Radium Workshop
A workshop was held in May 2010, hosted by ANDRA, on the environmental behaviour of radium. Radium-226 (Ra-226) is a member of the uranium-238 (U-238) series decay chain and is found naturally in minute quantities in a wide range of uranium-bearing rocks. Mining and processing of these rocks for a wide range of industrial purposes, gives rise to waste containing, in most cases, elevated concentrations of Ra-226 relative to those normally found in nature.
Radium-226 is of particular interest in safety assessments for the geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel, where in-growth of U-238 daughters may lead to additional input to the biosphere over long timeframes. Radium-226 has a long half-life (1,600 years), grows in from even longer lived pre-cursors, has a high radiotoxicity and is relatively physically and biologically mobile. These factors combined mean that Ra-226 is of particular interest in risk assessments for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive wastes.
The aim of the workshop was to bring together individuals involved in radioactive waste management with those with experience with legacy sites with the objective of advancing knowledge and understanding of the key processes and fate of radium in the biosphere, specifically relating to the behaviour of radium in soils, uptake into plants and approaches to modelling radium transport in biosphere assessments.
The workshop was attended 29 participants from 7 countries, representing a range of operators, regulators, researchers and technical support organisations.
A report describing presentations and discussions during the workshop is available to download.