Hi,

I found something, at least describing the medium figures on the radio-nuclei in Germany (see attachment p.7). 

But from what I understand, there are no threshold values or similar for those elements.

BR

Matti

There are no limits for the fertilizer. Uranium follows the phosphorus and radium the waste when phosphorus is extracted from the ore. The amount of uranium added to the fields is minor compared to the natural soil levels. 

Potassium contains the natural level of K40 and there is no change in processing.

RADIATION PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF NORM RESIDUES

IN THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

VIENNA, 2013

Details about the topic is presented in this report

Dear all,

thank you for your helpful inputs. In fact I am looking for fertilizers from the Potassium-Industry. I found a threshold for Ra(eq) < 370 Bq/kg related to UNSCAIR, but this is also for phosphate fertilizer, only.

Today we measured a KCl-containing table salt from the Super-marked around the corner, which showed 10 Bg/g related to K-40.

Ruediger.

Ruediger

The activity of natural potassium is 31.31 Bq/g. The activity of KCl is 16.4 Bq/g.

You were close at 10 Bq/g.

Joe

Dear Joe,

thank you, that matches perfectly. - Supposed, that the Sodium Chloride Impact is almost zero and the Sylvite (KCl) is about 61 Mass-% (it can reach up to 66.6 %) then the specific activity of that very healthy mix would be: 61% x 16.4 Bq/g/ 100% = 10 Bq/g.

Kind regards

Ruediger

Radioactive contamination in fertilizers has to be monitored online at the production site and are to be certified for their safety. International Atomic Energy Agency, Viennna has the mandate to frame the regulations and control measures applicable worldwide. 

NO!

Dear colleague,

You can find some recommedations from IAEA (Europe) and DoE (USA) about the use and storage, but there isn't an application limit (it depens also on the natural background, amount per year, etc). The regualtion id focused on the storge and the waste procuced by this industry

.   

Dear Rocio, thank your for your input! Quite strange that such an important issue is not properly regulated.

The IAEA and IFA should take the responsibility to monitor  and develop guidelines pertaining to such very important aspects about fertilizers. I understand this aspect is almost neglected so far.

Dear Prof. Abdul,

You are right. That is somehow a similar situation as it was more than 1 decade ago with regard to NORM. - In US the EPA was not responsible and also not the Nuclear Regulation Authority. In the North Sea NORM was exempted with a spec. activity < 14.8 Bq/l and could be released to the sea accordingly.

Hi, I think the guidelines from the IAEA Safety Guide No. RS-G-1.7 (Application of the Concepts of Exclusion, Exemption and Clearance, IAEA, 2004) and the recent International Basic Safety Standards in IAEA Safety Standards No. GSR Part 3 (Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards, General Safety Requirements Part 3, IAEA, 2014) will provide you complete guidance about the exemption levels for NORM.

Page 30 of GSR Part 3 is just provides guidance about NORM in agricultural fertilizer.

The documents are available from the IAEA Web site:

http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/IAEABooks/8930/Radiation-Protection-and-Safety-of-Radiation-Sources-International-Basic-Safety-Standards-General-Safety-Requirements

http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/IAEABooks/7118/Application-of-the-Concepts-of-Exclusion-Exemption-and-Clearance-Safety-Guide

Regards,

Vladimir

I also hope and understand that the answer by Dr. Vladimir Kutkov will provide very useful information to the readers as well as Dr. Ruediger Burkhard Richter.

Dears

peace upon you

I am interested in this topic and I found some regulation and recommendation regarding this matter which I can summarized as follow:

§Canada

-- The Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for Uranium set a guideline value for uranium in soil for agricultural areas of  23ppm  (mg/kg) (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, 2007), (285.2 Bq/kg).

-- the recommended Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the protection of environmental and human health are 23 mg/kg for agricultural land use, 23 mg/kg for residential/parkland land use, 33 mg/kg for commercial land use, and 300 mg/kg for industrial land use.

§USA

-- According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), the use of phosphogypsum for agricultural purposes is permitted as long as the Ra-226 concentration is less than 10 pCi/g (370 Bq/kg) (US EPA).

-  EPA Standards

     For Airborne Emissions of Radionuclides (40CFR61) specifies a limit of  20 pCi/m^2s (0.7 Bq/m^2s) from phosphogypsum stacks, and a limit on annual emissions of Po-210 of 2 Ci (0.07 TBq) from elemental

phosphorous plants.

- Uranium concentrations in phosphate ores found in the U.S. range from 20 - 300 parts per million (ppm) (or 7 - 100 picocuries per gram (pCi/g)). while Thorium occurs at essentially background levels, between 1 - 5 ppm (or about 0.1 - 0.6 pCi/g)(EPA).

 §European Union

 NORM processing and disposal falls under controls if radioactivity levels exceed 1kBq/kg.

 §UNSCEAR

 - The maximum value of Ra(eq) recommended internationally for building materials is 370 Bq/ kg (UNSCEAR, 1982)

§CHINA

-Ra-226 content in phosphate fertilizer and its compound fertilizer shall not be higher than 500 Bq kg-1 (GB 8921-2011, 2011)

§SOUTH AUSTRALIA

-In South Australia the regulatory limit is set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is equivalent to 200 ppm uranium. When material is over this 200 ppm limit (2480 Bq/kg), regulatory controls require management strategies such as blending material to below this level to ensure worker and community safety at all times.

According to the regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, Safety Requirements No.TS-R-1, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, 1996 Edition (Revised in 2000)

and  Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, Safety Requirements No.TS-R-1,

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, 2005  Edition.

 •Material containing more than 10 Bq/g of Th-232 will be a subject to international transport regulations. If it is known that Ra-226 is in equilibrium with its parent U-238, the same 10 Bq/g activity concentration limit appears to be applicable. If, however, U-238 has been removed (or not present – as in oil and gas sludge), the limit for Ra-226 will be 100 Bq/g (assuming that an exemption from para 107(e) of the regulations is applicable to a particular material).

 •ICRP(17) suggests that for the control of public exposure an appropriate value for the dose constraint is 0.3 mSv in a year. In keeping with this suggestion the Canadian NORM guidelines have adopted 0.3 mSv/a as its first investigation level. Tables 5.1 and 5.2 list the amounts of radioactive materials that if released to the environment without further controls will not cause doses in excess of 0.3 mSv/y.

Alzahrany

Dear Awad, shokran yazaeelen!

thank you for that comprehensive list. Your input is highly appreciated.

kind regards

Ruediger Richter, Abu Dhabi