Results of the European Commission MARINA II study: part I—general information and effects of discharges by the nuclear industry

• Published in: Journal of environmental radioactivity 2004, Vol.74 (1), p.243-254
• Main Authors: Betti, M., Aldave de las Heras, L., Janssens, A., Henrich, E., Hunter, G., Gerchikov, M., Dutton, M., van Weers, A.W., Nielsen, S., Simmonds, J., Bexon, A., Sazykina, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic radioactivity; Environmental Monitoring; Europe; Humans; marine environment; Nuclear discharges; Power Plants; Public Health; Radioactive Fallout - analysis; Radioactive Hazard Release; Tritium - analysis; Ukraine; Water Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis
• ISSN: 0265-931X; 1879-1700
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.01.022

From the collated data relevant to discharges by the nuclear industry, it results that the input of β activity (excluding Chernobyl fallout and tritium) into the OSPAR region decreased by a factor of 4 from 1986 to 1991, reaching by this date the same level as in the early 1950s. Over the same period the discharges of the α activity into the OSPAR region also decreased by a factor 3, the same trend has been seen also for tritium. Since 1986 the effective dose to members of the critical group in the vicinity of Sellafield and Cap de La Hague was consistently below the ICRP and EU limit of 1 mSv per year to members of the general public. The overall radiological impact from nuclear industry on the population of the European Union from the OSPAR area has decreased from 280 manSv y −1 in 1978 to 14 manSv y −1 in 2000.