Quintessa recently supported several meetings of the international collaborative BIOPROTA forum, which supports the resolution of key issues in the biosphere assessment of radioactive waste disposal. The meetings included a workshop on sorption, plant uptake and bioavailability, a workshop on biosphere characterisation and the annual BIOPROTA meeting for 2025. Russell Walke from Quintessa and Ari Ikonen from EnviroCase provide the Technical Secretariat for BIOPROTA.
In biosphere assessments associated with radioactive waste disposal, sorption and plant uptake are known to be among the most important processes in determining potential radiological consequences to people and the environment. A workshop on these processes, their measurement, associated consideration of bioavailability and their representation/parameterisation within assessment models was hosted by SKB in Solna, Sweden 25-27 March 2025.
The BIOPROTA annual meeting was held 20-21 May 2025, hosted by Andra in Nancy, France. The meeting provided an opportunity for BIOPROTA members to share the latest developments and research relating to biosphere assessment in their organisations and programmes. Biosphere-related topics of common interest among the participants were then discussed, providing input to the forward programme for the forum.
The annual meeting in Nancy was then followed by a workshop on biosphere characterisation 22-23 May, also hosted by Andra. The workshop allowed participants to share experience in planning and undertaking biosphere characterisation as an integral part of the broader site characterisation associated with radioactive waste disposal.
The meeting and workshop in Nancy were preceded by a site visit to Andra’s underground research laboratory in Meuse/Haute-Marne. This included visiting Andra’s Écothèque environmental specimen bank and nearby permanent atmospheric monitoring station.
Topics for on-going collaboration within the BIOPROTA were discussed in Nancy, including:
- continuation of work exploring proportionality in assessment of wastes including both radiological and non-radiological hazards;
- biosphere modelling for radionuclides meriting special consideration, including C-14, Cl-36, I-129 and radon; and
- experience in stakeholder engagement and communication relating to biosphere assessment.
Reports of the annual meeting and workshops will be made available via the BIOPROTA website.