RADIATION SAFETY (GENERAL) REGULATIONS 1983 - REG 31

RADIATION SAFETY (GENERAL) REGULATIONS 1983 - REG 31

31 .         Release or disposal of radioactive substances

        (1)         A person shall not knowingly cause or allow any radioactive substances to be released or disposed of in such a manner as to cause such contamination of the environment as to result in a person receiving an effective dose in excess of the appropriate effective dose limit.

        (2)         If, notwithstanding that the release or disposal of any radioactive substances in a particular manner would not cause such contamination of the environment as to result in a person receiving an effective dose in excess of the appropriate effective dose limit, the Council is satisfied that such a release or disposal can reasonably be reduced in concentration or quantity or both, the Council may direct the person causing or allowing that release or disposal to effect such reduction of that release or disposal in such manner as is specified in that direction.

        (3)         A person to whom a direction is given under subregulation (2) shall comply with that direction.

        (4)         Subject to subregulations (5) and (6), a person shall not, except in accordance with approved waste disposal procedures embodied in a condition imposed in relation to a particular exemption, licence, temporary permit or registration, allow the release from any premises of radioactive substances in liquid or gaseous form in concentrations exceeding the appropriate maximum concentrations set out in Table II of Schedule VIII.

        (5)         Subject to subregulation (6), a person shall not knowingly discharge radioactive waste into a sewerage system unless —

            (a)         the radioactive substance in that waste is readily soluble or dispersable in water; and

        [(b)         deleted]

            (c)         the concentration of the radioactive substance in that waste discharged during any month (in this paragraph called the month of discharge ) into that system from the premises concerned, ascertained by —

                  (i)         determining the average quantity of water discharged per month into that system from those premises during the period of 12 months ending immediately before the month of discharge; and

                  (ii)         dividing the average quantity referred to in subparagraph (i) into the amount of the radioactive substance discharged into that system during the month of discharge,

                does not exceed the appropriate maximum concentration set out in column 2 of Table I of Schedule VIII; and

            (d)         in the case of —

                  (i)         one radioactive substance specified in the second column of Schedule V in that waste discharged into that system from the premises concerned in any period of 12 months, the gross quantity of that radioactive substance does not exceed 100 000 times the maximum quantity specified opposite to that radioactive substance in the third column of that Schedule; or

                  (ii)         2 or more radioactive substances specified in the second column of Schedule V in that waste discharged into that system from the premises concerned in any period of 12 months, the sum of the numbers obtained by dividing the number of megabecquerels of each of those radioactive substances by the maximum quantity specified opposite to each of those radioactive substances in the third column of that Schedule is less than 100 000.

        (6)         This regulation does not apply to the discharge from a private residence into a sewerage system of radioactive waste contained in excreta from individuals who are or have been undergoing medical diagnosis or treatment with radioactive substances.

        (7)         A licensee or the person in whose name premises are registered shall not dispose of, or permit the disposal of, radioactive substances by incineration otherwise than in accordance with the authority in writing of the Council.

        (8)         A person shall not dispose of any solid radioactive waste otherwise than in the manner provided by any relevant condition imposed in relation to an exemption, licence, temporary permit or registration held by him or, if no such condition is so imposed, in accordance with approved procedures.

        [Regulation 31 amended: Gazette 10 Oct 1986 p. 3845; 22 Jul 1997 p. 3826.]