Open AccessDemonstrating the use of a framework for risk-informed decisions with stakeholder engagement through case studies for NORM and nuclear legacy sites
Author(s) -
Branko Kontić,
Black Paul,
Simon French,
Paulley Alan,
Zhu Ming,
Tamara Yankovich,
Webster Michael,
Shana Pepin,
Tine Bizjak,
Marko Bohanec
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of radiological protection
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.471
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1361-6498
pISSN - 0952-4746
DOI - 10.1088/1361-6498/ac5816
Subject(s) - environmental planning , context (archaeology) , stakeholder , stakeholder engagement , radioactive waste , uranium mining , business , environmental resource management , risk assessment , high level waste , agency (philosophy) , radiological weapon , risk analysis (engineering) , computer science , environmental science , engineering , political science , waste management , uranium , geography , computer security , sociology , social science , materials science , law , archaeology , public relations , metallurgy , radiology , medicine
The international community has come a long way in developing a consensus that the remediation and management of naturally occurring radioactive materials and nuclear legacy sites will benefit from the use of the framework for risk-informed decision-making. Such a framework should ideally integrate risk assessment and decision-making. The framework presented in this paper specifically addresses the needs and expectations in the wider socio-economic and environmental context, as well as a narrower human health context. The framework was demonstrated as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s second Modelling and Data for Radiological Impact Assessments Programme. Three case studies, which have used or could use this integrative approach, are used for illustration. The first concerns remediation from uranium mining activities at Beaverlodge Lake in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, engaging stakeholders (also called ‘interested parties’) in the decision-making process on further options. The second case study suggests how decision analysis could support the selection of the best option for waste disposal for uranium ore processing at Žirovski vrh, Slovenia, taking into account a potential landslide and migration of waste throughout the adjacent valley in the event of flooding. The third case study presents the process and results of radiological safety assessment of the Kepkensberg sludge basin in Tessenderlo area, Belgium both before and after the disposal of material from remediation of the nearby Winterbeek River. It illustrates how such assessments could interface with decision analysis for the purpose of supporting the regulatory decisions related to future approval of a waste disposal option. Results show that formal stakeholder engagement in decision analysis provides a strong contribution to objective, robust, and transparent decision-making not only for radiation protection area but also in others where health and environmental impacts are of concern. A number of recommendations for future work have also been made.