Evaluation of total dose received by Italian uranium miners

In Italy there is a programme, now in the research stage, which involves the future exploitation of two uranium mines. About one hundred and fifty workers are at present employed in these facilities. A health physics surveillance programme is under way and has been designed to fulfil the requirements expected during future exploitation of the two mines. A complete evaluation of the total dose (external + internal) received by the workers will be achieved using a formula to combine different sources of exposure in terms of a radioprotection standard. External dose is evaluated on the basis of individual TLD dosemeters, while evaluation of internal dose is mainly achieved by an environmental surveillance programme of radon daughter concentration in mine air. The external dose received by the workers is lower than 0.2 mSv per month and internal exposure is less than 6.4 x 10^-3 J.h.m.^-3.a^-1 (or, using the old units, 2 WLM per year).