Enhancement of natural radionuclides in the surroundings of the four largest coal-fired power plants in Spain.

The production of electricity in coal-fired power plants (CFPP) is considered a NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) activity because the coals they burn can present relatively high contents of the naturally occurring radionuclides. In this study, the main radiological impact pathways into the surrounding environments of the four largest coal-fired power plants in Spain were analyzed. These pathways are, first, atmospheric evacuations and wind resuspension and, second, effluent evacuations to nearby rivers or directly to the sea.

Application of the Spanish methodological approach for biosphere assessment to a generic high-level waste disposal site.

A methodological approach which includes conceptual developments, methodological aspects and software tools have been developed in the Spanish context, based on the BIOMASS "Reference Biospheres Methodology". The biosphere assessments have to be undertaken with the aim of demonstrating compliance with principles and regulations established to limit the possible radiological impact of radioactive waste disposals on human health and on the environment, and to ensure that future generations will not be exposed to higher radiation levels than those that would be acceptable today. The biosphere in the context of high-level waste disposal is defined as the collection of various radionuclide transfer pathways that may result in releases into the surface environment, transport within and between the biosphere receptors, exposure of humans and biota, and the doses/risks associated with such exposures.

Spanish methodological approach for biosphere assessment of radioactive waste disposal.

The development of radioactive waste disposal facilities requires implementation of measures that will afford protection of human health and the environment over a specific temporal frame that depends on the characteristics of the wastes. The repository design is based on a multi-barrier system: (i) the near-field or engineered barrier, (ii) far-field or geological barrier and (iii) the biosphere system. Here, the focus is on the analysis of this last system, the biosphere.

Investigation of induced radioactivity in the Linac-Adone accelerator complex for the management of the decommissioned material.

The LINAC-ADONE accelerator complex of the INFN-LNF Frascati National Laboratories, operating for 27 y prior to the commissioning of DAPhiNE, was dismantled in 1993. The scraps resulting from the decommissioning of LINAC-ADPhiNE have been temporarily stored in the same Frascati laboratory, waiting for definitive disposal. Relying on recommendations of the IAEA, European Commission and Italian committees, an experimental characterization study of the LNF repository was performed.