According to the Articles 35 and 36 of the Euratom treaty each member state of the EU shall have the system of radiological monitoring which allows assessment of public exposure and present monitoring data to other states.
Requirements for radiological monitoring are given in the appropriate Lithuanian legislation. The basis for the monitoring system and procedures used is the Commission Recommendation of 8 June 2000 on the application of Article 36 of the Euratom Treaty concerning the monitoring of the levels of radioactivity in the environment for the purpose of assessing the exposure of the population as a whole. According to the recommendations of European Commission the appropriate order of the Minister of Environment and Minister of Health Care of the Republic of Lithuania was prepared and approved on October 7, 2002.
This order describes networks of state radiological monitoring, types of samples, frequency of measurements, treatment of data and their presentation to interested national institutions, public and European Commission, responsibilities of institutions.
According to the legislation Radiation Protection Centre performs state radiological monitoring of mixed diet, milk and drinking water. Measurements of ambient dose equivalent and radioactivity in precipitations are also performed. Environmental Protection Agency performs state radiological monitoring of surface water, sludge, air, and gamma dose rate, and State Food and Veterinary Service or its authorized institution – food of animal origin monitoring.
Monitoring of mixed diet is carried out with the aim of determination of activity concentrations of long lived artificial radionuclides Sr90 and Cs137. Measurements of radioactivity are also performed in local raw foodstuffs (milk, fish, potatoes, cabbages, cereal, wild berries and mushrooms).
Gross alpha, gross beta and tritium activity concentrations are determined in drinking water samples sampled from water supply systems and wells.Gross alpha and gross beta activity concentration in drinking water is determined with the aim of assessment of doses due to this source. According to Lithuanian legislation it shall be less than 0.1 mSv per year.
The whole Lithuanian territory is covered by the dense network of monitoring of mixed diet. Milk and drinking water are sampled every quarter at 7 points, meat and fish – twice per year, vegetables and cereal – at the end of summer, wild berries and mushrooms – during the season of their vegetation.
Milk, drinking water and cooked food are sampled in the sparse network in Vilnius each month.
Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant is possible a new source of contamination of radionuclides in Lithuania which will course additional exposure to the public. The amendment of state radiological monitoring legislation is made in order to evaluate the public exposure due to the influence of Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant. State radiological monitoring with 7 additional monitoring points in Vilnius region was extended.
