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Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Annual report on radioactive discharges from Winfrith and Monitoring the Environment 1986 (1987)

Auteur	UKAEA
Datum	april 1987
Classificatie	2.05.9.90/02 (GROOT-BRITTANNIË - REST INSTALLATIES)
Voorkant

ANNUAL REPORT ON RADIOACTIVE DISCHARGES FROM WINFRITH
AND MONITORING THE ENVIRONMENT 1986

INTRODUCTION

This report, the second of an annual series, is arranged in a similar manner to the 1985 
report* with the addition of a section on monitoring the local environment after the 
Chernobyl accident. The effects on Dorset of the Chernobyl accident were smaller 
than in other regions of the United Kingdom and were much smaller than in most of 
Europe. The report is aimed at making available to the general public full 
information on our discharges and monitoring. Quarterly reports are now being 
made to the Local Environmental Health Officers.

Operators of nuclear sites are required to ensure that their activities are carried out 
without significant risks to the general public. The widely accepted international 
view is that no significant risks will occur if radiation doses to the public in the 
environs of nuclear plant are kept below a total of 70 mSv** in a lifetime. The 
United Kingdom has accepted the International Commission on Radiological 
Protection (ICRP) interpretation of this as being "less than 1 mSv per year" rather 
than the previous interpretation of "less than 5 mSv in any one year". Consequently 
where ICRP limits are quoted in this report they will appear five times less than the 
limits quoted in last year's report; and fractions of the limits five times higher.

Authorisations for quantities of radioactive materials permitted to be discharged into 
the environment are normally set such that a radiation dose of 0.5 mSv per year will 
not be exceeded by the potentially most exposed public group - the critical group. If 
past experience shows that working to an even lower limit is reasonably practicable 
then the Authorisation may be set at this lower level. The Authorising Ministries are 
the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and 
Food. Winfrith is holding discussions with these bodies prior to their issuing new 
Authorised Limits. The limits for discharges to the air are in their final "consultative 
stage" and the expected "new limits" are shown in this report.

The report is arranged in sections detailing waste discharges to sea and the 
associated environmental monitoring, waste discharges to air and the associated 
environmental monitoring, and environmental monitoring after the Chernobyl 
accident. Detailed numerical information is given in the Tables. Some care is needed 
in interpreting the results as the radioactivity measured may include naturally 
occurring radioactive isotopes, fall-out isotopes arising from past testing of nuclear 
weapons in the atmosphere and isotopes from nuclear plant waste discharges.

* WER-1-1985 Annual Report on Radioactive Discharges and Monitoring the
Environment 1985.
** See Glossary for this and other technical terms.

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