Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 575-593 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Radiological Protection |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2014 |
Abstract
Despite several decades of studies on the risk assessment and risk perception of ionising radiation, risk management of radioactive materials remains a challenging issue. This is also true for wastes containing technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials. The present work focuses on the underlying reasons for communication problems between experts and affected members of the public. Exploring the case of a German remediation site with residual radioactive contamination in a residential area, the experts' as well as the residents' perspectives were studied by conducting qualitative interviews. Our results indicate a variety of reasons for communication problems on different levels of risk management and risk communication: the regulatory, the communicative and the moral levels. In the observed case, four salient causes for problems in risk communication and risk management emerged: the mismatch in understanding the residents' values, the issue of risk communication in an unforeseen situation, the problem of the regulatory gap between radiation protection and soil protection in regard to legacies with naturally occurring radioactive material in Germany, and the challenge of communicating a highly complex scientific issue to non-scientists. Moreover, one (at least partial) solution could be seen: the introduction of an external mediator. The results indicate that coordination of different health and environment protection disciplines-in this case radiation protection relating to soil protection-is possible and urgently needed. The opportunity to put, at least natural, radioactive material in line with other conventional industrial materials should be taken.
Keywords
- Naturally occurring radioactive materials, Regulations, Risk communication
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Medicine(all)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Journal of Radiological Protection, Vol. 34, No. 3, 01.09.2014, p. 575-593.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Remediation of TENORM residues
T2 - Risk communication in practice
AU - König, Claudia
AU - Drögemüller, Cord
AU - Riebe, Beate
AU - Walther, Clemens
PY - 2014/9/1
Y1 - 2014/9/1
N2 - Despite several decades of studies on the risk assessment and risk perception of ionising radiation, risk management of radioactive materials remains a challenging issue. This is also true for wastes containing technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials. The present work focuses on the underlying reasons for communication problems between experts and affected members of the public. Exploring the case of a German remediation site with residual radioactive contamination in a residential area, the experts' as well as the residents' perspectives were studied by conducting qualitative interviews. Our results indicate a variety of reasons for communication problems on different levels of risk management and risk communication: the regulatory, the communicative and the moral levels. In the observed case, four salient causes for problems in risk communication and risk management emerged: the mismatch in understanding the residents' values, the issue of risk communication in an unforeseen situation, the problem of the regulatory gap between radiation protection and soil protection in regard to legacies with naturally occurring radioactive material in Germany, and the challenge of communicating a highly complex scientific issue to non-scientists. Moreover, one (at least partial) solution could be seen: the introduction of an external mediator. The results indicate that coordination of different health and environment protection disciplines-in this case radiation protection relating to soil protection-is possible and urgently needed. The opportunity to put, at least natural, radioactive material in line with other conventional industrial materials should be taken.
AB - Despite several decades of studies on the risk assessment and risk perception of ionising radiation, risk management of radioactive materials remains a challenging issue. This is also true for wastes containing technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials. The present work focuses on the underlying reasons for communication problems between experts and affected members of the public. Exploring the case of a German remediation site with residual radioactive contamination in a residential area, the experts' as well as the residents' perspectives were studied by conducting qualitative interviews. Our results indicate a variety of reasons for communication problems on different levels of risk management and risk communication: the regulatory, the communicative and the moral levels. In the observed case, four salient causes for problems in risk communication and risk management emerged: the mismatch in understanding the residents' values, the issue of risk communication in an unforeseen situation, the problem of the regulatory gap between radiation protection and soil protection in regard to legacies with naturally occurring radioactive material in Germany, and the challenge of communicating a highly complex scientific issue to non-scientists. Moreover, one (at least partial) solution could be seen: the introduction of an external mediator. The results indicate that coordination of different health and environment protection disciplines-in this case radiation protection relating to soil protection-is possible and urgently needed. The opportunity to put, at least natural, radioactive material in line with other conventional industrial materials should be taken.
KW - Naturally occurring radioactive materials
KW - Regulations
KW - Risk communication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84929941172&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/0952-4746/34/3/575
DO - 10.1088/0952-4746/34/3/575
M3 - Article
C2 - 24983208
AN - SCOPUS:84929941172
VL - 34
SP - 575
EP - 593
JO - Journal of Radiological Protection
JF - Journal of Radiological Protection
SN - 0952-4746
IS - 3
ER -