Working level

Working level (WL) is a historical unit of concentration of radioactive decay products of radon, applied to uranium mining environment.[1] One working level refers to the concentration of short-lived decay products of radon in equilibrium with 3,700 Bq/m3 (100 pCi/L) in air. These decay products would emit 1.3 × 105 MeV in complete decay.[2] The NRC uses this definition.[3]

Working level month (WLM) is a closely related quantity, referring to exposure to one working level for 170 hours per month. This comes from assuming a 40-hour work week.

In 2002, the NRC regulations limited exposure in mines to 0.3 WL, which was comparable with the standards of International Commission on Radiological Protection at the time.[2]

Notes
  1. Vaillant, Ludovic; Bataille, Céline (September 2012). "Management of radon: a review of ICRP recommendations" (PDF). Journal of Radiological Protection. 32 (3): R3. Bibcode:2012JRP....32R...1V. doi:10.1088/0952-4746/32/3/R1. PMID 22809956. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. Shapiro, Jacob (June 2002). Radiation Protection: A Guide for Scientists, Regulators, and Physicians (4th ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 444. ISBN 9780674007406. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  3. "NRC Regulations Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations Part 20.1003". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 16 September 2016.


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