Implementation of Article 65 (2) of the new European Basic Safety Standards on radiation protection for the protection of the environment

URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-201404076720

Article 65 (2) of Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM (Euratom Basic Safety Standards) laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom of 5 December 2013 (EC 2013) stipulates the following with regard to environmental protection:

“In addition, these discharge authorisations shall take into account, where appropriate, the results of a generic screening assessment based on internationally recognised scientific guidance, where such an assessment has been required by the Member State, to demonstrate that environmental criteria for long-term human health protection are met.”

In connection with implementing this stipulation, in a letter dated 12 July 2013, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) requested the German Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) produce a statement on cases where a generic screening assessment should be carried out and how generic screening assessment based on internationally recognised scientific guidance could be practically implemented.

The SSK recommends using ICRP recommendation 108 (ICRP 2008) as a basis for practical implementation.

The SSK specifically recommends the following:

• Only the 12 reference animals and plants (RAPs) listed in ICRP 2008 as representatives of organism groups should be used as a reference for doses to the living environment.
• The weighted absorbed dose should be used as a measurand for doses to RAPs.
• Screening should only involve the 75 radionuclides listed in ICRP 2008, the dose conversion factors stipulated for these nuclides in ICRP 2008, and the concentration ratios for the accompanying chemical elements set out in ICRP 2009.
• The lower values of the bands of DCRL (derived consideration reference level) pursuant to ICRP 2008 should be used as a criterion for assessing dose rates to RAPs and interpreted as insignificance thresholds for the effect of ionising radiation on populations when carrying out screenings.

The SSK argues that such a method is suitable for screening pursuant to Article 65 (2) of the Euratom Basic Safety Standards of 5 December 2013.