Celebrations of PAA's 40th anniversary and the topic of SMR reactors in the 4th issue of the bulletin "Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection"
15.12.2022
The celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) and topics of licensing and safety of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are lead topics in the 4/2022 issue of the "Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection" bulletin, which is now available on the PAA website. The bulletin also discusses the effects of low radiation doses and Chernobyl tourism.
On October 17th, the National Atomic Energy Agency held official celebrations to commemorate its 40th anniversary. The ceremony was attended by Anna Moskwa, the Minister of Climate and Environment, and Mateusz Berger, the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure and many representatives of public authorities and institutions working in the field of nuclear safety and radiological protection. The bulletin includes the congratulatory letter from Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister, as well as full coverage of the celebrations.
Two articles are devoted to the topic of small modular reactions (SMRs). The first of them, entitled "Licensing and Safety Requirements for Small Modular Reactors," discusses the licensing process along with the basic nuclear safety requirements for such reactors and how it compares with a similar process for large-scale reactors. The article also highlights the problems of siting SMRs near industrial facilities. In addition, it mentions new documents of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) on possible changes to current design requirements to take into account the specifics of SMRs.
The second article examines selected issues important in the development of safety, security and safeguards recommendations for the SMRs. The text highlights the prospects of local applications of SMRs in industrialized countries for the production of process heat, hydrogen, seawater desalination and electricity generation for local needs. The article also mentions the modularity-related features of SMRs' design solutions that positively influence safety.
The next article covers the topic of DNA damage, mainly related to the effects of ionizing radiation on living organisms. The author points out that, on a social scale, people are less aware of the fact that our cells and DNA chains are more often damaged due to natural life processes, such as oxygen metabolism (the impact of free oxygen radicals), than due to radiation. More importantly, repair processes are stimulated and more effective when the body receives a signal about the ionizing radiation. As proof, the author quotes the results of a number of studies and experiments confirming the occurrence of this effect.
The article entitled "Chernobyl tourism and other factors influencing the security of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant" analyzes the phenomenon of so-called Chernobyl tourism, i.e. visits by tens of thousands of people per year to the exclusion zone and facilities of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The author attempts to assess the potential impact of this tourism and its accompanying phenomena on security.