Abstract
Huge amounts of sewage sludge and incineration ash, highly contaminated with radioactive materials, were generated in eastern Japan following the March 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. In order to smoothly dispose of such contaminating radioactive wastes, while at the same time avoid radioactive exposure to workers at waste treatment facilities, it is necessary to apply the appropriate waste methods and measures for protection according to radioactivity levels in the wastes and the air dose rates in the waste treatment facilities. To specify measurement methods for radioactivity levels in wastes and related samples, the Manual for Surveillance and Measurement of Radioactive Materials in Wastes and Related Materials was published at the end of 2011. This paper covers how the manual came into being along with an overview of its contents and comparison points between the Manual and another publication titled Guidelines for Disposal of Wastes Contaminated with Radioactive Materials. The paper also explains certain aspects for revising the Manual.
