Environmental Contamination by Radioactive Materials [antikvár]

FOREWORD In December 1961 FAO, WHO and the IAEA sponsored a Seminar on Agricultural and Public Health Aspects of Radioactive Contamination in Normal and Emergency Situations which was held at Scheveningen through the hospitality of the Netherlands Government. This Seminar, the first of its kind organized by the three United Nations' agencies on a global scale, was attended by approximately 270 officials representing 33 countries and 12 international organizations including the International Committee on Radiological Protection. The purpose at that time was to present information regarding environmental contamination by radionuclides, particularly those of man-made origin, which would be of benefit to agricultural and public health authorities and other related government departments having special responsibilities to ensure public safety. The large attendance at this first seminar was an indication of the importance of the topic at that time and the discussions which took place as the meeting progressed showed the great concern of officials from many countries to have a full understanding of the subject and so enable them to carry out their responsibilities more effectively. Since this seminar was held the atomic energy industry has expanded considerably and the present trend is for still greater expansion in the next few decades, such that by the end of this century nuclear power will be a major contributor to the energy requirements in some of the more developed countries. It follows from this that the potential for environmental contamination by radioactive waste materials will increase, even though considerable effort is being made to ensure that in practice actual releases are kept to a minimum. Also during the past decade large nuclear weapons testing programs were carried out with the inevitable contamination of the environment by fall-out on a global scale. Since 1964, when dietary contamination by fallout reached its peak level, there has been a steady decline in all areas. Recent resumption of such tests by new nuclear powers has not added appreciably to the global contamination, but this resumption indicates the need for continued surveillance and the ability to assess the hazard significance of any similar future events. The present accepted position regarding safety is that the fall-out situation does not give cause for undue concern or the need for remedial measures, while the atomic energy industry in every country has a very satisfactory safety record both with regard to its own employees and the public generally. The present trend in reactor design is to prevent escape of radioactive materials under any foreseen circumstances by containment in special envelopes, but there are in operation many reactors of earlier design whose danger potential will increase as the reactors approach the end of their useful lives. In addition, there are increasing numbers of associated chemical processing plants coming into operation which, like any other type