RE: Dose limits in Australia

["Tsurikov, Nick" <nick.tsurikov@iluka.com>]

Hello, Franz

How are you?  Probably it is freezing in Austria already...  Yesterday we
had +38...

OK, now to the TENORM stuff.

The limit of 1 mSv/year for members of the public is, indeed, in place.  
It is applicable here, in Western Australia, for the mining industry in
accordance with the Mines Safety and Inspection Act and Regulations (1995):

Regulation 16.19:
>>>>>>>>>
Dose limits -members of the public
16.19.	The manager of a mine must ensure that a member of the public does
not receive a dose of radiation, as a consequence of the mine, exceeding
that specified in the Table to this regulation:
		Effective dose limit (per year)			1
millisievert
		Equivalent dose limit (per year) -
			In the lens of the eye			15
millisieverts
			In the skin				50
millisieverts
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The important words here are "as a consequence of the mine", thus - there is
no need to account for anything not directly relevant to a particular mining
operation.
_______________________________________________

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulations 1999
(available from ARPANSA web site - http://www.arpansa.gov.au
<http://www.arpansa.gov.au> ) specify the limit as follows:

>>>>>>>>>>
59 Effective dose limits
...
(3) The effective dose limit for public exposure is 1 mSv annually.
<<<<<<<<<<

These regulations are quite new and my knowledge of the potential
applicability of these regulations to TENORM is not yet at the stage where I
could make any comments.  Therefore, I simply picked up the regulations
where the word "natural" in respect to radiation is mentioned (emphasis
mine):
The best source of information on this subject is ARPANSA (see the web site
address above).

Regulation (6):
(6) Also, the CEO may declare, in writing, that:
(a) a dealing that is not described in Part 1 of Schedule 2 is a dealing
involving:
(i)	a radiological emergency or its after effects; or
(ii)	the after effects of a previous dealing; or
(iii)	NATURALLY occurring materials; or
(iv)	bulk material with a mass of more than 1,000 kg; and
		(b) an assessment of the magnitude of individual doses, the
number of people exposed, and the likelihood that potential exposure will
actually occur, justify the dealing being exempt.

Schedule 2 Exempt dealings (regulations 6 and 38)
Part 1 Dealings

3 The dealing involves NATURALLY occurring radon-222 with an activity
concentration of less than 1000 Bq/m3 in the special
case of exposure in the workplace.
If the dealing includes any other controlled material, the use of the other
material must also be an exempt dealing.

The definition of the "excluded exposure" in the glossary:
excluded exposure, for the definition of occupational exposure, means the
component of exposure which arises from NATURAL background radiation,
provided that any relevant action level or levels for the workplace are not
exceeded and that the CEO does not prohibit its exclusion.
______________________________________

Please let me know if you will require any additional information.

Kind regards
Nick Tsurikov
Eneabba, Western Australia
nick.tsurikov@iluka.com <mailto:nick.tsurikov@iluka.com> 
World Collection of Radiation Links:
http://eneabba.net/ <http://eneabba.net/> 

P.S. Did I send you a group photo from TENR-2 in Rio?  If not, please let me
know.


		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Franz Schoenhofer [mailto:schoenho@via.at]
		Sent:	Tuesday, 2 November 1999 2:19
		To:	Multiple recipients of list
		Subject:	Dose limits in Australia

		Hi,

		I have some work to do, for which I need information about
the current dose
		limits for the public in Australia. 

		My information is that there is a dose limit of 1mSv/y in
force. What I do
		not know, is whether for this dose (rate) all sources have
to be added, in
		particular from natural radionuclides. (In this case this
dose limit could
		not be followed because of the impact of indoor radon!)
Another, even more
		detailed question is, whether doses from TENORM are to be
included, namely
		caused by (former) (uranium) mining and mine tailings. Would
this include
		radon from tailings as well?

		Maybe Nick Tsurikov reads this or another knowledgable
person. I would need
		an answer as soon as possible.

		Thanks!

		Franz


		Franz Schoenhofer
		Habicherg. 31/7
		A-1160 Vienna
		Austria
		Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
		Fax.: same number
		mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
		e-mail: schoenho@via.at

	
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