The IAEA from June 2013 to June 2017 conducted a project that aimed to reduce the radiation doses of people living near uranium mining and milling legacy sites. The project resulted in a draft IAEA Technical Document (TECDOC) titled Short Term Measures for Reducing Risks from Legacy Sites Associated with Uranium Production and related training materials. The TECDOC and training materials target Member States that lack resources or experience to implement a remediation programme that would provide for long-term solutions. The document’s principles and approaches can be used to address legacies from the mining and processing of radioactive minerals other than uranium, known as naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) residues. The final TECDOC is expected to be available in 2018.
Three training events targeting African countries were also held as part of the project. In 2017, the training materials were used in national courses held in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that were financed by the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme.
Uranium tailings legacy issues have resulted in:
- Exposure of the public to ionising radiation including gamma radiation through direct exposure to the tailings, the ingestion of tailings material (for example through children playing on the tailings material), and airborne radioactive emissions (radon and long lived alpha emitting particulates);
- Contamination of surface and ground waters and local drinking water supplies with radionuclides;
- Contamination of rivers and agricultural land with tailings;
- The grazing of cattle on contaminated pastures and tailings;
- Intrusion into the tailings to create living areas;
- The diversion of scrap and other materials for construction purposes such as roads, foundations, buildings;
- The diversion of raw materials through uncontrolled artisanal mining of abandoned mines.
Until the countries with legacy sites are able to implement well-funded and resourced remediation efforts, short-term intervention techniques can reduce public doses.
The project enhanced the regulatory frameworks and national capacities for countries that have legacy uranium production sites so that they can mitigate impacts and improve the safety of populations living near legacy sites.
