25 July 2024
Rehabilitation of the historical nuclear test site at Maralinga, South Australia is being featured in a report on radiation protection in areas contaminated by past radiation incidents.
The British Government conducted nuclear weapons tests at 3 locations in Australia in the 1950s and 60s.
ARPANSA’s Assistant Director Health Physics Measurements Dr Stephen Long gave a presentation to over 700 people last month about the Maralinga case study.
Dr Long says the successful rehabilitation of Maralinga is an excellent example and will be included in the International Commission on Radiological Protection’s (ICRP) new publication Radiological Protection in Areas Contaminated by Past Activities.
‘The efforts the Australian Government has made in collaboration with the Maralinga Tjarutja Traditional Owners to remediate the site alongside the community is a case study in international best practice,’ Dr Long said.
‘Many international organisations are looking at ARPANSA’s rehabilitation efforts at Maralinga as the gold standard for remediation of radiologically contaminated areas due to the substantial involvement of the Traditional Owners in driving the outcome.’
Between 1952 and 1963, 12 atomic detonations of nuclear devices occurred across Southern and Western Australia in areas including Maralinga and the Montebello Islands.
The Australian Government’s efforts to remediate the site began in 1995. The site was handed back to Traditional Owners in 2009.
‘We continue to undertake environmental radiation monitoring every three years,’ Dr Long said.
‘We want the Maralinga Tjarutja peoples to feel confident to live on and fully engage with the land. Our team, working with Maralinga Tjarutja, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the South Australian Government, is committed to building the trust and knowledge to enable this to happen.’
As the Australian Government’s primary radiation protection authority, we work with leading international authorities like the ICRP whose radiation protection principles and exposure limits form the basis for our national regulations governing the exposure of radiation workers and the general public.
The ICRP’s draft report, Radiological Protection in Areas Contaminated by Past Activities, is available for public consultation until September 20, 2024, before it is published: https://icrp.org/consultation.asp?id=830FF4FB-8446-42DF-98AD-85DFAA3B11B2
A recording of Dr Long’s presentation can be accessed here.
