Draft Amendment to the National Directory for Radiation Protection – Disposal of Radioactive Material – Comment Sought

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPNSA) has released a draft amendment to the National Directory for Radiation Protection (NDRP) – Disposal of Radioactive Material for comment. The NDRP aims to provide nationally uniform requirements for the protection of people and the environment against exposure or potential exposure to ionising and non-ionising radiation and for the safety and security of radiation sources, including provision for the national adoption of codes and standards. The NDRP has been developed to address the needs of radiation protection regulators but it will also benefit other sectors involved in implementing radiation controls, such as mining and occupational health and safety regulators. The new amendment will incorporate: • criteria for exemption from authorisation for disposal of very low-level radioactive material to landfill, to the air and to the sewer • associated changes relating to that criteria • the inclusion of Schedule 14, which specifies authorisation exemption values for nominated radioisotopes for disposal to landfill, to the air and to the sewer • the inclusion of Annex 4, which explains the methodology and rationale behind the development of the exemption and the values listed in Schedule 14. Comments are also invited on the accompanying Best Practice Regulation Preliminary Assessment. An explanatory memorandum is now available. Please forward comment to national_uniformity@arpansa.gov.au no later than 1 August 2014.