The environmental considerations are taken into account by RWTDF to the utmost. That is why the monitoring system of the facility was installed. The purpose of this system is to ensure that the environmental impacts of the radioactive waste processing and storage on the site and any contamination caused by the work are detected in a timely manner. The sampling operations required for the measurements extend over the entire area of the site, and for water courses within a circle of 20 kms.

The environmental impacts and the environment monitoring system of Püspökszilágy RWTDF has been identified by the Discharge Control Regulations and the Environmental Regulations, which were issued as part of the formal operational documents and were submitted to the Middle-Danube Valley Environmental, Conservation and Water Inspectorate, and by the annual sampling program approved by the Middle-Hungarian Regional Institute of National Public Health and Medical Officer Services.

During normal operation of the facility, airborne or liquid radioactive discharge may only occur from the operations building and the storage building both situated within the controlled zone. The generated small amount of liquid waste is stored in sealed tanks; no discharge from these thanks occurred during the years.

The airborne discharge monitoring is carried out by emission measurements, with the use of a sampling unit installed into the ventilation stack. Under normal operational conditions, the discharge is minimal and can not be distinguished from the background values. The discharge from the storage building and the operational building is also monitored by monitoring devices installed in different locations along the prevailing wind direction.

So called reference levels, i.e. background values prior to the operation, were identified before commissioning for the most significant points of the environs (along the water courses and in the ground water) the disposal facility. The values supplied by the monitoring system are compared to these reference levels identified in 1976 – 77.

The environment monitoring operations of the facility are composed of work of several laboratories. The most essential basic measurements are carried out by the internal laboratory of RWTDF. The special measurements and the detection of hardly detectable isotopes in the environmental samples are undertaken by Hungarian laboratories of contracted partners, such as ATOMKI and OSSKI.

Vegetal and animal, soil, sediment/mud, aerosol, fall-out, surface water and ground water samples are collected on regular basis typically from 40 different sampling locations by the environment monitoring laboratory of the facility for the purpose of gamma-spectrometry measurement and total beta counting.

Samples taken from additional 30 ground water monitoring wells are analysed by ATOMKI, while the highly-sensitive testing of samples of vegetal, soil and animal origin, taken in the direct vicinity of the facility, are undertaken by OSSKI.

Nearly 600 samples (aerosol, vegetable, soil, fish, and surface/ground water) are taken annually from the surroundings of the facility. The results of nearly one thousand tests did not show any detectable deviation from the natural background values. This fact was also confirmed by control tests undertaken by competent authorities and independent institutes.

The radiological properties detected in the surroundings of the facility are recorded in a computer based national database.