Advances in NORM management in Norway and the application of ICRP's 2007 recommendations.

In Norway, the largest reported quantities of radioactive discharges and radioactive waste containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) come from the oil and gas sector, and smaller quantities of other NORM waste are also produced by industrial or mining processes. The Gulen final repository for radioactive waste from the oil and gas industry from the Norwegian continental shelf was opened in 2008 and has a capacity of 6000 tonnes. As of 1 January 2011, a new regulation was enforced whereby radioactive waste and radioactive pollution was integrated in the Pollution Control Act from 1981. This means that radioactive waste and radioactive pollution are now regulated under the same legal framework as all other pollutants and hazardous wastes. The regulation establishes two sets of criteria defining radioactive waste: a lower value for when waste is considered to be radioactive waste, and a higher value, in most cases, for when this waste must be disposed of in a final waste repository. For example, waste containing ≥ 1 Bq/g of Ra-226 is defined as radioactive waste, while radioactive waste containing ≥ 10 Bq/g of Ra-226 must be disposed of in a final repository. Radioactive waste between 1 and 10B q/g can be handled and disposed of by waste companies who have a licence for handling hazardous waste according to the Pollution Control Act. Alternatively, they will need a separate licence for handling radioactive waste from the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. The goal of the new regulation is that all radioactive waste should be handled and stored in a safe manner, and discharges should be controlled through a licensing regime in order to avoid/not pose unnecessary risk to humans or the environment. This paper will elaborate on the new regulation of radioactive waste and the principles of NORM management in Norway in view of the International Commission on Radiological Protection's 2007 Recommendations.

Evaluation of the Norwegian campaign against the illegal spirits trade.

In 1993, a 21m NOK (3m US$) national campaign against trade with illegal spirits (homebrewed or smuggled) was launched in Norway. This article reports results of its evaluation study. Surveys covering the age range 16-80 were carried out just before the campaign started and 1 year later. Half of those responding at baseline as well as a new sample were surveyed after 1 year. While at baseline 48% reported to have drunk and 16% to have bought illegal spirits during the last 12 months, the corresponding figures after 1 year were 42 and 14%. Significant associations between being exposed to the campaign and reduced use and buying of illegal spirits were found. Further, use and buying of illegal spirits at baseline, and stopping to use and buy illegal spirits from baseline to follow-up were analyzed in bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the multivariate prediction of stopping to use illegal spirits, only behavioral norms and significant others' opinions (both measured at baseline) obtained significance.

Stair climbing and ability to work for paraplegics with complete lesions--a sixteen-year follow-up.

A 16-year follow-up study of 69 paraplegics with complete lesions from T1-L3 is presented. The intention was to reveal to what extent crutch walking proficiency was retained years after discharge and what benefits were derived by adept crutch walkers compared to wheelchair-bound patients. At follow-up 69 per cent claimed to use their applicances regularly. Fifty-nine per cent of those still alive were still working for a living. There was a statistical significance between intelligence and ability to work and ability to climb 20 standard stairs and to work. The authors mention several advantages which the well-trained crutch walker is endowed with compared to the wheelchair bound patient who has not been given adequate opportunity to attain optimal crutch ambulation proficiency.

Ambulation without wheelchairs for paraplegics with complete lesions.

Some salient features of the physical training programme for paraplegics at the State Rehabilitation Institute in Oslo are mentioned. A ten-year follow-up study of 42 clients with complete lesions (TI-L3) is presented. After an intensive physical training programme of some 10--15 weeks 74 per cent were able to climb and go down 20 standard stairs and 71 per cent were able to walk 100 metres indoors with crutches. The authors stress the importance of ambulations independent of wheelchairs whenever this is possible.