Environmental and safety aspects have the very highest priority when it
comes to both the operation of the existing GSI accelerators and plans for
FAIR.
When in operation an accelerator produces radiation. Therefore, scientists
are prohibited from being present in the accelerator tunnel or at the experimental
stations. Beyond that, extensive shielding measures prevent radiation from
reaching the outside.
For example, in the double ring accelerator, a thick concrete tube and the
underground arrangement guarantee such protection. The radiation level on
the surface will be small compared with the natural level of background
radiation that is always present in the environment.
Furthermore, plans call for the use of thick shields of concrete in the
design of the above-ground areas of the facility - as is the case at the existing
GSI facility. These will reduce the radiation below the natural level of
background.
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Finally, all plans and guidelines
for the shielding measures are being worked out by safety experts at GSI
and then reviewed by independent outside specialists. During the
operational phase, a monitoring system will continuously check the radiation
level inside and outside of the facility site - as is the case now at GSI.
Could anything dangerous happen if something at the facility malfunctioned?
No, because the accelerator would immediately shut down and beam operation
would be interrupted. No more radiation could be produced, and existing
radiation in the accelerator would quickly fall to insignificant levels.
More importantly, no radiation could reach the environment. Unlike a reactor,
an accelerator contains no radioactive inventory at all. For that reason,
neither the existing GSI accelerators nor the new project represent any
danger to the environment. |
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