Academic Journal
Regulatory governance of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in conventional mining: Benchmarking Tanzania against IAEA radiation protection standards.
| Τίτλος: | Regulatory governance of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in conventional mining: Benchmarking Tanzania against IAEA radiation protection standards. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Kileo A; Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Tanzania Bureau of Standards, P.O. Box 9524, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Electronic address: abdalahkileo@gmail.com., Uludag S; Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa., Salama A; Department of Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35131, Tanzania., Mwimanzi J; Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission, Tanzania. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of environmental radioactivity [J Environ Radioact] 2026 Sep; Vol. 299, pp. 108144. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 24. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8508119 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-1700 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0265931X NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Environ Radioact Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Barking, Essex : Elsevier Applied Science Publishers |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Mining*/legislation & jurisprudence , Radiation Protection*/legislation & jurisprudence , Radiation Protection*/standards , Radiation Monitoring*/legislation & jurisprudence , Radiation Monitoring*/standards , Background Radiation*, Tanzania ; Benchmarking ; International Agencies |
| Περίληψη: | Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) generated during conventional mining activities represent a potential source of environmental contamination and radiological exposure to workers, the public, and ecosystems. Although international radiation protection frameworks provide risk-based approaches for managing NORM, implementation in many developing mining jurisdictions remains limited. This study presents the first systematic benchmarking of Tanzania's regulatory and institutional framework governing NORM in conventional mining against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) graded approach (SSG-60) and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations. A structured document analysis and comparative regulatory evaluation were conducted to assess national mining, environmental, and radiation protection legislation and institutional arrangements. The assessment examined legal recognition of NORM, authorization systems, institutional coordination, monitoring requirements, waste management provisions, and regulatory infrastructure. The findings reveal that, despite the existence of radiation protection legislation and recent adoption of exemption thresholds aligned with international standards, Tanzania lacks an integrated governance framework for NORM management. Radiological risk assessment is not routinely incorporated into mining authorization or environmental impact assessment processes, institutional responsibilities remain fragmented, and critical regulatory tools, including a national NORM inventory, technical guidelines, and routine monitoring systems, are absent. The study highlights the need to operationalize the IAEA graded approach through integrated legislation, coordinated institutional oversight, strengthened technical capacity, and improved environmental monitoring. The proposed benchmarking framework provides a practical model for strengthening NORM governance in Tanzania and other resource-dependent economies. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260824 Date Completed: 20260910 Latest Revision: 20260910 |
| Update Code: | 20260911 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2026.108144 |
| PMID: | 42636595 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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