Nrpb
Abstract
Radiation Doses Near Greenham Common and Newbury
Radiation doses received by people living near Greenham Common and Newbury are no different from those received elsewhere in the country. This is the assessment, based on environmental measurements, of the National Radiological Protection Board, which has published a report on the subject - NRPB-M752. An Assessment of Radionuclides Levels Around the Former Airbase at Greenham Common, Berkshire, by F A Fry and B T Wilkins. Available free of charge from NRPB. NRPB studied radioactive material in the environment after the publication of a report, written in 1961 by staff at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, Aldermaston, and published in 1996, had indicated the presence of enriched uranium in leaves and leaf mould. A sampling and measurement programme was specifically designed by NRPB to provide information for an assessment of public exposure to radiation, not just from uranium but also other radioactive materials. NRPB focussed on 29 locations outside the air base and 18 locations inside. At all locations, measurements were made to detect radioactive contamination and samples of soil were taken for laboratory analysis. At most locations measurements were also made of radiation dose rate - the rate at which radiation is being given off by radioactive material in the ground. Radioactivity that was deposited in the environment during the 1950s and 1960s would by now have become incorporated into the soil rather than remaining on vegetation. Soil that has remained undisturbed since that time provides a sensitive means of assessing the total amount of activity deposited, because any cultivation would have resulted in dilution. For this reason, the NRPB programme focussed mainly on locations that had reportedly remained undisturbed for over 40 years. Because the objective was to estimate doses to local residents, most of the sampling locations outside the former airbase were also close to, or within, centres of population. The measurement locations included a site at Hungerford, about 15 kilometres west of Greenham Common, and five sites to the north east of the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, to provide results that could be compared with those around Greenham Common. All the soil samples were analysed for uranium isotopes and in every case the uranium was entirely of natural origin. All the samples were also analysed for caesium-137 and plutonium-239, which are dispersed generally in the environment as a result of fallout from the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere that took place largely in the 1950s and 1960s. The concentrations were found to be within the range expected for weapons fallout. None of the measurements of dose rate were higher than values for natural radiation that would be expected for the area. The measurements of radioactivity and of radiation showed that the doses received from artificial radioactive material by people living in the area around Greenham Common and Newbury are no different from those received elsewhere in the country. At present, radiation doses from fallout for the UK generally are about 5 microsieverts per year. This is comparable to the dose received from cosmic radiation during a single subsonic flight to Europe and very much less than the annual average dose of 2200 microsieverts that people in the UK inevitably receive from natural background radiation. Further information: NRPB Press Office, Tel: 01235 822744 Liz Francis, 822745 Matt Gaines. Over 150 Training Courses in 1997 Around forty training courses specialising in various aspects of radiological protection are scheduled to be held in 1997 by the National Radiological Protection Board. Past experience indicates that well over 100 private tailor-made courses are also likely to be provided. The scheduled courses will mostly be held at the Board's Centres, in Glasgow, Leeds and Chilton (Oxfordshire) and a new revised brochure describing these courses has been published. Many of the courses are intended for radiation protection supervisors and general users of ionising radiations in all kinds of industries; for example, manufacturing, engineering, road building, construction, processing, bottling, paper-making, packaging, oil and petroleum, plastics, rubber and tobacco. There are other courses for staff from local authorities, from educational or research establishments and for employees such as security staff (who might need to operate x-ray security equipment). As in previous years, there will also be a number of courses for persons who wish to familiarise themselves with the hazards associated with optical, radio-frequency and microwave radiation safety. Private courses are provided for individual companies (or groups of associated companies), and are specifically designed to meet the company's needs. Further information: NRPB Press Office. Requests for additional copies of the brochure can be faxed to the Press and Public Relations Office - fax 01235 822746- Publication:
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Journal of Radiological Protection
- Pub Date:
- March 1997
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0952-4746/17/1/012
- Bibcode:
- 1997JRP....17...48.