Working level
Working level (WL) is a historical unit of concentration of radioactive decay products of radon, applied to uranium mining environment.[1] One working level refers to the concentration of short-lived decay products of radon in equilibrium with 3,700 Bq/m3 (100 pCi/l) in air. These decay products would emit 1.3 × 105 MeV in complete decay.[2] The NRC uses this definition.[3]
Working level month (WLM) is a closely related quantity, referring to exposure to one working level for 170 hours per month. This comes from assuming a 40-hour work week.
In 2002, the NRC regulations limited exposure in mines to 0.3 WL, which was comperable with the standards of International Commission on Radiological Protection at the time.[2]
Notes
- ^ Vaillant, Ludovic; Bataille, Céline (September 2012). "Management of radon: a review of ICRP recommendations" (PDF). Journal of Radiological Protection. 32 (3): R3. doi:10.1088/0952-4746/32/3/R1. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Jacob (June 2002). Radiation Protection: A Guide for Scientists, Regulators, and Physicians (4th ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 444. ISBN 9780674007406. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ "NRC Regulations Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.1003". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
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