EU-NORM I International Symposium in June 2012

Prindi

17.06.2011

We are glad to invite you to the EU-NORM I International Symposium, which will be held in Tallinn (Estonia), 5 to 8 June 2012. More information on the website of the symposium.

The major topics of the symposium are:

  • Regulation: the current and future EU BSS Directive and the new international standards 
  • Building materials and other consumer products
  • General occupational health and safety (OHS): a baseline level of protection of workers
  • Dose assessment: modelling versus measurements
  • Behaviour of natural radionuclides in the environment
  • Measurement techniques: limitations and advantages
  • Disposal versus reuse/recycling
  • Legacy sites with NORM contamination
  • NORM aspects of rare earth processing

Remark: radon is not a topic of the symposium, except when related directly to NORM

Why NORM?

Radionuclides of natural origin are ubiquitous in both working and public environments, although their activity concentrations vary considerably. Exposures to natural sources are in most cases not a matter of regulatory concern. However, there are situations where exposures to natural sources may require consideration as to whether controls should be applied. In many cases either raw materials are containing increased levels of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), either the level of natural radionuclides gets enhanced during the processing of the raw materials.

Over the last decades the attention for NORM has been broadened resulting in a growing interest in this topic from stakeholders such as NORM industries, researchers and authorities. This interests is one of the reasons that in many places throughout Europe (and abroad) many universities, institutes and industries as well as governmental bodies are involved in research & development on NORM related topics. Moreover, on a large scale also experience with NORM is gained on topics such as the occurrence of NORM, measurement methods, management approaches and industry specific treatments. It is the aim of the EU-NORM symposia to bring together experts as well as interested persons who have an interest in the wide scope of NORM related subjects.

We hope that this symposium, like previous NORM symposia, will lead to increased harmonization of regulatory approaches and wider application of international standards. In particular it will focus on the dissemination of the latest information on the new European Basic Safety Standards. Also the potential environmental impact of NORM residues as well as their use in building materials will receive special attention.