Speaker
Description
Nigeria is one of the major crude oil producers in the world and it is the mainstay of its economy.The production of crude oil and gas are always associated with Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). They occur in produced water, sludge, scrapings, gas processing facilities etc. NORM can thus contaminate the environment and pose a risk to human health. Therefore,NORM must be properly managed in order to minimize exposure to the workers, public and the environment. This paper examines the NORM Regulations issued by the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority in 2008 and its implementation. Despite the Regulations being in place,there are still challenges. These challenges include but not limited to weak enforcement of the regulations, lack of clear regulatory guides on NORM control, accessibility to oil and gas locations, security, multiplicity of regulations, inadequate NORM monitoring service providers and others. There are opportunities for continuous improvement in the management of NORM in Nigeria especially through the International Atomic Energy Agency, experienced regulatory bodies and other relevant international organizations.
