The European Waste Catalogue – is it a good tool to raise awareness about Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials?

Laboratory of Radiometry, Główny Instytut Górnictwa, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland

Abstract

Since radiation risk is usually considered to be related to nuclear energy or atomic bomb, majority of researches on radiation protection has focused on artificial radionuclides and radioactive waste. Far less attention has been paid to radiation risk caused by exposure to ionizing radiation originating from naturally occurring radioactive materials despite the fact that their presence touches many aspects of our life, especially when a huge amount of bulk waste had been dumped in our vicinity. Existing regulations have pointed out the strong needs to take into account non-nuclear industry where materials containing enhanced natural radioactivity occur and enclose them in frame of formal control of radiation risk but in reality often such cases of radiation risk are still out of, not only control, but even simple monitoring. This is caused by the shortage of information about radiation occurring outside nuclear industry or radioactive source and irradiating apparatus use. Such lacking information can be included in European Waste Catalogue to make the first awareness for the all stakeholders of concern.