The basic objectives of radioactive waste management are to ensure that the system of radiation dose lim­itation recommended in ICRP 26 [6] and expanded in NRPB ASP2 [7] are applied. These are that:

• All practices giving rise to radioactive wastes must be justified, i. e. the need for the practice must be proven in respect of its overall benefit.

• Radiation exposure of individuals and the collective dose to the population arising from radioactive wastes shall be reduced to levels which are as low and reasonably achievable, economic and social fac­tors being taken into account.

• The average effective dose equivalent from all sources excluding natural background radiation and medical procedures, to representative members of a critical group of the general public shall not ex­ceed 5 mSv (0.5 rem) in any one year. The use of a limit of 5 mSv in a year is expected in most cases to result in an average dose rate equivalent to a critical group of less than 1 mSv (0.1 rem) per year of life-long whole body exposure from all sources of radiation. Hence the lifetime whole body ex­posure of an individual is unlikely to exceed 70 mSv (7 rem).

At nuclear power stations in England, applications for the discharge of radioactive wastes is made jointly to the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. In Wales and Scotland the control is exercised by the respective Secretaries of State.

The Certificates of Authorisation to discharge ra­dioactive effluent in general are subject to limitations which take the form of attached conditions. These relate to the quantities and character of the radio­active wastes to be discharged, the methods of ex­aminations of the wastes and the returns and records of disposal. A typical authorisation for discharge of liquid radioactive waste from a nuclear power station is given in Fig 4.1.