Over the years there have been many occasions when it was asserted that coal-fired power stations emitted more radioactivity (from NORM) than was released anywhere in the nuclear fuel cycle. While having some basis in fact the claim is generally not correct now. Today the contention regarding NORM tends to be in relation to steel and other materials released from demolished industrial facilitie...

The main issue in view of NORM-impacted sites 1 is how such sites, e.g. radium contaminated sites, uranium liabilities, sites exploited for the mining of metals associated with NORM and wastes arising from industries processing or generating other kinds of NORM, are assessed and regulated. In view of the implementation of the new Basic Safety Standards (BSS), the regulations apply to the manage...

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials, often referred to by the acronym NORM, are and always have been a part of our world. Our planet and its atmosphere contain many different naturally occurring radioactive species, and it and virtually everything, living or inanimate, contains NORM. In the history of mankind, knowledge of the existence of radioactivity is very recent, even when considere...

Human activities such as oil and gas production can enhance the natural level of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in by-product and waste streams. Iran has been among the top five oil producing countries since 2005. This high production rate emphasizes the importance of NORM management to ensure the safety of humans and wildlife. Petroleum storage and transport facilities are lo...

Nineteen different commercially available samples containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) (i.e., natural uranium, thorium, radium and potassium) were investigated, including zircon sand, cat litter, roofing tiles, ice melt and fertilizer among others. A large variation in isotopic composition was observed across the measured samples. As a result of this observation, a need w...

All soils and rocks contain naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Many ores and raw materials contain relatively high levels of natural radionuclides, and processing such materials can further increase the concentrations of natural radionuclides, sometimes referred to as 'technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material' (TENORM). Examples of NORM minerals include ur...