Abstract Submissions

This session focuses on the topic of managing areas affected by Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM). NORM encompasses multiple aspects in this session, including legacy sites, high-background areas, and sites impacted by radon. The focus extends from comprehensive risk assessment to sustainable and effective remediation strategies, including the dynamic interactions of NORM with the environment and human health.

This session is dedicated to the assessment of potential impacts of radioactive releases from various types of facilities, including those associated with radioactive waste management and disposal. The session serves as a forum for the exploration of challenges, innovations, and best practices in assessing radioactive releases to the environment and for handling radioactive waste from the different waste categories. This session will include consideration of approaches for considering the effect of climate change on the fate of radionuclides in the environment, effects on ecosystems and on human activities and the influence of such factors on assessments over different timescales. Topics covered will encompass the evaluation of impact of releases from different types of facility, including treatment, storage, ultimate disposal in surface or deep ground considering the behaviour of radionuclides at the surface and in the deep ground and biosphere, and associated modelling approaches. Given the global development of nuclear energy, including the deployment of new technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs), contributions addressing potential impacts of such developments would be particularly welcome.

This session deals with innovations in the field of metrology. For example, application of rapid methods, more sophisticated analytical and measurement techniques, or in situ techniques. Advances in sampling, radiochemical separation/purification techniques, data processing, computer applications, laboratory facilities and field monitoring techniques are welcomed, as well as those on low-cost instrumentation for environmental survey. Quality assurance issues are important in metrology and are also part of the scope of the session.

Recent geopolitical events have triggered complex, multi-faceted challenges associated with nuclear and radiological emergencies, reinforcing the importance of preparedness, response, and recovery strategies. This session is an opportunity to assess the preparedness and response strategies deployed to mitigate the impact of such events, and to explore the restoration of the environment in the wake of nuclear and radiological accidents and events, notably the nuclear accidents at Chornobyl and Fukushima Daiichi. Given the deployment of new technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs), we also welcome contributions addressing various types of accident scenarios and environments (terrestrial or aquatic), as well as studies that consider impacts on an international scale. The active exchange of knowledge and insights among decision makers, practitioners, stakeholders, and the scientific community is essential. Participation from each of these diverse communities is critical and particularly welcome.

The session will focus on mechanistic understanding of the processes inducing radiation effects at different levels of biological organization, including the consequences on ecosystem integrity. It includes multigenerational responses, hereditary effects, adaptive responses, genomic instability, and epigenetic changes, as well as the effect of co-stressors. Emphasis will be placed on emerging frameworks and approaches, including Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) and exposome-based approaches, that facilitate the translation of molecular and cellular responses into impacts at the population and ecosystem levels. Contributions addressing ecosystem-level protection frameworks, including ecosystem services, are also encouraged. Studies reporting both observed effects and the absence of detectable effects of ionising radiation are welcomed, as they provide equally important evidence for improving our understanding of radiation impacts on ecosystems and for refining environmental protection strategies.

Assessing the radiological impact of radionuclide releases in a realistic way relies on a good understanding of their distributions and transfer processes in the environment, from their dispersion and transfer in atmospheric, aquatic and terrestrial media up to their uptake and accumulation in biotic organisms.

6a. Measurements of radionuclides in the environment, with a focus on non-temperate situations

This sub-session focuses on experimental studies, environmental surveys, monitoring programmes and measurement techniques that improve understanding of radionuclide behaviour in the environment. Contributions addressing Southern Hemisphere environments, tropical, arid and other non-temperate climatic conditions are particularly encouraged.

6b. Modelling radionuclide mobility and bioavailability in the environment

This sub-session focuses on the development and application of models used to describe and predict radionuclide transfer processes in different environmental contexts, from short-term releases to long-term assessment scenarios. Contributions covering all modelling approaches, from conservative assessment models to advanced research models, are welcome.

This session deals with current challenges and developments around environmental radiation protection including adapting to advanced technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data are transforming the understanding of radioecology. This session will explore the dynamic role of these technologies in advancing our knowledge, the role these tools are anticipated to play in risk assessment and decision-making, and the important ethical considerations in their development and application. The session will also address approaches and methods for promoting effective communication among various entities, including governments, industry, and the public, including consideration of ethical issues and the active involvement of citizens in understanding and addressing radioecological issues.