The radiation safety of the population is a state of protection of present and future generations from the negative effects of ionizing radiation obtained during nuclear reactions, radioactive decay, and the movement of charged particles in a substance.
Residents of Russia, as well as foreign citizens who live in our country, have the right to a safe existence. It is ensured through a series of measures to minimize the negative impact of radiation on the human body above established norms, standards and rules.
Rights
Citizens and public organizations have the right to receive specific information from the organization that carries out activities using ionizing radiation, on the radiation situation, as well as on measures that are being taken to improve the situation.
If citizens live in those territories adjacent to organizations whose activities are related to the use of radiation sources, they have the right to receive social support.
The duty of citizens residing in the territory of the Russian Federation
Radiation safety implies compliance by Russians, as well as people living in our country, with the following standards:
- take part or organize events that are aimed at minimizing radiation doses;
- comply with the basic requirements of federal representatives of state power, which carry out management, supervision and control in this area.
Radiation background
In order to have a complete understanding of the content and essence of this concept, let us dwell on some theoretical aspects. Radiation safety is associated with the dose of radiation that is created by cosmic radiation, as well as the radiation of natural radionuclides located in the earth, air, water, other elements of the biosphere, food, and the human body. As the boundary of such a maximum allowable action, an “effective dose” is used. Under it, it is customary to raise the amount of ionizing radiation acting on a person.
A sanitary protection zone is the territory around the source of ionizing radiation, which exceeds the established limit of the irradiation dose for civilians.
It prohibits temporary and permanent residence of people, uses the regime of restricting industrial activity, and carries out systematic radiation monitoring.
In the case of loss of control over the source of the study, caused by equipment malfunction, improper personnel actions, exposure of the population, serious environmental pollution are possible. In such situations, they are talking about a radioactive accident.
System of principles
Ensuring radiation safety of the population is associated with two groups of principles:
- rationing associated with the prevention of exceeding permissible doses of radiation to citizens from any sources of ionizing radiation;
- substantiation, which prohibits the different types of activities on the use of ionizing radiation sources, in which the risk from the background radiation exposure exceeds the production benefits for society.
Optimization is carried out, aimed at maintaining at an achievable and low level, taking into account the social and economic factors of doses and the number of people using any source of ionizing radiation.
Emergency response
Radiation safety involves a number of measures that can reduce the harm from an accident:
- Carrying out a complex of measures of organizational, sanitary and hygienic, educational, medical and preventive, engineering, educational nature.
- Implementation by local, federal authorities, public organizations, other legal entities and citizens of measures aimed at observing the standards and rules in the field of radiation safety.
People are being informed not only about the emerging situation, but also about measures to ensure a normal existence.
The authority of the Russian Federation
Our country has a law on radiation safety. It marks the authority between the Russian Federation and the subjects of:
- Definition of state policy in the field of radiation safety and its full implementation.
- Approval and development of federal programs in this area.
- Identification of activities in the field of handling ionizing radiation sources that are subject to licensing.
- Control of doses to the public.
- The introduction of certain modes of residence of people in areas of radioactive contamination.
- Development of measures to eliminate the consequences of radiation accidents.
- Conducting operational actions when a threat occurs.
- Establishment of a procedure for identifying social guarantees for the population affected by a radiation accident.
The functioning of a unified state security management system, including the accounting and control of doses to civilians, is a mandatory measure. For example, these include the development and adoption of legislative acts of the Russian Federation in the field of radiation safety. Monitoring compliance with all radiation standards is a direct responsibility of government agencies.
Ensuring radiation safety involves the regulation of living and living conditions in territories that have been infected. They are indicated in the legislative acts of the Russian Federation.
Nuclear and radiation safety involves international cooperation, as well as the regulation of imports and exports of substances that act as a source of ionizing radiation.
Powers of subjects of the Russian Federation
Among them are:
- Development of legislative legal regulatory documents in accordance with the Federal Law of the Russian Federation.
- Creation and implementation of territorial (regional) programs in the field of radiation safety.
- Active participation in activities aimed at eliminating accidents in this territory.
To comply with radiation safety regulations, special programs are being developed at the regional level.
Hygiene Standards
In the territory of the Russian Federation, the permissible limit radiation doses are determined, which come from radiation sources:
- the annual average effective dose for the population is 0.001 sievert;
- for employees it is 0.02 sievert.
The established values of the main limits of the irradiating doses do not imply the inclusion of the doses created by the radiation of a natural and technologically modified background, as well as those doses that a citizen (patient) receives when carrying out radiological and radiological medical procedures and treatment.
It is the established values that determine the permissible level of exposure to the human body, as well as its individual organs. If an accident occurs, accompanied by an increase in exposure, which exceeds several times the allowable dose limits, the population has the right to social support.
Important aspects
How is radiation safety implemented? Training involves a set of measures that are aimed at informing the population about the rules of conduct in territories that pose a threat from a radiation point of view.
The problem is that radiation is intangible for a person, there is a certain latent period during which a biological effect is possible.
Among the main consequences of the action of ionizing radiation on the body, one can single out a violation of metabolic processes in biological, functional, morphological shifts, as well as radiation injuries of the human body.
Radiation protection consists of a set of organizational, legislative, sanitary, medical, hygienic measures that ensure safe working conditions for personnel in contact with any sources of ionizing radiation.
Principles
Among the measures that are included in this concept are:
- hygienic rationing;
- health education, industrial training;
- organization of medical and radiation control;
- implementation of current and preventive supervision.
Specialists note the types of protection:
- quantity;
- time;
- distance, shielding;
- with the help of radioinhibitors and radioprotectors;
- personal hygiene, safety precautions.
When developing measures aimed at minimizing the consequences, radiation safety classes are taken into account.
Polluted territories
They are considered land plots, when you stay on which you can get a radiation dose of more than 1 mSv per year, which is a significant excess of the natural value. The division of contaminated territories into several zones has been adopted:
- alienation, which is thirty kilometers from the emergency facility;
- compulsory resettlement zone, where a person receives a dose of more than 0.5 rem per year;
- voluntary guaranteed resettlement with an irradiation dose of more than 0.1 rem per year.
Conclusion
Radiation safety is an indispensable element of national policy; it implies the state of protection of present and future generations from the negative effects of radiation.
Ensuring the normal life of people is the task of the state, therefore, several laws operate in our country, rules and sanitary standards are developed, as well as a targeted program that aims to guarantee radiation and nuclear safety. Compliance with these documents can reduce the risk of radiation infection of civilians who live near enterprises that can become objects of radiation infection.