IAEA Publishes Radiation Safety Guide for Metal Recyclers

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has published a guidebook that looks at steps that metals recyclers should take to protect themselves against radioactive material being delivered to their yards. The guide, Control of Orphan Sources and Other Radioactive Material in the Metal Recycling and Production Industries, sets out responsibilities of operators in the metal recycling and production industries, besides assigning responsibilities to governments and their regulatory bodies. 
 

The Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), which announced the availability of the guide, says it has recognized the importance of addressing the issue with radioactivity and has been providing radioactivity advice on posters in 10 languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Russian and Spanish) that fulfill certain responsibilities put by the safety guide on metal recyclers.
 

The guide recommends companies apply a graded approach on the basis of the size of the individual metal recycling and production facility and on the radioactive material that it might reasonably be expected to encounter. In practice, this means that small and medium-sized facilities should have some awareness of the problem and be able to visually recognize suspect material and know who to contact in the event of a discovery. 
 

The BIR says large facilities should be equipped with radiation detectors and should have sufficient radiation protection expertise available to undertake an initial response and to isolate suspect material.
 

The explanation put forth in the guide supports the contention of scrap metal collectors, sorters and processors and the consuming metal works that they expressly do not want radioactive contamination entering their facilities. When recyclers find and isolate radioactive materials, they not only protect their workers and their facilities but provide a service to society by protecting the public and the environment.
 

For international shipments of scrap metal, the guide requires that metal recyclers must provide a statement indicating whether the scrap metal has been subjected to radiation monitoring and the results of this monitoring. Operators of large facilities should conduct appropriate radiation monitoring to determine whether the scrap metal being processed and any resulting products (ingots, metal bars, etc.) and wastes are safe.
 

According to the BIR, the safety guide resolves a contentious issue between sellers and buyers of scrap metal by explaining that “a statement from a supplier giving the results of radiation monitoring that has been conducted does not provide an absolute guarantee that the scrap metal does not contain radioactive material, in view of the difficulties of using monitoring equipment to detect and measure radioactivity in scrap metal. Therefore, monitoring of scrap metal entering a facility will still be necessary.”
 

The IAEA Safety Guide can be downloaded at www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1509_web.pdf.