Distribution of carbon 14 in the terrestrial environment close to French nuclear power plants
Résumé
For 10 years, 14C measurements have been performed around French nuclear power plant sites, both in zones influenced and zones not influenced by gaseous releases. Examining the results from these measurements in the terrestrial environment shows that the discharges have a very slight impact on the radiocarbon level (with a relative increase in the specific activity of the order of 3 Bq kg-1 C in the influenced areas). In correlation, there is a near-negligible increase in dose, on average less than 0.1 μSv yr -1, with reference to a dose from background radiation, which is of the order of 10 μSv yr-1. The δC13 values are very similar between the influenced zone and the non-influenced zone, with a mean of -27‰. The mean ΔC14 varies from 101‰ in the non-influenced zone to 123‰ in the influenced zone. Moreover, a general reduction in 14C concentration was found, with a time constant of the order of 95 years. The current level of 14C specific activity in terrestrial environment is estimated to be 242 ± 6 Bq kg-1 C. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mots clés
Earth atmosphere
Gas emissions
Nuclear power plants
Parameter estimation
Radioactivity measurement
Discharges
Nuclear power plant sites
Radiocarbon
Terrestrial environment
Carbon inorganic compounds
carbon 13
carbon 14
carbon isotope
nuclear power plant
radionuclide
spatial distribution
article
atmospheric pressure
controlled study
environmental radioactivity
France
nonhuman
radioactive contamination
Carbon Radioisotopes
Geography
Humans
Power Plants
Radiation Dosage
Radioactive Pollutants
Time Factors
Eurasia
Europe
Western Europe