Abstract
The legacy of past radium and uranium mining waste in Portugal is currently dealt through an environmental remediation program for old mine sites which aims to prevent waste dispersal and radioactive contamination of the environment. In this paper radioactivity of waste materials and radiation exposure at uranium legacy sites are described and it is concluded that remediation workers might be exposed to radiation hazards. Furthermore, works involving clean-up of mine sites and milling facilities, radioactive waste transfer, and treatment of contaminated mine water may have environmental radiological hazards associated and may originate radiation exposure of members of the public as well. It is concluded that a radiological risk characterization shall be done and appropriate radiation protection measures shall be implemented in accordance with the EU Directive 59/2013 recently entered into force.
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References
Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom
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Carvalho, F.P., Oliveira, J.M., Malta, M. (2019). Dust, Radon and Radiation Exposure in Environmental Remediation Works of Old Mine Sites. In: Arezes, P., et al. Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 202. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14730-3_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14730-3_19
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