Page 37 - European Energy Innovation - Spring 2015 publication

Spring 2015 European Energy Innovation 37
occupants and on indoor
air quality. Several exposure
pathways must be investigated
to assess the impact of natural
radionuclides in buildings on
residents. In addition to direct
gamma radiation, an important
pathway of radiation exposure
comes from radon, originating
from building materials or the soil.
WHO (World Health Organisation)
and ICRP (International
Commission on Radiological
Protection) studies have shown
that public is exposed to a non-
negligible amount of radiation
caused by radon.
Introducing the new Euratom-
Basic Safety Standards (EU-BSS,
December 2013) resulted into
new legislative requirements
that developers of new building
materials have to meet. There are
many comments and questions
from industry on the EU-BSS
and on the options of recycling
of NORM residues in building
materials. More precisely, there
is a need for more practical and
technical support and reliable
research data on this topic.
To deal with the lack of
knowledge on the radiological
aspects of the building
materials, the COST Action
‘NORM4Building’ was launched
in January 2014. The main
objective of this research
network is the exchange of
multidisciplinary knowledge
and experiences (radiological,
technical, chemical, economical,
legislative, ecological) to
stimulate the reuse of NORM
containing residues in new,
tailor-made sustainable building
1 The paper is already accessible online: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X15000387
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
materials while considering
exposure to external gamma
radiation, the resulting indoor
air quality and the lifetime of the
building materials. Currently,
more than 95 researchers from 25
different European countries are
participating in the COST Action
and there is a strong involvement
from industry representatives and
national and European legislators
that are involved via discussion
via roundtable discussions.
IAEA (International Atomic
Energy Agency), US and Japan
representatives are keen on
joining the Action as international
participants. A first key publication outstanding findings of this
(Nuccetelli, C. et al.), that deals
with improved radiological
impact models for building
materials has been accepted and
will be published in May 2015,
in the Journal of Environmental
Radioactivity1.
In three years’ time we hope to
have had a big impact on the
way that the new EU-BSS will be
implemented in the Member
States. COST Action members are
BUILDING MATERIALS
involved in the technical working
groups that are preparing the
technical documents linked to the
implementation of the new EU-
BSS. We hope to provide support
for researchers, legislators and
companies to the safe reuse of
NORM in building materials. A lot
of the information can be found
on the website of this COST
Action: www.NORM4Building.org.
Results of the ‘NORM4Building’
COST Action will be combined
in a database of good practices
for the reuse of NORM residues
in building materials and in a
book that will compile the most
Action network. l
COST (European Cooperation in Science
and Technology) is a pan-European
intergovernmental organisation allowing
scientists, engineers and scholars to jointly
develop their ideas and initiatives across all
scientific disciplines. It does so by funding
science and technology networks called COST
Actions, which give impetus to research, careers
and innovation.
www.cost.eu