A variety of past activities and events have resulted in contamination of sites and areas by residual radioactive material. In cases where relevant criteria are exceeded, remediation should be implemented to reduce radiation exposure due to contamination, taking into account other non-radiological hazards as appropriate. Remediation includes any actions applied to the contamination itself (the source) or to the exposure pathways to people. This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the planning and implementation of remediation of sites and areas affected by past activities and events based on a systematic, stepwise approach, taking account of the specific characteristics of a given situation and the prevailing circumstances. The Safety Guide is targeted at regulatory bodies, responsible parties, operating organizations and other parties involved in the remediation of sites or areas and contributing to the recovery process to ensure the protection of people and the environment.

A variety of past activities and events have resulted in contamination of sites and areas by residual radioactive material. In cases where relevant criteria are exceeded, remediation should be implemented to reduce radiation exposure due to contamination, taking into account other non-radiological hazards as appropriate. Remediation includes any actions applied to the contamination itself (the source) or to the exposure pathways to people. This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the planning and implementation of remediation of sites and areas affected by past activities and events based on a systematic, stepwise approach, taking account of the specific characteristics of a given situation and the prevailing circumstances. The Safety Guide is targeted at regulatory bodies, responsible parties, operating organizations and other parties involved in the remediation of sites or areas and contributing to the recovery process to ensure the protection of people and the environment.

Sites with radioactive contamination may require action to protect people and the environment and to enable transition to a different future use. To support environmental management of these sites, this publication presents a process to determine the “end state” of the site to be remediated or being remediated, and implications for the site future use and necessary controls. The approach is intended to assist those responsible for a site in making an informed and transparent decision on what is the mutually agreed end state. It provides a common basis for all stakeholders involved in the decision-making process, who are working on achieving consensus, so that the potential for misunderstanding is reduced.

A range of diverse sites globally have been affected by past activities and events resulting in their contamination with residual radioactive material. As a result, there is a need to evaluate the site-specific radiological hazards and doses to people and the environment to determine whether remediation is justified and, if so, to develop and implement plans to address the situation. The IAEA has published a Generic Safety Guide (GSG-15) - Remediation Strategy and Process for Areas Affected by Past Activities or Events, which establishes a stepwise approach for the planning and implementation of remediation applying the principles of radiation protection. This publication presents the results generated from the modelling of case studies of sites contaminated with residual radioactive material from past activities and events within the Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety (EMRAS II) programme to demonstrate the practical application of the stepwise remediation process presented in GSG-15.

This publication is one of the series of IAEA publications on the environmental behaviour of naturally occurring radionuclides. It outlines uranium behaviour in different environments, as well as its transfer to, and metabolism in, humans. The publication also provides concepts, models and data required for the assessment of the impacts of uranium on non-human biota. Assessing the environmental and health effects of uranium poses specific challenges because of the combination of different types of hazard and potential exposures. Therefore, both the radiotoxicity and chemical toxicity of uranium are considered in this publication.

Nuclear Waste Management Facilities: Advances, Environmental Impacts, and Future Prospects examines best practices and recent trends in improving nuclear safety and reducing the negative environmental impacts of nuclear waste. With strong emphasis on regulatory requirements, this reference is essential for designing new integrated waste management practices, using lessons learned from historical and current practices. Divided into three key sections, Part One introduces the reader to the safety and environmental impacts of the nuclear industry. Part Two reviews recent technological and methodological approaches to enhancing safety, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of both individual processes and integrated facilities. Topics covered include waste processing, transmutation and decommissioning. Part Three consider potential management schemes for special waste from innovative sources, and wastes that contain emerging contaminants, including waste recycling opportunities. Nuclear Waste Management Facilities: Advances, Environmental Impacts, and Future Prospects is a crucial tool needed to implement the safest and most environmentally considerate best practices within nuclear waste management facilities. - Presents recent approaches used to assess and improve the safety and reduce the environmental impacts of nuclear waste management facilities - Offers technical guidance to support the development and defense of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and Safety Cases to support the waste management facilities licensing throughout their lifecycles - Highlights the future perspectives for wastes produced from innovative reactors and wastes containing emerging contaminants, and recycling opportunities

This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the safe disposal of disused sealed radioactive sources in borehole disposal facilities. Sealed radioactive sources are used all over the world for a wide range of purposes, in areas such as health, industry, research and agriculture. These sources are usually managed safely while in use, but States often experience challenges in their management once the sources reach the end of their useful lives. Even though they may no longer emit sufficient radiation for their intended purpose, disused sources are radioactive and potentially hazardous, and they need to be managed as radioactive waste. Written for regulators and others involved in the development and management of borehole disposal facilities, the objective of this Safety Guide is to provide recommendations on the commissioning, operation, closure, institutional control and regulation of borehole disposal facilities for disused sealed radioactive sources, and small volumes of low and intermediate level secondary waste generated during the management of these sources. This Safety Guide can also be used as a basis for reassessing and, where appropriate, upgrading the safety of existing borehole disposal facilities.