Year
2014
Abstract
One of the major outcomes of the Nuclear Security Summit in April , 2010 was the renewed assurance made by Heads of government and participating organizations t o bolster security, safeguards, accountancy and control of nuclear materials. However, the consequences of constantly changing situations and risks associated with unaccounted disused radioactive substances that have recycling potential and disposal is on the increase and should attract stringent requirements for inventory and security in scrap metal dump sites. With this backdrop, t here have been several accidents in the past few years involving orphan radioactive sources collected as scrap and destined fo r exportation and/or recycling despite meeting the regulatory and security requirements in opera tion. Scrap metals that contain undetected radioactive source may lead to health hazard and environmental contamination that attracts grave consequences. D evelo pment of specific security and management procedures, compatible with the hazard s scrap metals may present must therefore be reappraised to increase the regulatory control regime. This now led to i n - situ m easurements of background radiation being taken fro m a scrap metal dump site of Kuje Area C ouncil in Abuja , Nigeria using a well calibrated nuclear radiation meter ( Radiameter) and a geographical positioning system (GPS). 40 random sampling points were measured which had an average of 0.0315mSv/yr which wa s found to be far below the ICRP prescribed standard of 1mSv/yr for the general populace. Hence , the result confirms the effective regulatory control on disposal of scrap metal and also shows that the radiological burden on the people working in the scrap metal dump site and the environs is normal, safe and within permissible levels.