[en] This report sets out the progress made in the projects and related activities carried out in the period 2008 - 2009 within the Regulatory Cooperation Program between the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority and the Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia. The progress described follows directly from previous work carried out within the Regulatory Cooperation Program, as set out in earlier NRPA reports and in accordance with the Norwegian Government's Plan of Action to improve nuclear and radiation safety in Northwest Russia. The work was carried out by specialists of the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre, with support from other Russian organisations and specialists as well as experts from the NRPA. Five main projects are described, each of which has contributed to the improvement of regulatory supervision by the FMBA over the sites operated by SevRAO in the Northwest of Russia, including the Sites for Temporary Storage at Andreyev Bay and Gremikha, and the Regional Centre for Waste Conditioning and Long-term Storage at Saida Bay. The main activities of interest include recovery and secure the safe condition of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from inadequate storage facilities and ensuring their continued future safe storage. The topics covered by these projects include: Control of Occupational Exposure and Optimisation During Hazardous Operations through the Development of Databases on Radiation Situation and Individual Occupational Exposure (DOSEMAP). The software for a mapping database of radiation situation parameters at SevRAO Facilities has been developed. A computer scheme of workshops in new Complex facilities for the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management, the design of which is already available, has been developed. The software for the database on individual doses to the SevRAO workers has also been developed. Two draft guidance documents have been prepared: 'Application of the database on the radiation situation parameters and database on individual doses to workers for arrangement and performance of radiation hazardous operations' and 'Application of the database on the radiation situation parameters and database on individual doses to workers to regulate radiation protection of workers'. Mapping of Contamination at Andreyev Bay for the Purposes of Remediation Planning (DATAMAP). Over 2008-2009, a geo-informational system was developed under the DATAMAP project for the purpose of technical support during the regulatory supervision of sites under remediation. As a result, a computer based system has been developed to facilitate visualization of the radiation measurements on the STS site, interpolate the obtained data over the full STS area, estimate the interpolation error, specify the sufficiency of data and identify areas for additional measurements implementation. Moreover, the system provides a function of data comparison and visualization with the criteria established in the Guidance R 2.6.1. 25 - 07 'Criteria and norms of remediation of sites and facilities contaminated with man-made radionuclides, FGUP SevRAO'. The system may now be tested in areas where remediation is in progress. (Author)

[en] The concept of rate setting, standardisation and regulatory control of the radionuclides content in foodstuffs consists in the following: ? the normative standards concern to 90Sr and 137Cs as biologically significant radionuclides; ? the internal exposure dose from ingestion intake of radionuclides with food should not exceed meaning of 1 mSv a-1 which is the intervention exception level concerning trading foodstuffs; ? for few consumed foodstuffs (wild berries, mushrooms, teas) is established, that the dose caused by their consumption is outside of dose limits of 1 mSv a-1 and it should not exceed 1 % for each product; ? the nutrition structure of population including seven basic components of a diet (bread and grain products, dairy products, potatoes, vegetables, meat, fish, fruit and berries) is taken into account as a source of ingestion intake of the radionuclides; ? The conformity to the established standard is determined on a parameter ?f the summary contents of 90Sr and 137Cs in foodstuff. With the purpose of the operative control of an internal exposure of population the permissible levels of specific activity of 90Sr and 137Cs in more than 120 kinds of foodstuff were developed. These standards are obligatory in Russia for domestic and imported foodstuffs. So, permissible levels of specific activity of 90Sr and 137Cs in bread make, accordingly, 20 and 40 Bq kg-1; in milk - 25 and 100 Bq kg-1; in meat - 50 and 160 Bq kg-1; in potatoes and vegetables - 40 and 120 Bq kg-1. Monitoring of contamination of foodstuffs by 137Cs and 90Sr is one of the basic measures on maintenance of radiation safety of population in Russia. State system of sanitary-epidemiological control carries out constant supervision over the content of the radionuclides in food production. By the carried out researches was shown that true levels of the contents of 90Sr or 137Cs in the main foodstuffs in territory of Russia, except for the territories, injures of the radiation accidents, make parts of one per cent from the normative limits. However, there are some regions among most polluted in result of Chernobyl accident territories, where the excess of the established specifications permissible levels of specific activity of 90Sr and 137Cs in some foodstuffs are observed. So, according to the data of radiation-hygiene pasportization (2000 year), 217992 samples of foodstuffs were tested in different regions of Russia, from which only 2,2 per cent did not correspond answer the hygienic requirements. The cases of excess of the permissible levels of 137Cs and 90Sr were marked, basically, in private sector, in dairy products and meat, and also in mushrooms and berries from two regions - Bryansk and Kaluga. Permissible levels of specific activity of 137Cs and 90Sr in foodstuffs are guaranteed provide safety of the population under the radiating factor and will be coordinated to the IAEA recommendations for foodstuffs sold in international trade. (Author)

[en] In the 1960s, two technical bases of the Northern Fleet were created in Northwest Russia, at Andreeva Bay in the Kola Peninsula and Gremikha village on the coast of the Barents Sea. They maintained nuclear submarines, performing receipt and storage of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and are now designated sites of temporary storage (STSs). An analysis of the radiation situation at these sites demonstrates that substantial long-term remediation work will be required after the removal of the waste and spent nuclear fuel. Regulatory guidance is under development to support this work. Having in mind modern approaches to guaranteeing radiation safety, the primary regulatory focus is on a justification of dose constraints for determining acceptable residual contamination which might lead to exposure to workers and the public. For these sites, four principal options for remediation have been considered-renovation, conversion, conservation and liquidation. This paper describes a system of recommended dose constraints and derived control levels formulated for each option. The unconditional guarantee of long-term radioecological protection provides the basis for criteria development. Non-exceedance of these dose constraints and control levels implies compliance with radiological protection objectives related to the residual contamination. Dose reduction below proposed dose constraint values must also be carried out according to the optimisation principle. The developed criteria relate to the condition of the facilities and the STS areas after the termination of remediation activities. The proposed criteria for renovation, conversion, conservation and liquidation are entirely within the dose limits adopted in Russia for the management of man-made radiation sources, and are consistent with ICRP recommendations and national practice in other countries. The proposed criteria for STS remediation and new industrial (non-radiation-hazardous) facilities and buildings on the remedied sites had, until now, no analogues in the Russian system of regulation of radiation-hygienic standardisation. The proposals made here may serve as a basis for corresponding standards at other sites.

[en] This paper describes the findings of the radiation situation analysis on-site near Sysoeva and Razbojnik Bays. The results of radiation monitoring performed by radiological laboratory of DalRAO and studies performed by the experts from the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre have been used in the course of analysis. On the industrial sites, gamma dose rate reaches 60 μSv h^-1, and the specific activities of man-made radionuclides in soil reach 2.5ix10⁴ Bq kg^-1 for ¹³⁷Cs, 7.6ix10³ Bq kg^-1 for ⁹⁰Sr and 2.0x10³ Bq kg^-1 for ⁶⁰Co. Beyond the industrial sites, there are three local parts of the area on the coast and in the off-shore water area, contaminated with man-made radionuclides. Gamma dose rate reaches 8 μSv h^-1. The radionuclide contents in soil at this area reach 3.6x10³, 2.8x10³ and 19 Bq kg^-1 for ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr and ⁶⁰Co, respectively. At the remaining part of the area nearby Sysoeva Bay, the radiation situation complies with natural background. (authors)

[en] In the 1960s two technical bases for the Northern Fleet were created in the Russian northwest at Andreeva Bay in the Kola Peninsula and Gremikha village on the coast of the Barents Sea. They maintained nuclear submarines, receiving and storing radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. No further waste was received after 1985, and the technical bases have since been re-categorised as temporary storage sites. The handling of these materials to put them into a safe condition is especially hazardous because of their degraded state. This paper describes regulatory activities which have been carried out to support the supervision of radiological protection during recovery of waste and spent fuel, and to support regulatory decisions on overall site remediation. The work described includes: an assessment of the radiation situation on-site; the development of necessary additional regulatory rules and standards for radiation protection assurance for workers and the public during remediation; and the completion of an initial threat assessment to identify regulatory priorities. Detailed consideration of measures for the control of radiation exposure of workers and radiation exposure of the public during and after operations and emergency preparedness and response are complete and provided in sister papers. The continuing requirements for regulatory activities relevant to the development and implementation of on-going and future remediation activities are also outlined. The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority supports the work, as part of the Norwegian Government's plan of action to promote improvements in radiation protection and nuclear safety in northwest Russia.