Publication Laka-library:
Inventory of radioactive waste disposals at sea
| Author | IAEA |
 |
6-01-5-52-21.pdf |
| Date | August 1999 |
| Classification | 6.01.5.52/21 (WASTE - SEA DUMPING (INCL. OSPAR)) |
| Front | 
|
From the publication:
1. INTRODUCTION
The Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Environment held in Stockholm
in 1972 [1] defined principles for environmental protection. One of the principles specifically
addressed the protection of the marine environment by development of General Principles for
Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution. Pursuant to Recommendation 86 of the Stockholm
Conference, these principles for Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution were forwarded to
an Inter-Governmental Conference held in London in 1972 which adopted the Convention on the
Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping1 of Wastes and Other Matter [2]. This Convention
is referred to as the London Convention 1972 but was formerly known as the London Dumping
Convention (LDC). The London Convention 1972 entered into force on 30 August 1975.
The Contracting Parties to the London Convention 1972 agreed to "promote the effective
control of all sources of pollution of the marine environment, and pledged themselves especially
to take all practicable steps to prevent the pollution of the sea by the dumping of waste and other
matter that is liable to create hazards to human health, to harm living resources and marine life,
to damage amenities or to interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea" [2]. Contracting Parties
to the London Convention 1972 designated the IAEA as the competent international body in
matters related to sea disposal of radioactive waste and entrusted the IAEA with specific
responsibilities, as follows:
- to define high level radioactive wastes or other high level radioactive matter unsuitable for
dumping at sea as referred in Annex I to the Convention, and
to recommend a basis for issuing special permits for dumping those materials not listed in
Annex I of the Convention.
The IAEA was mandated to keep the definition of high level waste and recommendations
for special permits to limit the impact of the disposal operation under continuing review. As
requested, a provisional definition of high level waste unsuitable for disposal at sea and
recommendations were provided in 1974 [3] and successively revised in 1978 [4] and 1986 [5].
The revisions reflect the increasing knowledge of relevant oceanographic behaviour of
radionuclides and improved assessment capabilities.
The 1986 definition of high level radioactive waste or other high level radioactive matter
unsuitable for dumping at sea is as follows [5]:
(1) Irradiated reactor fuel; liquid wastes from the first solvent extraction cycle of chemical
reprocessing of irradiated reactor fuel, or equivalent processes; and solidified forms of such
waste; and
(2) Any other waste or matter of activity concentration exceeding:
(a) 5 x 1(T5 TBqVkg for alpha emitters;
As defined by the London Convention 1972 [2], "dumping"means:
(i) Any deliberate disposal at sea of wastes and other matter from vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-
made structures at sea;
(ii) Any deliberate disposal at sea of vessels, aircraft, platforms or other man-made structures at sea.
lTBq=10 12 Bq.
(b) 2 x 10 2 TBq/kg for beta/gamma emitters with half-lives of greater than one year
(excluding tritium); and
(c) 3 TBq/kg for tritium and beta/gamma emitters with half-lives of one year or less.
To further discharge its responsibilities, the IAEA, from time to time, has issued
recommendations and guidance to ensure that disposal of any radioactive waste into the sea does
not result in unacceptable hazards to man and marine organisms. Major events associated with
sea disposal of radioactive waste are presented in Table I [3-24].
In 1985, Resolution LDC.21(9) of the Contracting Parties to the London Convention
introduced a voluntary moratorium on the disposal of low level radioactive wastes at sea [15].
After the adoption of this Resolution, the IAEA continued to support the London Convention by
providing scientific advice on issues relevant to the review of the moratorium.
In 1993, at the 16th Consultative Meeting, the Contracting Parties to the Convention
adopted a Resolution which prohibited the sea disposal of radioactive wastes and other
radioactive matter [24].
The proposal to develop a global inventory of radioactive materials entering the marine
environment from all sources was first raised at the Third Consultative Meeting of Contracting
Parties to the London Convention 1972 (1978) [25] and again in 1985 as part of the studies called
for in resolution LDC.21(9) of the Ninth Consultative Meeting [15]. At the Eleventh Consultative
Meeting (1988) [26], Contracting Parties requested the IAEA to work actively towards this
objective.
At the Twelfth Consultative Meeting (1989) [27] of the London Convention 1972, the
Working Group on the Implications of Accidents to Nuclear-powered Vessels (in accordance with
Article V of the Convention on dumping of vessels in case of force majeure) recommended that
"Contracting Parties should be requested to provide all relevant information to the IAEA
regarding accidents at sea involving releases of radioactive material". The Chairman of the
Consultative Meeting encouraged Contracting Parties to submit information for the compilation
of the above mentioned inventory insofar as this was possible.
The inventory serves the function of providing a unique record of worldwide disposal of
radioactive materials at sea and of accidents and losses at sea involving radioactive materials; it
is also expected to find use for assessing and comparing the radiological impact of radionuclides
from different sources entering the marine environment.
As a separate activity, the Marine Environment Laboratory (MEL) of the IAEA is
maintaining the Global Marine Radioactivity Database (GLOMARD) which contains information
on radionuclide concentrations in sea water, sediments and biota throughout the world oceans
[28]. The objective of the GLOMARD database is to provide both historical and up-to-date
information on radionuclide levels in the marine environment and to investigate temporal changes
in both concentrations and isotopic ratios, as well as correlate the activity data with salinity,
temperature, bathymetry and sediment geochemistry data.
TABLE I. CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF MAJOR EVENTS AND DOCUMENTS
PUBLISHED BY THE IAEA AND IMO IN CONNECTION WITH SEA DISPOSAL OF
RADIOACTIVE WASTES [3-24]
Year______________________Event_____________________
1946 First dumping operations (USA)
1957 First IAEA Advisory Group Meeting on Radioactive Waste Disposal into the Sea
1958 First United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I)
1961 Radioactive Waste Disposal into the Sea. IAEA Safety Series No. 5 [6]
1965 Methods of Surveying and Monitoring Marine Radioactivity. IAEA Safety Series
No. 11 [7]
1970 Reference Methods in Marine Radioactivity Studies. IAEA Technical Reports
Series No. 18 [8]
1972 Adoption of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of
Wastes and Other Matter [2]
1974 Provisional Definition of High Level Radioactive Waste Unsuitable for Dumping
at Sea and Recommendations. IAEA INFCIRC/205/Add. 1 [3]
1975 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and
Other Matter enters into force
1978 Revised Version of the Definition and Recommendation for the Convention on the
Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter. IAEA
INFCIRC/205/Add. I/Rev. 1 [4]
1980 Packaging of Radioactive Wastes for Sea Disposal. IAEA-TECDOC-240 [ 10]
1981 Considerations Concerning "de minimis" Quantities of Radioactive Waste Suitable
for Dumping at Sea under a Suitable Permit. IAEA-TECDOC-244 [11]
1983 Control of Radioactive Waste Disposal into the Marine Environment. IAEA Safety
Series No. 61 (Revision of the IAEA Safety Series No. 5) [12]
1983 Decision on moratorium on low level waste dumping [9]
1984 Environmental Assessment Methodologies for Sea Dumping of Radioactive
Wastes. IAEA Safety Series No. 65 [13]
1984 The Oceanographic and Radiological Basis for the Definition of High Level Wastes
Unsuitable for Dumping at Sea. IAEA Safety Series No. 66 [14]
1985 Resolution calling for a Voluntary Moratorium on Radioactive Waste Dumping.
LDC.21(9) [15]
1985 Sediment KjS and Concentration Factors for Radionuclides in the Marine
Environment. IAEA Technical Reports Series No. 247 [16]
1986 An Oceanographic Model for the Dispersion of Wastes Disposed of in the Deep
Sea. IAEA Technical Reports Series No. 263 [10]
Year _____________________Event___________
1986 Definition and Recommendations for the Convention for the Prevention of Marine
Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter. IAEA Safety Series No. 78 [5]
1988 Assessing the Impact of Deep Sea Disposal of Low-level Radioactive Waste on
Living Marine Resources. IAEA Technical Reports Series No. 288 [18]
1989 Principles for the Establishment of Upper Bounds to Doses to Individuals from
Global and Regional Sources. IAEA Safety Series No. 92 [19]
1990 Estimation of Radiation Risks at Low Dose. IAEA-TECDOC-557 [20]
1990 Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal: An Evaluation of Reports Comparing
Ocean and Land Based Disposal Options. IAEA-TECDOC-562 [21]
1991 Inventory of Radioactive Material Entering the Marine Environment: Sea Disposal
of Radioactive Waste. IAEA-TECDOC-588 [22]
1993 Risk Comparisons Relevant to Sea Disposal of Low Level Radioactive Waste.
IAEA-TECDOC-725 [23]
1993 Resolution on Disposal at Sea of Radioactive Wastes and Other Radioactive Matter
LC.51(16) [24]
20 Feb. Total prohibition on radioactive waste disposal at sea came into force
1994