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Levels of 14C in the Terrestrial Environment in the Vicinity of Two European Nuclear Power Plants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

åsa Magnusson ,
Kristina Stenström ,
Göran Skog ,
Diana Adliene ,
Gediminas Adlys ,
Ragnar Hellborg ,
Agata Olariu ,
Mohamad Zakaria ,
Christopher Rääf  and
Sören Mattsson
åsa Magnusson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Division of Nuclear Physics, Lund University, Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Kristina Stenström
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Division of Nuclear Physics, Lund University, Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Göran Skog
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Quaternary Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
Diana Adliene
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Kaunas Technological University, LT-3031 Kaunas, Lithuania
Gediminas Adlys
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Kaunas Technological University, LT-3031 Kaunas, Lithuania
Ragnar Hellborg
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Division of Nuclear Physics, Lund University, Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Agata Olariu
Affiliation:
National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, RO-76900 Bucharest, Romania
Mohamad Zakaria
Affiliation:
Department of Radiation Physics, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden
Christopher Rääf
Affiliation:
Department of Radiation Physics, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden
Sören Mattsson
Affiliation:
Department of Radiation Physics, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden
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Abstract

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Radiocarbon is produced in all types of nuclear reactors. Most of the 14C released into the environment is in the form of gaseous emissions. Recent data on the 14C concentration found in terrestrial samples taken in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Romania and Lithuania are presented. We found increased 14C levels in the surroundings of both power plants. At the Romanian power plant Cernavoda, we found excess levels of 14C in grass within a distance of about 1000 m, the highest 14C specific activity being 311 Bq/kg C (approximately 28% above the contemporary 14C background) found at a distance of 200 m from the point of release (nearest sampling location). At the Lithuanian power plant Ignalina, samples of willow, pine, and spruce showed a 14C excess of similar magnitude, while significantly higher values were found in moss samples. The samples were analyzed at the accelerator mass spectrometry facility in Lund, Sweden.

Type
Part II
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 46 , Issue 2: Proceedings of the 18th International Radiocarbon Conference (Part 2 of 2), Conference Editors: Nancy Beavan Athfield, Rodger J Sparks , 2004 , pp. 863 - 868
Copyright
Copyright © The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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