -potential problems and possible solutions, NORM-V Proceedings, IAEA, 2008, pp.437-453
December 2019 update, 20 pages
|
|
|
