Radiological Monitoring, Assessments and Habits Surveys.

Descriptions

SEPA is responsible for the regulation of radioactive waste disposal in Scotland, which is controlled in accordance with the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. Operators of premises disposing of radioactive waste to the environment, such as liquid and gaseous discharges, require authorisations under RSA’93. In order to ensure that authorised discharges do not cause any unacceptable risk to members of the public or the environment, SEPA carries out an independent environmental radioactivity monitoring programme and a habits survey programme around all nuclear licensed sites in Scotland. The monitoring programme also includes monitoring the effects of discharges from the non-nuclear industry.The environmental radioactivity monitoring data and the habits survey data are used to conduct an annual retrospective dose assessment for members of the public to ensure that public radiation doses due to authorised disposals of radioactive waste did not exceed the 1mSv statutory dose limit. This assessment and the associated monitoring data are published annually in the Radioactivity in the Food and Environment Report (RIFE) which is a UK wide report produced by SEPA, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Environment Agency (EA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).