Ukraine adopts EU radiation protection standards

The Ukrainian parliament has adopted a bill implementing new sanitary and radiation safety regulations in line with EU standards, the economy ministry said in a statement.

The new regulations aim to increase the level of radiation protection of personnel and the public in all situations, the ministry noted.

The bill will amend the existing law on human protection from ionising radiation to include:

  • Introduction of three exposure situations — planned, existing, and emergency
  • Establishment of basic dose limits for effective and equivalent doses for personnel and the public
  • Introduction of dose limits in the situation of planned exposure for personnel and the public, reference levels for existing and emergency exposure situations
  • Introduction of reference levels of average annual concentration of radon activity in indoor air for permanent stay of people at workplaces
  • Defining the main measures to justify and optimise protection and safety measures for medical exposure, etc.
  • Clarification and specification of the powers of the central and local governments, as well as the national commission on radiation protection of the population of Ukraine

"The adopted law introduces European standards for protecting people from ionising radiation in accordance with international safety standards," Ukraine’s deputy economy minister Oleksii Soboliev was quoted as saying.

"The new system will increase the level of radiation protection of personnel and the public in all situations."

In May, Ukraine’s parliament has adopted a bill effectively banning the use of mercury, a toxic metal that is still used in some industries.