Within the framework of plant decommissioning workers at spent fuel pool hall, a specialized worker using "Mururoa and autonomous respiration equipment" changed the vinile cap of an underwater radiation detector. During the routine check out for radiation contamination at the working area exit, a nose frotis showed 0.048 cps of alpha particles. The worker was administered DTPA for preventing internal contamination fixing. Afterwards he passed through a bioassay program that took several months and concluded that: a) effective dose to the whole body estimated at 31 mSv, b) internal integrated dose to bone surface 576 mSv. Dose a) is well within statutory limits, regarding dose b) bones are organs not referred to in ICRP-60, the standard to which Spain is to adhere for European Union mandate. Justification: The on-site criterion is not applicable as no statutory limit was reached. It is rated on the Defense in depth criterion, in application of bullet A.6 of the INES User's Manual Addendum "Events requiring medical treatment of workers" says where any surgical or medical treatment (e.g. DTPA) is necessary in order to prevent an exposure significantly in excess of an annual dose limit, the event should be rated at least at level 1 under defense in depth. Final: INES level 1
A vast subsea nuclear graveyard planned to hold Britain’s burgeoning piles of radioactive waste is set to become the biggest, longest-lasting and most expensive infrastructure project ever undertaken in the UK. The project [UK's nuclear waste dump] is now predicted to take more than 150yrs to complete with lifetime costs of £66bn in today’s money...The […]
Last year, the Dutch Province of Limburg started an alliance in which, besides the local government, research institutes, small nuclear reactor (SMR) developers, utilities, industrial customers and funders cooperated. With this "Limburg SMR alliance" Limburg tried to lead the way towards an SMR in Limburg. The preferred site for a first SMR would be Chemelot, […]
From the IPFM: During a visit to the Civaux nuclear power plant on 18 March 2024, France's Minister of the Armed Forces unveiled a plan to use the plant to produce tritium for the French nuclear weapons program. Civaux is a civilian power plant that belongs to and is operated by Electricité de France. According […]
An analysis by the Norwegian NGO Bellona of transborder trade operations with the customs code 840130 (irradiated fuel assemblies or fuel elements) show a more than twofold increase of import to EU countries of fresh nuclear fuel in cash terms – from 280 million Euros in 2022 to 686 million Euros in 2023. In physical […]
The French government has said it is "seriously" studying the option of building a plant to convert and enrich reprocessed uranium to cut its reliance on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The only plant in the world that currently converts reprocessed uranium for use in nuclear power plants is in Russia. "The option of […]