Division of Nuclear Power

Experts from ten Member States attended a meeting to launch the INPRO Collaborative Project "Environmental Impact of Potential Accidents Releases from Nuclear Energy Systems", held at the IAEA on 10 to 12 October 2012.

The objective of the ENV-EP project is to provide a framework for a common understanding in assessing the human health risks caused by potential radioactive releases in an accident scenario in a nuclear power plant. This will assist Member States in applying the INPRO Methodology to perform a nuclear energy system assessment (NESA) in the areas of safety and environment.

Experts from Argentina, Belarus, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Russian Federation, Spain and Ukraine presented the dose assessment methodologies applied in their countries.

The first consultancy meeting served as a planning meeting for the new project. The participants discussed and finalized the Terms of Reference of the project, as well as the elements of the planned study, such as:

1. Accidental source term characteristics;
2. Selection and use of representative meteorological and environmental data;
3. Environmental dispersion models (atmospheric, aquatic) applicable to accidental releases;
4. Selection of representative persons for accidents (location, characteristic, habits, age);
5. Dose assessment (pathways, radionuclides, short-term and long-term doses);
6. Early effects and late effects;
7. Consideration of countermeasures;
8. Use of dose/effects relations and risk factors;
9. Selection and use of reference doses and risk constrains; and
10. Results presentation and interpretation.

The participants agreed on the initial parameters of the assessment studies to be performed by each participant, they defined the implementation plan and outlined the contents of the project report.

The next meeting of the INPRO Collaborative Project on “Environmental Impact of Potential Accidental Releases from Nuclear Energy Systems” will be hosted by the Spanish Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT) in April 2013.

Contact:

Mr Jon Phillips, Scientific Secretary (INPRO)
Mr Diego M. Telleria, Scientific Secretary (NSS)