The international conference

Over the past few decades, many studies have found elevated natural radionuclide activity concentrations in wastes and residues from a wide range of industrial activities that are not part of the nuclear fuel cycle. Since then, despite some successful cases, most Member States have been struggling to find feasible and implementable approaches for the proper management of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) wastes and residues.

To address these issues, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is organizing the International Conference on the Management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in Industry. This is the first time that IAEA organizes a conference on NORM. It will build upon inputs provided by different events already organized by the international community with a focus on industry.

Non-nuclear industries are becoming aware of potential radiological issues in their operations.
Some organizations have already established effective management practices. To share this example will support others to effectively address this issue. The conference will cover all the industrial operations outside the nuclear fuel cycle that are associated with increased natural radionuclide activity concentrations in wastes and residues and can give rise to increased exposure of members of the public and workers to ionizing radiation.

Objective

The objective of the conference is to foster the sharing of experiences in the management of NORM waste and residues in industrial operations.

The second aim is to contribute to the harmonization of approaches and the adoption of good practices that are both cost effective and safe.

The last aim is take into consideration the protection of the public and workers.

The conference will explore the good practices and bring together different players to identify current issues and expected future challenges and possible strategies for dealing with them.

Although the conference will focus on industrial operations, it will consider the latest technological developments and research work, considering regulatory requirements and safety aspects.

Topics

NORM Inventories (i.e. identification of NORM-related industries operating within the country; amounts of residues and wastes generated; radioactivity concentrations or exposure rates; other hazardous materials of concern).

National Policies and Strategies (i.e. setup of a waste management organization; centralized vs. multiple dispersed facilities; NORM-dedicated facilities vs. facilities accepting multiple types of wastes; stakeholder involvement).

NORM Characterization in Industrial Operations (i.e. appropriate sampling and monitoring methodologies; analytical methodologies; infrastructure and equipment requirements; quality assurance and quality control; recordkeeping).

Residue and Waste Management (i.e. life cycle management; cost assessment across all aspects of residue and waste management; management options for residues/wastes (application of the waste management hierarchy); selection of management options, financial guarantees; other considerations (e.g. economic impacts); transportation requirements and controls).

Decommissioning of NORM Facilities and Remediation of Contaminated Sites (i.e. decommissioning and waste management plan; decontamination technologies; dismantling technologies; remediation, identification of contaminated sites; remedial action evaluation and selection; costing and funding; long term stewardship of closed or decommissioned NORM management facilities and sites, institutional controls).

Audience

The conference audience will be professionals in the industry dealing with NORM-related issues, including stakeholders such as operators, policymakers, scientists and others with responsibilities in the field such as health, safety and environmental professionals