Radionuclides of natural origin are ubiquitous in both working and public environments, although their activity concentrations vary considerably. Exposures to natural sources are in most cases not a matter of regulatory concern. However, there are situations where exposures to natural sources may require consideration as to whether controls should be applied. One such situation is the mining and/or processing of materials where the activity concentrations of radionuclides of natural origin in the material itself, or in any material arising from the process, are significantly elevated ― such material has come to be referred to as Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM).
In the past, regulatory attention has been focused mostly on exposures arising from the mining and processing of uranium ores because such activities are part of the nuclear fuel cycle. But more recently, attention has been broadened to include exposures from other industrial activities involving NORM, recognizing that such activities can also give rise to significant exposures if not adequately controlled. More and more countries are including, in their regulatory systems, provisions for the control of exposures to natural sources, and the body of radiological data on such exposures is growing rapidly.
This forms the setting for the NORM VI international symposium, to be held in Marrakech, Morocco in March 2010. The symposium follows five previous symposia on NORM, organized at regular intervals since 1997. As was the case for NORM V, held in Seville in 2007, NORM VI is being organized in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The NORM VI symposium aims to provide a forum for the scientific, technical and regulatory communities involved in NORM issues. It will give the opportunity to present and discuss recent studies, to share results and experience and to identify future needs and challenges. In particular it will focus on the dissemination of new information and knowledge about the exposure of workers and members of the public due to the mining and processing of NORM. The potential impact of NORM residues and discharges will also receive particular attention. It is expected that this symposium, like previous symposia in this series, will lead to increased harmonization of regulatory approaches and wider application of international standards.
Welcome
As Presidents of the National Organizing Committee, We would like to start cordially this message inviting you to participate in the NORM VI International Symposium, to be held in Marrakech (Morocco) in March (22nd to 26th), 2010. This event, which is the natural continuation of the previous NORM symposiums held in the Netherlands (1997), Germany (1998), Belgium (2001), Poland (2004) and Spain (2007), is an important occasion for the meeting of all the community that, from different viewpoints (technical, regulatory, etc), is involved in NORM.
The organizing committees are working hard in order to reach in the NORM VI International Symposium the same success that in the previous NORM symposiums. Our hope is to contribute in the consolidation of an event where every tree years all the ample community involved in NORM can exchange information, advances and ideas. For these reasons, we take the opportunity to kindly ask you for the maximum dissemination of this symposium among your colleagues. And we also ask you for your active participation in the event through the presentation of your latest results and/or studies in the symposium. A call for papers is open until the 15th of July 2009 for the presentation of contributions, especially in the topics highlighted in other sections of this web page.
The organizing committee will maintain contact with the people interested to participate in the symposium mainly through e-mail, and through this web-page. The web-page will be regularly updated with all the new information generated regarding the symposium, and it will include new sections or information required by the participants. In this sense, I kindly ask you to suggest us through the symposium e-mail, ideas to improve the effectiveness of the web-page and new sections to be included.
We think that Marrakech, an historic and open town to the visitors and characterised for a millenary history, a unique culture heritage and a mild weather in the spring (temperatures ranging between 28ºC and 32ºC) is an ideal place for the symposium. And taking the opportunity offered by the town, we are preparing a cultural and historical program complementing the scientific program of the symposium, in order to show to the scientific community some essential aspects of our culture and way of life and to facilitate, in a nice atmosphere, the interaction among the participants.
We wait for you in Marrakech next spring. Welcome to Marrakech!!!
