This document specifies the minimum requirements for the design of professional programmes to monitor workers exposed to a risk of ingestion to uranium compounds. This document establishes principles for the development of compatible goals and requirements for monitoring programmes and dose assessment for workers occupationally exposed to internal contamination. It establishes procedures and assumptions for risk analysis, monitoring programmes and the standardized interpretation of monitoring data in order to achieve acceptable levels of reliability for uranium and its compounds. It sets limits for the applicability of the procedures in respect to dose levels above which more sophisticated methods need to be applied.
This document addresses those circumstances when exposure could be constrained by either radiological or chemical toxicity concerns.
This document addresses, for ingestion of uranium and its compounds, the following items:
a) purposes of monitoring and monitoring programmes;
b) description of the different categories of monitoring programmes;
c) suitable methods for monitoring and criteria for their selection;
d) information that is collected for the design of a monitoring programme;
e) procedures for dose assessment based on reference levels for special monitoring programmes;
f) criteria for determining the significance of monitoring results;
g) uncertainties arising from dose assessment and interpretation of bioassays data;
h) reporting/documentation;
i) quality assurance;
j) record keeping requirements.
It is not applicable to the following items:
a) detailed descriptions of measuring methods and techniques for uranium;
b) modelling for the improvement of internal dosimetry;
c) potential influence of counter-measures (e.g. administration of chelating agents);
d) investigation of the causes or implications of an exposure;
e) dosimetry for inhalation exposures and for contaminated wounds.