HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 18/1
This Recommendation supersedes HELCOM Recommendation 10/3.
Adopted 11 March 1997 having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention
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 Anne 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,
BEING MINDFUL of the need of reliable data on the radionuclides in the different compartments of the environment,
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 contained in the Guidelines for Monitoring of Radioactive Substances 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 Monitoring of Radioactive Substances prepared by experts and adopted by the Commission should be followed as detailed as possible including the guidelines for reporting of data;
d) the discharge data should be reported to the Commission according to the guidelines.
RECOMMENDS ALSO that the Baltic Sea States would report their data to the Commission once every year by 1 September.