Integration of exposure to natural radioactivity into LCA of construction materials with NORM - 2026_CDR_DICA_9

The LCA4NORM project aims to fully integrate Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) hazards into Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Closely tied to a holistic NORM management strategy, it seeks to embed NORM considerations into the LCA methodology, which evaluates environmental impacts across a product’s entire life cycle. For the first time, the project will include radioactivity assessment at all stages, acknowledging its interaction with other environmental factors rather than treating it as an isolated issue. To reach its objectives, LCA4NORM will build a solid knowledge base defining input data for NORM and associated contaminants. Existing Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and process databases will be reviewed to identify gaps, assess current methods against updated radiation protection standards, and integrate insights from past projects like RadoNorm. The project will also evaluate current LCA methods for radioactivity impact quantification, verifying assumptions and models.