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• To monitor and control dust in order to minimize the intake of gamma and especially alpha-emitting minerals. It is well known that dust presents the main cause
of doses of workers in open-cut uranium mines and in mill facilities.
• To monitor and control strictly the personal doses of workers in the mine, plant
and tailings areas.
• To ensure a sufficient natural ventilation to reduce the radon gas concentration.
• To introduce efficient hygiene standards imposed on workers and to use respiratory protection.
While the effective dose of miners can be substantially reduced by intensive
ventilation and air filtration, there are rather limited means for the reduction of
the gamma component to the total exposure. This can be demonstrated by the
results of monitoring carried out at the Rožná uranium mine in the Czech Republic
(Marušiaková et al. 2011; Sabol et al 2011a, b). This mine was in operation until
2017. The results during the last few years before it was closed showed that the
most dominant component of the total effective dose was caused by the intake of
long-lived radionuclides. They contributed to the total effective dose of miners to
about 50%. The intake through inhalation of radon decay products and external
gamma irradiation contributed to the total dose at about 30% and 20%, respectively.
The individual average annual exposure among 600 miners was estimated to be
around 8 mSv. In some other uranium mines, the exposure was found to be lower
(UNSCEAR 2017).
In the assessment of the exposure of workers in uranium industry, it is necessary
to differentiate between uranium miners from different mining activities and facilities. The highest dose is usually received by miners in underground mines (with
average exposure from 5 to 10 mSv y
−1
), while the workers engaged in uranium
processing hardly exceed 5 mSv y
−1
(Bouville and Kryuchkov 2014).
3.4 Pollution of the Environment and Its Mitigation
There is no doubt that uranium mining, processing and reclamation have certain
potential impacts as to surface and underground water quality, soil, air and biota.
There is no more uranium mining in Europe; emphasis is now concentrated on the
rehabilitation of former production facilities. The currently undergoing rehabilitation projects in Germany (Wismut) and the Czech Republic (Stráž, Rožná and other
sites) disclosed the range of problems that must be addressed.
It has become clear that the consequences of uranium mining and milling continue to be a problem requiring attention and appropriate remedial action. The situation was recognized especially at the end of the Cold War, after which more
concrete steps were taken on a more massive scale.
The extensive uranium mining and milling in the past in the Czech Republic
resulted in serious environmental problems including the contamination of groundwater. Following the 1990s an extensive environmental programme was set up. The
Uranium in the Beginning of the Nuclear Age: Reflections on the Historical Role…
• To monitor and control dust in order to minimize the intake of gamma and especially alpha-emitting minerals. It is well known that dust presents the main cause
of doses of workers in open-cut uranium mines and in mill facilities.
• To monitor and control strictly the personal doses of workers in the mine, plant
and tailings areas.
• To ensure a sufficient natural ventilation to reduce the radon gas concentration.
• To introduce efficient hygiene standards imposed on workers and to use respiratory protection.
While the effective dose of miners can be substantially reduced by intensive
ventilation and air filtration, there are rather limited means for the reduction of
the gamma component to the total exposure. This can be demonstrated by the
results of monitoring carried out at the Rožná uranium mine in the Czech Republic
(Marušiaková et al. 2011; Sabol et al 2011a, b). This mine was in operation until
2017. The results during the last few years before it was closed showed that the
most dominant component of the total effective dose was caused by the intake of
long-lived radionuclides. They contributed to the total effective dose of miners to
about 50%. The intake through inhalation of radon decay products and external
gamma irradiation contributed to the total dose at about 30% and 20%, respectively.
The individual average annual exposure among 600 miners was estimated to be
around 8 mSv. In some other uranium mines, the exposure was found to be lower
(UNSCEAR 2017).
In the assessment of the exposure of workers in uranium industry, it is necessary
to differentiate between uranium miners from different mining activities and facilities. The highest dose is usually received by miners in underground mines (with
average exposure from 5 to 10 mSv y
−1
), while the workers engaged in uranium
processing hardly exceed 5 mSv y
−1
(Bouville and Kryuchkov 2014).
3.4 Pollution of the Environment and Its Mitigation
There is no doubt that uranium mining, processing and reclamation have certain
potential impacts as to surface and underground water quality, soil, air and biota.
There is no more uranium mining in Europe; emphasis is now concentrated on the
rehabilitation of former production facilities. The currently undergoing rehabilitation projects in Germany (Wismut) and the Czech Republic (Stráž, Rožná and other
sites) disclosed the range of problems that must be addressed.
It has become clear that the consequences of uranium mining and milling continue to be a problem requiring attention and appropriate remedial action. The situation was recognized especially at the end of the Cold War, after which more
concrete steps were taken on a more massive scale.
The extensive uranium mining and milling in the past in the Czech Republic
resulted in serious environmental problems including the contamination of groundwater. Following the 1990s an extensive environmental programme was set up. The
Uranium in the Beginning of the Nuclear Age: Reflections on the Historical Role…