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On this page we try to provide answers to the questions you have asked

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Posted: 28/07/2010

Topic:
Use of the 'IAEA SRS-19 estuarine dispersion model' within the ERICA Tool

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Question:
I was wondering if you can offer advice on what to do when chosing analogues to represent radionuclides that are not included in the ERICA Tool or when the radionuclide is unknown and in a vague category such as other non-alpha radionuclide? I have attached an excel document with the list of radionuclides and vague categories that I will need to assess with suggested analogues.Also, when using the estuarine model should I be using the estuary width and depth at the point of discharge or should it be the maximum width and maximum depth?

Answer:
To represent radionuclides not included within the Tool as defaults you assuming Pu-239 for all alpha-emitters and Tc-99 for all other categories you have to assess which is as suggested by the England and Wales Environment Agency (EA) . You could argue this approach on the grounds of consistency. However, it depends upon the purpose of your assessment - do you want to be conservative?. If yes then the analogues suggested by EA may not always be the most conservative choices. However, the ERICA Tool allows you to explore alternatives as it has more fuctionality than the EA approach: 

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