Regulatory approach to management of radioactive waste generated during remediation activities in the Chernobyl contaminated areas.

Abstract

This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.It is known that remediation activities in areas affected by radiological accidents may result in generation of huge volumes of very low-level radioactive waste that can overwhelm national capabilities, and be outside of the existing national regulation requirements for radioactive waste management. This may pose a challenge for adoption of an adequate strategy for remediation waste management and application of regulatory requirements that are commensurate with the waste hazard. The Republic of Belarus faced this problem after the Chernobyl accident when performing remediation activities in the contaminated areas. This article presents the experience of the Republic of Belarus in overcoming the challenges and conflicts that arose in the process of developing a rational strategy for safety management of remediation waste, and its justification and optimisation, bearing in mind the need to adopt advanced regulatory instruments of relevance to the management of this waste.