Normcan

NORMCAN - a CCS Company, through its team of experienced radiation safety officers and professional engineers has been providing cradle to grave NORM management solutions to industry for the safe handling of radioactive materials since 1989. In 1997, Normcan opened Canada’s first and only ERCB licensed facility to manage NORM contaminated equipment and waste. This facility was specifically designed and built to store, decontaminate, process, classify and package NORM impacted wastes. In 2004, CCS opened Canada’s first licensed NORM salt cavern disposal facility followed in 2006 by Canada’s first and still only Licensed NORM Landfill. NORM impacted waste destined for disposal at these facilities are managed and authorized through CCS’s Normcan division. 

A combination of technical and practical experience has made Normcan the leader and trusted partner in providing safe, cost effective and environmentally responsible solutions for the management of radioactive materials.

What is NORM ? 

NORM” is the acronym for Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials. When the earth’s crust was formed these materials were dispersed throughout our environment in varying concentrations. Radioactive materials are inherently unstable atoms that break down over time. Although exposures to the public, workers or the environment may occur from radioactive materials under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, a greater exposure exists though the handling, management and control of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). NORM has been recognized as a potential hazard in industries that produce our natural resources. These include oil and gas, fertilizer, power generation (Coal Ash), water treatment, mining and industrial products manufacture (Refractory and Ceramics).

Radioactive materials including uranium and thorium are incorporated in the earth’s crust and form part of the earth’s natural background radiation. These radioactive materials exist in low concentrations in rock formations and generally pose little radiological concern. However, as part of industrial activities these radionuclides can be concentrated to levels that may pose a hazard to human health and the environment. As a result, special precautions are needed for handling, storing, transporting, and disposal of material, by-products, end-products or process equipment containing NORM

NORM radionuclides found in the Earth’s crust and of interest when producing our natural resources exist in two extremely long lived decay series – Uranium 238 and Thorium 232. The decay of these unstable radioactive elements produces other radionuclides in the subsurface environment. Concentration of the radionuclides within each decay series can occur during the production of natural resources or concentration of individual radionuclides can occur through partitioning from the parent radionuclide. For example, radium being soluble in water can transport with formation waters and concentrate in the form of scale inside process equipment or piping.

Thorium Decay Series
Uranium Decay Series

Hazards from these radionuclides and their progeny exist for workers, the environment and members of the public if not appropriately managed. While there is potential to exceed allowable external radiation doses as a result of large accumulation of NORM, in most cases, the radiological concern to workers is from the inhalation or ingestion of NORM materials. NORM hazards are easily mitigated and controlled through the implementation of a NORM Radiation Protection Plan (RPP).