Abstract

Review Article

Environmental Modeling for Radiation Safety

Paweł Krajewsk* and Grażyna Krajewska

Published: 28 August, 2023 | Volume 7 - Issue 2 | Pages: 052-055

The newly launched IAEA project MEREIA (MEthods for Radiological and Environmental Impact Assessment; 2021- 2025), MEREIA continues some activities of previous IAEA exercises in the field of radioecological modelling and focuses on areas where the probabilistic approach determines the predictive capability of environmental models. The program offered the opportunity to set up well-designed and verified scenarios to collect and compare exposures predicted by particular models based on this scenario and then perform a validation study of contributing models. It consists of the comparison of model prediction with observed data or in the case where there is a lack of measurement data to perform a comparison within model prognoses.  The previous international works have brought significant improvement in environmental modeling in terms of better understanding and mathematical description of complex physical and chemical phenomena that occur in various environmental media and also have promoted new areas for experimental investigations. The new experimental results yielded updated handbooks of a large number of environmental parameters for less-known elements. Moreover, the principal objective of the activities in environmental modelling was an integrated risk assessment of the reference group of population and biota associated with radionuclides releases from various kinds of nuclear facilities as from different types and power nuclear reactors, radioactive waste disposal and more complex nuclear research facility. This reflects recent international recommendations to extend protection against radiation hazards of humans to wildlife flora and fauna. However, the statistics supported knowledge on some essential environmental parameters still remain small. Therefore, one could be aware of some limitations of the probabilistic approach that required advanced methods of probabilistic prognosis Monte Carlo.

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.jro.1001053 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

Keywords:

Environmental impact assessment; Model validation; Accidental radioactive releases; Routine discharges from nuclear installations; Public exposure; Radiation hazard to biota

References

  1. MEREIA pamphlet. https://gnssn.iaea.org/main/MEREIA/Pages/default.aspx
  2. Workshop on Methods for Radiological and Environmental Impact Assessment (MEREIA). Information Sheet. https://gnssn.iaea.org/main/MEREIA/Pages/default.aspx
  3. International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group, Summary Report on the Post-Accident Review Meeting on the Chernobyl Accident, INSAG Series No. 1, IAEA, Vienna. 1986. https://www.iaea.org/publications/3598/summary-report-on-the-post-accident-review-meeting-on-the-chernobyl-accident
  4. Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, UNSCEAR 2008, Report to the General Assembly with Scientific Annexes VOLUME II, Scientific Annexes C, D and E, Sales No. E.11.IX.3, ISBN: 978-92-1-142280-1,e-ISBN: 978-92-1-054482-5. https://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/publications/2008_2.html
  5. Validation of models using chernobyl fallout data from the central bohemia region of the czech republic: Scenario CB, IAEA, VIENNA, 1995, IAEA-TECDOC-795, ISSN 1011-289, IAEA, Austria. 1995. http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/te_795_prn.pdf.
  6. International Atomic Energy Agency, Validation of Models Using Chernobyl Fallout Data from Southern Finland - Scenario S Second Report of the VAMP Multiple Pathways Assessment Working Group, IAEA-TECDOC-904, IAEA, Vienna. 1996. https://www.iaea.org/publications/5554/validation-of-models-using-chernobyl-fallout-data-from-southern-finland-scenario-s-second-report-of-the-vamp-multiple-pathways-assessment-working-group
  7. Swedish Radiation Protection Institute, An Overview of the BIOMOVS II Study and its Findings, BIOMOVS II Technical Report No. 17, Stockholm, Sweden. November 1996. https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/31/047/31047298.pdf
  8. International Atomic Energy Agency, Testing of Environmental Transfer Models Using Data from the Atmospheric Release of Iodine-131 from the Hanford Site, USA, in 1963, Non-serial Publications, IAEA, Vienna. 2003. https://www.iaea.org/publications/6695/testing-of-environmental-transfer-models-using-data-from-the-atmospheric-release-of-iodine-131-from-the-hanford-site-usa-in-1963
  9. International Atomic Energy Agency, Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety (EMRAS) — A Summary Report of the Results of the EMRAS Programme (2003-2007), IAEA-TECDOC-1678, IAEA, Vienna. 2012. https://www.iaea.org/publications/8777/environmental-modelling-for-radiation-safety-emras-a-summary-report-of-the-results-of-the-emras-programme-2003-2007
  10. International Atomic Energy Agency, Performance of Models in Radiological Impact Assessment for Normal Operation, IAEA-TECDOC-1808, IAEA, Vienna. 2017. https://www.iaea.org/publications/11141/performance-of-models-in-radiological-impact-assessmen t-for-normal-operation
  11. International Atomic Energy Agency, Modelling and Data for Radiological Impact Assessments, MODARIA, Fourth Technical Meeting, https://www-ns.iaea.org/projects/modaria/default.asp
  12. International Atomic Energy Agency, Improving Models to Assess Environmental Radiation Impact: MODARIA II Third Technical Meeting, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/improving-models-to-assess-environmental-radiation-impact-modaria-ii-third-technical-meeting Improving Models to Assess Environmental Radiation Impact: MODARIA II Third Technical Meeting
  13. International Atomic Energy Agency, Assessment of Radioactive Contamination and Effectiveness of Remedial Measures in Urban Environments, IAEA-TECDOC-2001, IAEA, Vienna. 2022. https://www.iaea.org/publications/15122/assessment-of-radioactive-contamination-and-effectiveness-of-remedial-measures-in-urban-environments
  14. International Atomic Energy Agency, Harmonization and Intercomparison of Models for Accidental Tritium Releases to the Atmosphere, IAEA-TECDOC-1991, IAEA, Vienna. 2022. https://www.iaea.org/publications/15015/harmonization-and-intercomparison-of-models-for-accidental-tritium-releases-to-the-atmosphere
  15. International Atomic Energy Agency, Quantification of Radionuclide Transfer in Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments for Radiological Assessments, IAEA-TECDOC-1616, IAEA, Vienna. 2009. https://www.iaea.org/publications/8103/quantification-of-radionuclide-transfer-in-terrestrial-and-freshwater-environments-for-radiological-assessments
  16. International Atomic Energy Agency, Radiation Protection of Wildlife: Modelling the Exposure and Effects, IAEA-TECDOC-1986, IAEA, Vienna. 2021. https://www.iaea.org/publications/15026/radiation-protection-of-wildlife-modelling-the-exposure-and-effects
  17. ICRP 124. Protection of the Environment under Different Exposure Situations. ICRP Publication 124. Ann. ICRP. 2014; 43(1).
  18. ICRP 103. The Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, Publication 103, Elsevier. 2007.
  19. Brown JE, Alfonso B, Avila R, Beresford NA, Copplestone D, Hosseini A. A new version of the ERICA tool to facilitate impact assessments of radioactivity on wild plants and animals. J Environ Radioact. 2016 Mar;153:141-148. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.12.011. Epub 2016 Jan 7. PMID: 26773508.
  20. International Atomic Energy Agency, Handbook of Parameter Values for the Prediction of Radionuclide Transfer in Terrestrial and Freshwater Environments, Technical Reports Series No. 472, IAEA, Vienna. 2010. https://www.iaea.org/publications/8201/handbook-of-parameter-values-for-the-prediction-of-radionuclide-transfer-in-terrestrial-and-freshwater-environments
  21. International Atomic Energy Agency, Handbook of Parameter Values for the Prediction of Radionuclide Transfer to Wildlife, Technical Reports Series No. 479, IAEA, Vienna. 2014. https://www.iaea.org/publications/10514/handbook-of-parameter-values-for-the-prediction-of-radionuclide-transfer-to-wildlife
  22. International Atomic Energy Agency, Approaches for Modelling of Radioecological Data to Identify Key Radionuclides and Associated Parameter Values for Human and Wildlife Exposure Assessments, IAEA-TECDOC-1950, IAEA, Vienna. 2021. https://www.iaea.org/publications/14807/approaches-for-modelling-of-radioecological-data-to-identify-key-radionuclides-and-associated-parameter-values-for-human-and-wildlife-exposure-assessments
  23. GRS Part 3. Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards, General Safety Requirements Part 3. No. GSR Part 3, International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna, 2014.
  24. International Atomic Energy Agency, Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-1, IAEA, Vienna. 2019. https://www.iaea.org/publications/13413/site-evaluation-for-nuclear-installations
  25. International Atomic Energy Agency, Prospective Radiological Environmental Impact Assessment for Facilities and Activities, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSG-10, IAEA, Vienna. 2018. https://www.iaea.org/publications/12198/prospective-radiological-environmental-impact-assessment-for-facilities-and-activities

Figures:

Figure 1

Figure 1

Similar Articles

Recently Viewed

Read More

Most Viewed

Read More

Help ?