Occupational radiation exposures to NORM at an Irish peat-fired power station and potential implications of the use of peat fly ash by the construction industry

Annually, approximately 15% of Ireland’s electricity requirement is provided through the combustion of 3 × 10 tonnes of peat. While literature on the coal-fired power generation is quite abundant, studies on the peat-fired power generation industry from the radiological point of view are scarce. A study of the largest Irish peat-fired power plant was initiated to review the potential occupational radiation exposures arising from the occurrence of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) at different stages of the industrial process and to investigate any potential radiological health consequences that may arise should peat fly ash be used as a component of building materials. Ambient gamma dose rate measurements, radon measurements, quantification of the occupational exposure from inhalation of airborne particles (personal air sampling) and gamma spectrometry analysis of peat, peat ash and effluent samples from the ash ponds were undertaken. The results indicate that the plant workers are unlikely to receive a radiation dose above 300 μSv per annum over the typical working hours. The potential use of peat fly ash as a by-product in the building industry was also found to have a negligible radiological impact for construction workers and for members of the public.