Radiological Habits Surveys

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for the regulation of radioactive waste disposal in Scotland, which is controlled in accordance with the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. Operators of premises disposing of radioactive waste to the environment, such as liquid and gaseous discharges. In order to ensure that authorised discharges do not cause any unacceptable risk to members of the public or the environment, SEPA carries out an environmental radioactivity monitoring programme and a habits survey programme around all nuclear licensed sites in Scotland. Habits surveys aim at collecting data on the general public within a specific area encompassing the type of activities they undertake and the foodstuffs they consume.

The Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory has conducted this project on behalf of SEPA for the past 4 years and has developed significant capability in this area. Last round's successful bid has enabled us to build a robust team and has allowed us to bring in new members of staff into the University who are specialists in conducting face-to-face surveys and analysing this type of data.

We would like to maintain and develop our radiological habits capability into the future and keep on providing a reliable service to SEPA who we have developed a close relationship with.