80 years of nuclear industry and the role of radiation hygiene

This overview article examines the key milestones in the development of an effective system for radiation safety in Russia covering all aspects of modern life, including through the establishment of independent scientific organizations. Evolvement of nuclear industry and the development of radiation safety requirements proceeded in parallel drawing both on national research and development and, of course, global trends and recommendations in the field of standardization. Today, it can be confidently stated that Russia operates a reliable system providing radiation safety of people. Actual doses, even when estimated conservatively, are much lower than the regulatory limits. However, certain revision of some key regulations in line with the latest international approaches is required to enhance the competitiveness of nuclear industry, which is hindered by the requirements of the Federal Law No. 3-FZ On Radiation Safety of January 9, 1996 no longer corresponding to present day developments. Despite numerous publications and studies, some issues remain unresolved regarding both the establishment of derived radiation safety indicators and the fundamental dose limits. Another persisting problem is related to the lack of clearly defined criteria based on which the necessity of site remediation can be declared, as well as end-state criteria for decommissioned nuclear legacy facilities. Russia still adheres to the principle of dose limits that are stricter than the basic dose limit even in case of existing exposure. This article addresses the problem of the annual effective dose limit set for the critical group of population in the context of radioactive waste disposal; the limit is between 500 and 10,000 times lower than the one recommended by international organizations. This, in turn, hinders the development of an effective waste disposal system, slows down the construction of disposal facilities and the decommissioning of legacy facilities.