Finland Times

 

The government has updated the directive on protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation in order to ensure that EU workers and the general public are protected from radiation.

 

At the same time, fragmented regulations from different areas have been grouped together under the directive, said a press release of the social affairs and health ministry on Monday.

 

The directive defines the ground rules for ensuring the most appropriate and safe use of radiation in medical patient care and screenings, as well as its use in industry and in tests conducted by the police and legal authorities.

 

The directive provides a radon concentration reference value for homes, workplaces and public spaces. 

 

In the future, the indoor radon reference level will be 300Bq/m3. Finland should seek to ensure that in the future radon concentrations would be less than the reference value, even if this is not an absolute limit. 

 

For the workplace it is possible to set a higher national reference value, if the circumstances of the Member State so require. Today in Finland the radon concentration must not exceed 400Bq/m3 in the workplace. The recommended value in new homes is 200Bq/m3 and for existing homes it is 400Bq/m3.

 

The directive also provides instructions on preparing for a variety of radiological emergencies and incidents and specifies obligations on operations carried out during emergencies. The requirements in the directive must be added to national legislation by 6 February 2018.

 

Finnish radiation protection legislation will be completely renewed in the same context. Implementation of the directive will also lead to changes, for example, in emergency legislation and nuclear energy legislation.