ISO 18557-2017 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 18557:2017 — Characterisation principles for soils, buildings and infrastructures contaminated by radionuclides for remediation purposes. Provides principles and guidance for sampling strategies and characterization processes used to assess radiological contamination before remediation and to verify that remediation objectives (final release surveys) have been met.

Abstract

ISO 18557 presents guidelines for designing and implementing characterization programmes for sites, buildings and infrastructure contaminated by radionuclides. The standard addresses planning, sampling strategies, in situ and laboratory measurements, data handling and grading of effort according to site-specific factors (size, contamination level). It is intended as general guidance to be used alongside a country's regulatory and technical documentation and complements existing standards on sampling, sample preservation, transport, laboratory methods and in situ radiological measurements. The standard does not set prescriptive cleanup methods and excludes groundwater (saturated zone) characterization and the sampling/characterization of conditioned waste or waste packages.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed following systematic review).
• Publication date: 3 October 2017 (ISO edition 1, published); confirmed 21 April 2023.
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 13.020.40 (Pollution, pollution control and conservation); 27.120.30 (Fissile materials and nuclear fuel technology).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2017).
• Number of pages: 38.

Scope

ISO 18557 gives principles for the characterization of soils, buildings and infrastructures contaminated by radionuclides in support of remediation activities and final release surveys. It applies mainly to sites contaminated during the normal operation of older nuclear facilities and can also be applied after major radiological incidents (with inputs tailored to the accident). The standard is limited to characterization activities and does not cover execution of clean-up works, characterization of conditioned or unconditioned waste or waste packages, nor saturated-zone groundwater characterization. Guidance is intentionally non-prescriptive and should be graded to the specifics of each site.

Key topics and requirements

• Principles for designing sampling strategies and characterization programmes for soil, building and infrastructure contamination.
• Guidance on grading effort based on site size, contamination levels and remediation objectives.
• Recommendations for in situ radiological and chemical measurements and for laboratory sampling, preservation and transport.
• Data management, quality assurance and interpretation to support decision-making and final release surveys.
• Integration with national regulatory requirements and complementary standards (sampling, laboratory methods, radiological measurement techniques).
• Explicit exclusions: execution of cleanup, waste-package characterization, and saturated groundwater characterization.

Typical use and users

Used by remediation project managers, decommissioning teams, radiological protection specialists, environmental consultants, laboratory managers and regulatory authorities involved in planning and verifying remediation of sites, buildings or infrastructure contaminated by radionuclides. It supports tendering, baseline characterization, remediation planning, verification surveys and documentation of compliance with remediation objectives.

Related standards

Complements ISO standards and national/regional documents on radiological measurement and environmental sampling; commonly used alongside measurement and monitoring series such as the ISO 18589 series (measurement of radioactivity in the environment), and with technical guidance on sampling, sample preservation, transport and laboratory radiochemistry and instrumentation standards produced by ISO/TC 85 and related committees or regional adoptions (EN/BS/UNI adoptions).

Keywords

radiological characterization, radionuclides, remediation, decommissioning, soil contamination, building contamination, sampling strategy, in situ measurement, laboratory analysis, radiological survey, final release survey, ISO/TC 85

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 18557:2017 is an International Standard that provides principles and guidance for characterizing soils, buildings and infrastructure contaminated by radionuclides to support remediation and final release surveys.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers planning and grading characterization programmes, sampling strategies, in situ and laboratory measurement considerations, data handling and quality assurance for radiological contamination assessments. It does not prescribe cleanup methods and excludes groundwater saturated-zone characterization and waste-package characterization.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Remediation and decommissioning project teams, environmental and radiological consultants, laboratory and measurement specialists, site owners and regulatory authorities involved in radiological site assessment and verification.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: This edition (Edition 1, 2017) remains current; the publication was confirmed following a systematic review in April 2023.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is a standalone ISO International Standard produced under ISO/TC 85/SC 5 but is intended to be used together with other ISO standards addressing sampling, laboratory methods and radiological measurements (for example the ISO 18589 series).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Radiological characterization, radionuclides, remediation, decommissioning, sampling strategy, in situ measurement, final release survey.