Radiological criteria and methods for remediation of contaminated former mining sites

Mining and ore processing have a long history in the New States of Germany, Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. The ores were often mineralized with uranium and therefore the residues are a radiological hazard to man and environment. Immediately after World War II the Soviet Union started to develop its nuclear capability by mining uranium ores in the occupied zone of East Germany. At the beginning the exploitation was concentrated on former underground mines of silver and other non ferrous ores. Afterwards, new uranium deposits were explored in Saxony and eastern Thuringia. Numerous waste rock piles and tailings ponds of considerable size resulted from these mining activities. Uranium production reached some 220,000 t between 1946 and 1990. After the reunification in 1990, production was finished for economic and other reasons. The German Federal Government was faced with one of the largest ecological, social and economic challenges. In this report an overview is given on kind and amount of the mining residues, the radiation protection criteria, models and data bases used for risk assessment and dose calculation are explained and remediation methods are described.