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Assessment tools

• A number of ‘approaches’ documented & available and being used/developed in-house– e.g. 15 models/approaches participated within

the IAEA EMRAS Biota Working group (although ranged from dose or transfer models through to more complete assessment tools)

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Assessment tools• Software for some tools

freely available– including RESRAD-Biota

(implementation of USDOE Graded Approach); ERICA Tool; England & Wales EA R&D128

• Many approaches use a tiered assessment structure (in common with other areas of risk assessments)– simple initial screening

through to more refined assessments

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Initial screening tier: Tier 1 • Designed to be simple and conservative

– User only needs to input media activity concentrations

• Aim - to enable sites of negligible concern to be identified and removed from need for further assessment – with a high degree of confidence

• Envisaged that most sites will only need this level of assessment [i.e. ‘be screened out’]

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Tier 1• Media concentrations are compared to

predefined concentrations (EMCLs or BCGs) = concentration giving rise to screening dose rate (to most limiting organism)

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Tier 1 – conservative• Maximum measured or modelled media activity

concentrations advised as input• Transfer parameters used to derive EMCL/BCG

are maximums or 95th percentiles• Habitat assumptions (e.g. RESRAD-Biota

terrestrial animal surrounded by soil)• Dose conversion coefficients (RESRAD-Biota)

progeny with half-lives <100 year included; external exposure organism assumed to be very small; internal exposure organisms assumed to be large)

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Higher tier assessmentsUSDOE graded approach

Use

sam

e do

se r

ate

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Higher tier assessmentsERICA

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PROTECT benchmarks & tiered assessments

Initial screening tier (highly conservative)

Middle level tiers (site specific/user defined

inputs)

Generic screening level

Taxonomic

screening levels

Highest level tier (risk characterisation)

RQ>1

RQ>1

Taxon

omic

scre

enin

g le

vels

Regulatory action level(s)PROTECT benchmarks

Assessment frameworks