HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 8/1

Adopted 25 February 1987, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention

RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

THE COMMISSION,

 

RECALLING Paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974 (Helsinki Convention), in which the Contracting Parties undertake to take all appropriate measures to control and minimize land-based pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area, and Paragraph 2 of Article 6, in which the Contracting Parties undertake to take all appropriate measures to control and strictly limit pollution by noxious substances and materials in accordance with Annex II of the Convention,

 

RECALLING ALSO Paragraph 3 of Article 16 of the Helsinki Convention, in which the Contracting Parties undertake directly, or when appropriate, through competent regional or other international organizations and other basis of the information and data acquired pursuant to Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 16, to cooperate in developing intercomparable observation methods, in performing baseline studies and in establishing complementary or joint programmes for monitoring,

NOTING the concern for the effects of radioactive substances on the environment, due to accidental or other releases,

 

NOTING FURTHER the decision by the Commission that the monitoring of radioactive substances be started in 1985 as a continuation of the previous work coordinated by IAEA,

DESIRING to protect the Baltic Sea against harmful effects to be possibly caused by radioactive substances,

HELCOM RECOMMEDTDATION

 

BEING MINDFULL of the need of reliable data on the radionuclides in the different compartments of the environments,

RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties to 

the Helsinki Convention that:

a)   each Baltic Sea State should have environmental stations on the sea or on the coast, and the Commission will be informed about the positions of the stations;

b) the list attached to this Recommendation (Annex 1) should be used as the basis for the environmental monitoring programme in all Baltic Sea States, bearing in mind that the list consists of minimum requirements, and that the voluntary measurements are also highly recommended as essential complementary information;

c) guidelines for the environmental monitoring programme prepared by experts and given by the Commission should be followed as detailed as possible including the guidelines for reporting of data;

d) the release data should be reported according to guidelines to be adopted later on by the Commission,

RECOMMENDS ALSO that the Baltic Sea States would report their data to the Commission by 1 June 1988 and thereafter once every year.

Annex 1

PROPOSAL FOR PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAMME FOR RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES TO BE CARRIED OUT IN THE BALTIC SEA IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE HELSINKI COMMISSION

I     Proposal for radionuclides to be included in the environmental monitoring programme of the Baltic Sea

A.	Water	Obligatory	Voluntary
		Radiocesium *)	H-3; Tc-99;
		Sr-90 **)	Pu-239,240; Am-241;
			Y -emitters
B.	Sediment	Y-emitters ***)	Sr-90; Pu-239,240;
			Am-241; natural
			radionuclides (e.g.
			Po-210)
C.	Fish	y-emitters ***)	Sr-90; natural
			radionuclides (e.g.
			Po-210)
D.	Aquatic plants	Y-emitters ***)	SR-90; Tc-99;
			Pu-239,240; Am-241;
			natural radionuclides
E.	Benthic animals	y-emitters ***)	Sr-90; Tc-99; natural

radionuclides (e.g. Po-210); Pu-239,240; Am-241

*) Cs-137 and Cs-134, if possible

**) regularly, on a carefully selected number of samples ***) K-40, Cs-137 and other y-emitters identified in the y-spectrum