Occupational Health Conference

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Radiological Protection from Naturally Occurring
Radioactive Materials
Dr. Mohammad Said Al-Masri Dr. Riad
Shweikani Department of Protection and
Safety Atomic Energy Commission of
Syria Damascus, P. O. Box 6091 E-mail
msmasri_at_aec.org.sy rshweikani_at_aec.org.sy
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Radiation Sources in Oil and Gas Industry

• Radiation Sources in Oil Gas Industry
  (Overview)
• Origin of Naturally Occurring Radioactive
  Materials (NORM) in Oil and Gas Industry
• Where we can see NORM.

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Radiation Sources in Oil and Gas Industry

• Sealed Sources
• Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
• Gauges
• Well Loggings
• Open Sources
• Radioactive Tracers
• Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials

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Non-Destructive Testing

• ?-rays (60Co, 137Cs, )
• X-rays

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Radiation Sources in Oil and Gas IndustrySealed
Sources Gauges
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Radiation Sources in Oil and Gas IndustryOpen
Sources

• Radioactive Tracers
• Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM)

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• Origins of (TE)NORM in the Oil and Gas Industry

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Manual Cleaning
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Production Water
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Reported Activity Concentration Rangein EP
Waste Streams
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Reported External Radiation Levels at Oil/Gas
Production Facilities
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Risks Arising from Radiation Exposure And What
can we Do?
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Radiation at Workplaces

• Radiation is invisible, tasteless, and odorless,
  and, as a result, is commonly overlooked as a
  potential hazard at workplaces.
• Therefore, workplaces need to determine whether a
  radiation problem exists and,
• If it does, take appropriate safety precautions
  to prevent or limit workers exposure to
  radiation.

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Types of radiation

• Ionizing removes electrons from atoms
• Particulate (alphas and betas)
• Waves (gamma and X-rays)
• Non-ionizing (electromagnetic) can't remove
  electrons from atoms
• infrared, visible, microwaves, radar, radio
  waves, lasers

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Background Radiation

• We all receive background radiation whether we
  are occupationally exposed or not

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Why is radon a problem?

• Radon is an inert gas and is not poisonous.
• However it is a problem because
• it is radioactive
• it cannot be seen, heard or felt
• it is all around us
• Radon is the second most significant cause of
  lung cancer (after smoking).

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NORM and Radon

• NORM may produce the radioactive gas radon
• Usually this is only significant problem in
  workplaces with poor ventilation.
• Radon entering poorly ventilated buildings or
  underground areas such as caves and mines may
  reach potentially dangerous concentrations.

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• Regulation Related to Radiation Exposures at
  workplaces

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NORM Exposure Criteria

• The basic principle is that
• The same radiation exposure criteria, applied to
  any other radiation activities, should be applied
  to workers exposed to NORM

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International Regulations

• The International Commission on Radiological
  Protection (ICRP)
• has established fundamental radiation protection
  principles and recommendations. (ICRP Publication
  60).
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• has established The International Basic Safety
  Standards for Protection Against Ionising
  Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation sources
  (BSS)
• Primary Responsibility for Radiation Safety rests
  on licensees and employers of occupationally
  exposed workers

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Licensees and employers shall

• establish radiation safety objectives
• develop, implement and document a radiation
  safety program
• ensure compliance with the requirements set out
  in the legislation and the regulations.

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Principles of radiation Protection
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The General Goal of Radiation Protection

• 1- Justification
• positive net benefit.
• 2- Optimization
• be kept as low as reasonably achievable
• (The ALARA principle)
• 3- Dose Limitation
• dose limits or control of risk

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Dose limitation

• Dose limits
• are aimed at ensuring that no individual is
  exposed to radiation risks that are judged to be
  unacceptable
• differ depending on whether the exposure is to
  workers or to members of the public
• do not apply to medical exposure where the issue
  is the intended result in terms of diagnosis or
  treatment.

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Regulatory Status

• Recommended exposure limits are set by ICRP and
  IAEA to be
• Occupational exposure quidlines are 100 mSv in 5
  years (average, 20 mSv per year) with a limit of
  50 mSv in any single year.
• General public the standard is 1 mSv per year.
• (Natural background radiation is approximately 3
  mSv/year.)

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Comparison of Risks of (Working) Life
(fatalities per million per year)
Exempt level (10 mSv) 0.5 Clothing
Footwear 3.3 Timber Furniture 10 Textile
s 36 Accidents at Work (US) 50 Public
limit (1 mSv/a) 50 Metal Manufacture 59 Ac
cidents at Home (US) 100 Natural Background
(2.7 mSv/a) 135 Construction 200 Road
Accidents (US) 200 Coal Mining 250 Radiat
ion worker limit (20 mSv/a) 1,000 Deep Sea
Fishing 2,000 Smoker (1 p/d) 5,000
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Radiation Risks From NORM

• Radiation is potentially harmful to us and the
  type and extent of the radiation damage depends
  on two things
• where the radiation hits
• the size of the dose and how fast it is
  delivered.

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Radiation Risks From NORM
Acute
a large amount of dose is received over a short
period of time. Also referred to as a
short-term exposure.
Chronic
repeated exposure to low doses of radiation.
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When can an acute injury occur?

• 100 mSv Observable damage to cells
• 250 mSv Measurable changes to the blood
• 1 Sv will kill nobody
• 2 Sv may kill 5 of the people exposed
• 9 Sv will kill about 95 to 100 of those exposed
• 10 Sv will kill about 99 to 100 of those exposed

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Can NORM cause these injuries?
No, it can't.
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Types of Radiation Exposure and Radiation
protection Techniques
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What are the hazards ?

• External exposure
• Internal exposure
• Spread of contamination

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External Radiation Exposure

• From Sealed and unsealed Sources

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Internal Radiation Exposure
Open Sources
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Reduction of External Dose

• Minimize the time spent near the radiation source
• Maximize the distance away from the source
• Make use of available shielding
• Minimize the quantity of radioactive material
  handled

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Internal Radiation

• Small quantities of radioactive material can give
  an appreciable dose inside the body
• Protection involves preventing radioactive
  material from entering the body.

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Reduction of Internal Dose

• Minimize and control contamination
• Use proper protective clothing
• Do not eat, drink or smoke in contamination areas
• Check yourself for contamination prior to leaving
  a potentially contaminated area

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Management and Workers Responsibilities toward
Radiation Protection and Safety
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Management responsibilities

• Licensees and employers have primary
  responsibility for the protection of workers and
  must ensure that-
• dose limits are not exceeded and safety is
  optimised
• workers, other than those who are occupationally
  exposed, are protected as if they were members
  of the public
• workers are informed of their obligations and
  responsibilities for their own protection and
  that of others
• safety related reports from workers shall be
  recorded and appropriate remedial action be taken
  by the licensee or employer.

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Conditions of Service

• Extra salary or other benefits are not to be used
  as substitutes for proper protection and safety.
• Female worker are instructed to notify the
  employer of pregnancy.
• Employers shall adapt working conditions as may
  be necessary for the protection of embryo or
  foetus.
• Pregnancy is not a reason to exclude a female
  worker from work.

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Local Rules and Supervision

• The legal person (licensee / employer) shall
  provide-
• information to workers on perceived health risks
  including information to female workers on
  radiation and pregnancy
• information, instructions and training on
  emergency procedures.

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Personal Protective Equipment and Monitoring

• Adequate and appropriate protective equipment
  shall be made available where necessary
• arrange for the assessment of occupational
  exposures
• be alert to potential exposures and contamination.

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Health Surveillance

• The health surveillance of radiation workers-
• is defined as medical supervision intended to
  ensure the initial and continuous fitness of
  workers for their intended task.
• is based on general principles of occupational
  health
• should be designed to assess the initial and
  continuing fitness of workers for their intended
  tasks.

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Records of worker exposure

• Records are to
• include the nature of work and the periods of
  employment
• include doses, intakes received under normal work
  conditions
• include doses, intakes in emergency intervention
  or accidents

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Responsibilities of Workers

• Workers shall be directed to
• follow applicable rules and procedures for
  protection and safety
• appropriately use the monitoring devices,
  protective equipment and protective clothing
  provided by the employer / licensee
• co-operate with the employer with respect to
  protection and safety and the operation of
  radiological health surveillance and dose
  assessment programs

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Responsibilities of Workers

• Workers shall be directed to
• accept information, instruction and training
  concerning protection and safety
• report to the employer, RPO or licensee any
  observed circumstances that could adversely
  affect compliance with regulations or safety.

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Summary

• Any exposure to ionizing radiation may be
  potentially harmful to health.
• Everyone is subjected to a significant background
  exposure,
• Even doses from occupational practices smaller
  than background are unjustified if there is no
  associated benefit, or if they can be readily
  avoided.
• Why take risks
• if they can be easily avoided?

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