Radioactive releases from Canadian nuclear power plants from 2001 to 2010 were “far below” the set limit for the release of radioactive substances from a licensed nuclear facility, the country’s regulator has said in a report published yesterday.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission said the report also confirms that public radiation doses were well below the one millisievert annual limit as set out in Canada’s radiation protection regulations.
The report provides an overview of radioactive material released from Canadian nuclear power plants into the environment, both through the atmosphere and nearby waterways.
The report includes graphs that show both gaseous and liquid effluent releases for each of Canada’s 18 commercially operational reactors. Gaseous release data include information on tritium in the form of tritium oxide (HTO), iodine-131, noble gases, radioactive particulate and carbon-14.
Liquid effluent release data provide information on tritium in the form of tritium oxide (HTO), gross beta-gamma activity and carbon-14.
In the case of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, airborne releases of elemental tritium (HT) are also given, because the plant includes a tritium removal facility.
