Screening assessment of dose rates to wildlife related to the nuclear medicine Mo99 facility

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dc.contributor.authorJohansen, MPen_AU
dc.contributor.authorCorry, Men_AU
dc.date.accessioned2019-06-04T05:10:41Zen_AU
dc.date.available2019-06-04T05:10:41Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2017-04-27en_AU
dc.date.statistics2019-06-04en_AU
dc.description.abstractANSTO has performed a screening assessment on potential dose rates to environmental receptors (wildlife) associated with the planned ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) Mo99 Facility. The ANM facility will be located on the 50 hectare ANSTO Lucas Heights site, which is surrounded by a 1.6 km radius buffer zone owned by the Commonwealth or its Agencies. The buffer zone is used by humans for recreational purposes and is home to a range of plant and animal wildlife. During its routine operations in producing medical isotopes and performing research, ANSTO releases small amounts of radionuclides through stack emissions and, after testing, through liquid discharges to the public sewer system. The purpose of this assessment is to use a standard screening approach to determine if potential dose rates to local wildlife from future releases, including the ANM Mo99 Facility, are below international benchmarks. The assessment used methods from international best practice as laid out by the ARPANSA Guide: Radiation Protection of the Environment, which is consistent with current approaches set forth by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The screening evaluations considered exposure to a range of terrestrial organisms in the buffer zone from stack emissions via the air pathway, and, to a range of marine organisms near the ocean outlet at Potter Point, New South Wales via the liquid effluent pathway. Dose assessments were performed using the ERICA tool with radioactivity concentrations for air and water determined from data collected during routine monitoring of stack emissions and effluent releases at ANSTO. Concentration values along air and water pathways were overestimated, consistent with an approach of using conservative assumptions in this screening assessment. In summary, despite using overestimates for radioactivity concentrations associated with ANSTO’s emissions, results indicate potential risk quotients that are below standard benchmarks for all organisms and all pathways considered. Dose rates to organisms were determined to be below the lowest benchmark for potential harmful effects (10 μGy hr-1). These results are consistent with previous studies in determining no significant impacts from ANSTO effluents. Therefore, potential radioactivity releases from the ANM Facility are unlikely to impact local wildlife. Although projected dose rates are low, the release of low levels of radionuclides in air and water discharges indicates the need for ongoing monitoring and periodic re-evaluation.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationJohansen, M. & Corry, M. (2017). Screening assessment of dose rates to wildlife related to the nuclear medicine Mo99 facility (ANSTO-E-785). Lucas Heights, NSW: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc9241en_AU
dc.identifier.isbn1 921268 26 3en_AU
dc.identifier.placeofpublicationLucas Heights, New South Walesen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/9037en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisationen_AU
dc.relation.ispartofseriesANSTO-E-785en_AU
dc.subjectRadiation protectionen_AU
dc.subjectParticulatesen_AU
dc.subjectDose ratesen_AU
dc.subjectMolybdenum 99en_AU
dc.subjectANSTOen_AU
dc.subjectRadioactivityen_AU
dc.subjectRadiation monitoringen_AU
dc.titleScreening assessment of dose rates to wildlife related to the nuclear medicine Mo99 facilityen_AU
dc.typeExternal Reporten_AU
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