Radiation Exposure

Defence written question – answered at on 11 January 2005.

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Photo of Mr Llew Smith Mr Llew Smith Labour, Blaenau Gwent

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department places in the public domain on the extent to which those working at defence establishments that use nuclear materials are exposed to radiation; what independent assessment is made of the dosimetry statistics; and what research is being conducted to reduce radiation exposure.

Photo of Adam Ingram Adam Ingram Minister of State (Armed Forces), Ministry of Defence

Since 1990 the Ministry of Defence has placed in the Library of the House copies of the annual dosimetry statistics for workers who receive exposures from radiation sources and radioactive materials used by the Ministry of Defence and its contractors. These annual dosimetry statistics include all personnel monitored by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Radiological Protection Services (DRPS) Approved Dosimetry Service.

AWE employs its own dosimetry laboratory which is subject to regulation and scrutiny by the HSE. AWE dosimetry statistics are published in AWE plc annual reports, a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House, and on the AWE plc website. The doses reported in the DRPS statistics are very low when compared with the regulatory dose limits. The annual dose limit for workers aged 18 and over is 20 mSv. The average dose in 2003 for all personnel monitored by the DRPS Approved Dosimetry Service was 0.35 mSv and the maximum dose to any individual in 2003 was below 5 mSv. The DRPS report includes dosimetry information based on all DRPS customers and this includes an element of commercial work for organisations such as NHS trusts and HM Customs and Excise.

The Ministry of Defence provides radiation dosimetry information to the National Radiological Protection Board for inclusion in the National Registry of Radiation Workers (NRRW). The NRRW is used to support independent epidemiological analysis of workers exposed to radiation during the course of their work.

The Ministry of Defence is bound by Regulation 8 of the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 that places a duty on employers, in relation to any work with ionising radiation that they undertake, to take all necessary steps to restrict, so far as is reasonably practicable, the extent to which their employees and other persons are exposed to ionising radiation. Compliance with this duty is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate together with the Ministry of Defence's internal Regulators.

The Ministry of Defence and its contractors carefully consider the need to reduce worker doses when designing, operating, maintaining and decommissioning plant and equipment that involves exposure to radiation.

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