§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the respective safety criteria in terms of man/sieverts used for the management of low and intermediate levels of solid radioactive waste according to (a) his Department's report, "Assessment of Best Practicable Environmental Options" and (b) the International Commission on Radiological Protection; and what is the basis for the difference between those criteria.
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§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Department's assessment of best praticable environmental options is based on levels of radiation protection in line with the safety principles for nuclear chemical plant issued by Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and with the principles for the protection of the human environment issued by Government Departments responsible for authorising waste disposal. These include a maximum of 5 mSv a year as the average radiation dose for the work force on storage and disposal sites. After disposal, no member of the public should be subjected to a persistent exposure of more than 0.1 mSv per year. In both cases, the level is one tenth of the annual limit recommended by ICRP. The difference reflects our concern that all doses should be as low as reasonably achievable and leaves a safety margin for possible exposure pathways and health effects not at present recognised.
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the internationally recommended limits of radiation exposure in man sieverts; and what assessment he has made of the risks to seamen and dockers involved in the disposal at sea of radioactive waste.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe International Commission on Radiation Protection has recommended a limit of 50 mSv for the annual occupational radiation dose. An assessment has been made of doses to dockers and seamen involved in the disposal of radioactive waste at sea. This assessment was undertaken by the National Radiological Protection Board and published by them in June 1985 (ref DOE/RW/ 85–078). The highest actual dose recorded as being received by any individual was 12 mSv; most were under 2 mSv.
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what monitorings of the radioactive effect upon dockers and seamen were conducted during the disposal at sea of radioactive waste and how many dockers and seamen were involved, during each year since 1955.
§ Mr. WaldegraveFrom 1977 to 1982, all the dockers and seamen involved in handling radioactive waste for disposal at sea were issued with film badges to facilitate the monitoring of dose levels. No information is available on the numbers of workers involved or for the period prior to 1977.
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list and describe the individual maximum permitted radiation exposure levels in milli sieverts for dockers and seamen, respectively, involved in disposal at sea of radioactive waste, for each year between 1955 and 1976.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe maximum permitted dose to workers occupationally exposed to radiation is 50 milli sieverts per year. This limit applies to both dockers and seamen, and it remained unchanged throughout the period from 1955 to 1976.
§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the levels of radiation dockers and seamen were exposed to in the disposal at sea of radioactive waste in each year since 1955; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveLevels of radiation dose to dockers and seamen associated with the disposal at sea of radioactive waste between 1977 and 1982 are set out in a222W report published by the National Radiological Protection Board in June 1985 and entitled; "A Review of the Radiation Exposure of Transport Personnel" during the radioactive waste disposal operations from 1977 to 1982 (ref. DOE/RW/85–078). No information is available on levels of radiation exposure to United Kingdom dockers and seamen before 1977, and no sea disposals have taken place since 1982.