NUREG/CR-2907 Volume 26, Radioactive Effluents from Nuclear Power Plant - Annual Report 2020
ML23164A219 | |
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Issue date: | 06/30/2023 |
From: | Jennifer Davis, William Rautzen Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Oak Ridge Associated Universities |
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NUREG/CR-2907, Vol. 26 | |
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NUREG/CR-2907 Volume 26 Radioactive Effluents from Nuclear Power Plant Annual Report 2020 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
AVAILABILITY OF REFERENCE MATERIALS IN NRC PUBLICATIONS NRC Reference Material Non-NRC Reference Material As of November 1999, you may electronically access Documents available from public and special technical NUREG-series publications and other NRC records at the libraries include all open literature items, such as books, NRCs Library at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. Publicly journal articles, transactions, Federal Register notices, released records include, to name a few, NUREG-series Federal and State legislation, and congressional reports.
publications; Federal Register notices; applicant, licensee, Such documents as theses, dissertations, foreign reports and vendor documents and correspondence; NRC and translations, and non-NRC conference proceedings correspondence and internal memoranda; bulletins and may be purchased from their sponsoring organization.
information notices; inspection and investigative reports; licensee event reports; and Commission papers and their Copies of industry codes and standards used in a attachments. substantive manner in the NRC regulatory process are maintained at NRC publications in the NUREG series, NRC regulations, The NRC Technical Library and Title 10, Energy, in the Code of Federal Regulations Two White Flint North may also be purchased from one of these two sources: 11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852-2738
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doc-collections/nuregs are updated periodically and may DISCLAIMER: This report was prepared as an account of work differ from the last printed version. Although references to sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither the material found on a Web site bear the date the material U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any employee, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any was accessed, the material available on the date cited legal liability or responsibility for any third partys use, or the may subsequently be removed from the site. results of such use, of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this publication, or represents that its use by such third party would not infringe privately owned rights.
NUREG/CR-2907 Volume 26 Radioactive Effluents from Nuclear Power Plants Annual Report 2020 Manuscript Completed: June 2023 Date Published: June 2023 Prepared by:
J. Davis Oak Ridge Associated Universities 1299 Bethel Valley Road, SC-200, MS-21 Oak Ridge, TN 37830 William Rautzen, NRC Project Manager Zachary Gran, NRC Project Manager Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
ABSTRACT In 2020, there were 94 commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation at 55 sites in the United States (U.S.) regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Each year, each power reactor sends a report to the NRC that identifies the radioactive gaseous and liquid effluents discharged from the facility. In 2020, these effluent reports comprised about 10,000 pages of information, which described the radioactive materials discharged, as well as the resulting radiation doses to the general public. This report summarizes that information and presents the information in a format intended for both nuclear professionals and the general public.
The reader can use this report to quickly characterize the radioactive discharges from any U.S. NPP in 2020. The radioactive effluents from one reactor can be compared with other reactors. The results can also be compared with typical (or median) effluents for the industry, including short-term trends and long-term trends.
Reference information is included so the reader can compare the doses from NPP effluents with the doses that the general public receives from other sources of radiation, such as medical procedures, industrial devices, and naturally occurring radioactive materials in the environment.
Although all operating NPPs released some radioactive materials in 2020, all effluents discharged were within the NRCs and the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) public dose limits, and NRCs as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA) criteria.
Additionally, the doses from radioactive effluents were much less than the doses from other sources of natural radiation that are commonly considered safe. This indicates radioactive effluents from NPPs in 2020 had no significant impact on the health and safety of the public or the environment.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... ix ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................... xi 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.2 Scope ............................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 Source of Data ................................................................................................................. 1-5 1.4 Limitations of Data ........................................................................................................... 1-5 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA ................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Measuring Radioactivity in Radioactive Effluents ........................................................... 2-1 2.3 Dose Units and Limits ...................................................................................................... 2-3 2.4 Radiation Dose to the Public ........................................................................................... 2-4 2.5 Other Sources of Radiation Dose to the U.S. Population ............................................... 2-5 3 EFFLUENT DATA........................................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 Radioactive Materials in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents .................................................. 3-1 3.2 Short-Term Trend in Gaseous Effluents........................................................................ 3-38 3.3 Long-Term Trend in Gaseous Effluents ........................................................................ 3-42 3.4 Short-Term Trend in Liquid Effluents............................................................................. 3-43 3.5 Long-Term Trend in Liquid Effluents ............................................................................. 3-47 3.6 Radiation Doses from Gaseous and Liquid Effluents ................................................... 3-48 4
SUMMARY
................................................................................................................... 4-1 5 ERRATA....................................................................................................................... 5-1 6 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 6-1 7 GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................. 7-1 v
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 Sources of Radiation Exposure to the U.S. Population ......................................... 2-6 Figure 3-1 BWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases .................................3-19 Figure 3-2 BWR Gaseous Releases Iodine ......................................................................3-20 Figure 3-3 BWR Gaseous Releases Particulates .............................................................3-21 Figure 3-4 BWR Gaseous Releases Tritium .....................................................................3-22 Figure 3-5 BWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14 ...............................................................3-23 Figure 3-6 PWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases .................................3-24 Figure 3-7 PWR Gaseous Releases Iodine ......................................................................3-26 Figure 3-8 PWR Gaseous Releases Particulates .............................................................3-27 Figure 3-9 PWR Gaseous Releases Tritium .....................................................................3-28 Figure 3-10 PWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14 ...............................................................3-30 Figure 3-11 BWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products ..................................3-32 Figure 3-12 BWR Liquid Releases Tritium ..........................................................................3-33 Figure 3-13 PWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products ..................................3-34 Figure 3-14 PWR Liquid Releases Tritium ..........................................................................3-36 Figure 3-15 Long-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents .....................................3-42 Figure 3-16 Long-Term Trend in MFAP in Liquid Effluents .....................................................3-47 Figure 3-17 BWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose ................................3-55 Figure 3-18 PWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose ................................3-56 Figure 3-19 BWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose ........... 3-58 Figure 3-20 PWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose ........... 3-59 Figure 3-21 Median Maximum Annual Organ Dose, Gaseous Effluents 5-Year Trend, 2016-2020 ............................................................................................................3-61 Figure 3-22 Median Maximum Annual Dose, Liquid Effluents 5-Year Trend, 2016-2020 ..... 3-61 vii
LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1 Operating Nuclear Power Plants, 2020 ..................................................................1-2 Table 1-2 Permanently Shut Down Nuclear Power Plants, 2020 .......................................... 1-4 Table 1-3 Reactors for Which the NRC Has Normalized Data on a per Reactor Basis ........ 1-6 Table 2-1 Radionuclides in Gaseous Effluents.......................................................................2-2 Table 2-2 Radionuclides in Liquid Effluents............................................................................2-3 Table 3-1 BWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases, 2020......................... 3-2 Table 3-2 BWR Gaseous Releases Iodine, 2020 .............................................................. 3-3 Table 3-3 BWR Gaseous Releases Particulates, 2020 ..................................................... 3-4 Table 3-4 BWR Gaseous Releases Tritium, 2020 ............................................................. 3-5 Table 3-5 BWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14, 2020....................................................... 3-6 Table 3-6 PWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases, 2020......................... 3-7 Table 3-7 PWR Gaseous Releases Iodine, 2020 .............................................................. 3-9 Table 3-8 PWR Gaseous Releases Particulates, 2020 ...................................................3-10 Table 3-9 PWR Gaseous Releases Tritium, 2020 ...........................................................3-12 Table 3-10 PWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14, 2020.....................................................3-13 Table 3-11 BWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products, 2020 ........................3-14 Table 3-12 BWR Liquid Releases Tritium, 2020 ................................................................3-15 Table 3-13 PWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products, 2020 ........................3-16 Table 3-14 PWR Liquid Releases Tritium, 2020 ................................................................3-18 Table 3-15 Short-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents, BWRs, Curies (Ci) .... 3-39 Table 3-16 Short-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents, PWRs, Curies (Ci) .... 3-40 Table 3-17 Short-Term Trend in Mixed Fission and Activation Products in Liquid Effluents, BWRs, millicuries (mCi) ........................................................................3-44 Table 3-18 Short-Term Trend in Mixed Fission and Activation Products in Liquid Effluents, PWRs, millicuries (mCi) ........................................................................3-45 Table 3-19 BWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose, 2020 ......................3-51 Table 3-20 PWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose, 2020 ......................3-52 Table 3-21 BWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose, 2020 ......................................................................................................................3-53 Table 3-22 PWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose, 2020 ......................................................................................................................3-54 Table 5-1 Corrected Total Liquid Tritium Release, Curies (Ci) for Indian Point 2 and 3, 2014 - 2018 .............................................................................................................5-1 ix
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ALARA as low as is reasonably achievable ARERR Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report Bq becquerel BWR boiling-water reactor C-14 carbon-14 CFR Code of Federal Regulations Ci curie DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency GBq gigabecquerels H-3 tritium (hydrogen-3) mCi millicurie MFAP mixed fission and activation products MIMS Department of Energys Manifest Information Management System mrem millirem mSv millisievert NCRP National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements NPP nuclear power plant NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission ODCM Offsite Dose Calculation Manual PWR pressurized-water reactor RG Regulatory Guide SI International System of Units (abbreviation is from the French: Le Systme International dUnités)
Sv sievert U.S. United States USGS United States Geological Survey xi
1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose This report describes radioactive effluents for the 94 operating commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the United States (U.S.) during calendar year 2020. It is based on an extensive amount of information submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by the NPP licensees operating in the United States. The original information was submitted by the NPPs in their Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Reports (ARERRs) and comprises several thousand pages of data.
The individual plant ARERRs may be viewed in their entirety on the NRC Web site at:
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/tritium/plant-info.html.
The purpose of this report is to condense an extremely large volume of technical information into a few tables and figures from which the reader can quickly, if broadly, characterize the effluents from any operating U.S. NPP. These tables and figures are designed to provide easily understandable information for the public at large, while also providing experienced professionals with enough information to evaluate trends in industry performance and to identify potential performance issues for individual power plants. Those users wanting more extensive and detailed information are encouraged to retrieve the original ARERRs from the NRC Web site.
1.2 Scope The NRC uses the information on radioactive releases, along with other information collected during routine inspections of each facility, to ensure NPPs are operated safely within regulatory requirements. One of those requirements includes maintaining radiation doses from radioactive effluents as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA). Information on solid radioactive waste is not included in this report; however, data on solid radioactive waste shipped from NPPs is contained in each plants ARERR, and solid radioactive waste disposed in licensed waste disposal facilities is available from the Department of Energys (DOEs) Manifest Information Management System (MIMS) database at URL: https://mims.doe.gov/.
This report summarizes data from the 94 NPPs in commercial operation between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. The list of NPPs included in this report is provided in Table 1-1. During 2020, only two types of reactors were in commercial power operation in the United States:
- 1) boiling-water reactors (BWRs) and 2) pressurized-water reactors (PWRs). Nuclear reactors that are not used for commercial power production or are of an experimental design for research are not included in this list and are not included in this report.
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Table 1-1 Operating Nuclear Power Plants, 2020 Plant Name Type Full Plant Name Location Arkansas 1, 2 PWR Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO), Units 1, 2 London, AR Beaver Valley 1, 2 PWR Beaver Valley, Units 1, 2 Shippingport, PA Braidwood 1, 2 PWR Braidwood Generating Station, Units 1, 2 Braceville, IL Browns Ferry 1, 2, 3 BWR Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, 3 Athens, AL Brunswick 1, 2 BWR Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1, 2 Southport, NC Byron 1, 2 PWR Byron Generating Station, Units 1, 2 Byron, IL Callaway PWR Callaway Plant, Unit 1 Fulton, MO Calvert Cliffs 1, 2 PWR Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1, 2 Lusby, MD Catawba 1, 2 PWR Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2 York, SC Clinton BWR Clinton Power Station Clinton, IL Columbia BWR Columbia Station Benton County, WA Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station, Comanche Peak 1, 2 PWR Glen Rose, TX Units 1, 2 Cook 1, 2 PWR Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Bridgman, MI Cooper BWR Cooper Nuclear Station Brownville, NE Davis-Besse PWR Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1 Oak Harbor, OH Diablo Canyon 1, 2 PWR Diablo Canyon, Units 1, 2 Avila Beach, CA Dresden 2, 3 BWR Dresden Generating Station, Units 2, 3 Morris, IL Farley 1, 2 PWR Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Columbia, AL Fermi 2 BWR Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant Newport, MI FitzPatrick BWR James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant Scriba, NY Ginna PWR R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 Ontario, NY Grand Gulf BWR Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Port Gibson, MS Harris PWR Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 New Hill, NC Hatch 1, 2 BWR Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Baxley, GA Hope Creek BWR Hope Creek Generating Station, Unit 1 Hancocks Bridge, NJ Indian Point 3 PWR Indian Point Energy Center, Unit 3 Buchanan, NY LaSalle 1, 2 BWR LaSalle County Generating Station, Units 1, 2 Marseilles, IL Limerick 1, 2 BWR Limerick Generating Station, Units 1, 2 Limerick, PA McGuire 1, 2 PWR McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2 Huntersville, NC Millstone 2, 3 PWR Millstone Power Station, Units 2, 3 Waterford, CT Monticello BWR Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Monticello, MN Nine Mile Point 1, 2 BWR Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2 Scriba, NY (continued on the following page) 1-2
Table 1-1 Operating Nuclear Power Plants, 2020 (continued)
Plant Name Type Full Plant Name Location North Anna 1, 2 PWR North Anna Power Station, Units 1, 2 Louisa County, VA Oconee 1, 2, 3 PWR Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, 3 Seneca, SC Palisades PWR Palisades Nuclear Plant Covert, MI Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Palo Verde 1, 2, 3 PWR Wintersburg, AZ Units 1, 2, 3 Peach Bottom 2, 3 BWR Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2, 3 Delta, PA Perry BWR Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 Perry, OH Point Beach 1, 2 PWR Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Two Rivers, WI Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Prairie Island 1, 2 PWR Welch, MN Units 1, 2 Quad Cities 1, 2 BWR Quad Cities Generating Station, Units 1, 2 Cordova, IL River Bend BWR River Bend Station, Unit 1 St. Francisville, LA Robinson 2 PWR H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2 Hartsville, SC Salem 1, 2 PWR Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2 Hancocks Bridge, NJ Seabrook PWR Seabrook Station, Unit 1 Seabrook, NH Sequoyah 1, 2 PWR Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Soddy-Daisy, TN South Texas Project Electric Generating Station, South Texas 1, 2 PWR Bay City, TX Units 1, 2 St. Lucie 1, 2 PWR St. Lucie Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Jensen Beach, FL Summer PWR Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Jenkinsville, SC Surry 1, 2 PWR Surry Power Station, Units 1, 2 Surry, VA Susquehanna 1, 2 BWR Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1, 2 Salem Township, PA Turkey Point 3, 4 PWR Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 3, 4 Homestead, FL Vogtle 1, 2 PWR Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1, 2 Waynesboro, GA Waterford 3 PWR Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3 Killona, LA Watts Bar 1, 2 PWR Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 Spring City, TN Wolf Creek PWR Wolf Creek Generating Station, Unit 1 Burlington, KS 1-3
As noted, only nuclear power plants operating during the entire calendar year 2020 are included in this report. For clarity purposes, Table 1-2 contains a list of commercial power plants (BWRs and PWRs) that have permanently shut down and are not included in this report. These permanently shut down nuclear power plants are either in the process of decommissioning or have been decommissioned.
Table 1-2 Permanently Shut Down Nuclear Power Plants, 2020 Plant Name Type Full Plant Name Location Shut Down Big Rock Point BWR Big Rock Point Restoration Project Charlevoix, MI 08/29/1997 Crystal River 3 PWR Crystal River, Unit 3 Crystal River, FL 02/20/2013 Dresden 1* BWR Dresden Generating Station, Unit 1 Morris, IL 10/31/1978 Duane Arnold BWR Duane Arnold Energy Center Palo, IA 08/10/2020 Ft. Calhoun PWR Ft. Calhoun Station, Unit 1 Ft. Calhoun, NE 10/24/2016 Haddam Neck PWR Haddam Neck Nuclear Plant Site Haddam Neck, CT 12/05/1996 Humboldt Bay BWR Humboldt Bay Power Plant, Unit 3 Eureka, CA 07/02/1976 Indian Point 1* PWR Indian Point Energy Center, Unit 1 Buchanan, NY 10/31/1974 Indian Point 2* PWR Indian Point Energy Center, Unit 2 Buchanan, NY 04/30/2020 Kewaunee PWR Kewaunee Power Station Kewaunee, WI 05/07/2013 La Crosse BWR La Crosse Boiling-Water Reactor Genoa, WI 04/30/1987 Maine Yankee PWR Maine Yankee Bath, ME 12/06/1996 Millstone 1 PWR Millstone Power Station, Unit 1 Waterford, CT 07/21/1998 Oyster Creek BWR Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Forked River, NJ 09/17/2018 Pilgrim BWR Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1 Plymouth, MA 05/31/2019 Rancho Seco PWR Rancho Seco, Unit 1 Herald, CA 06/07/1989 San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, San Onofre 1 PWR San Clemente, CA 11/30/1992 Units 1 San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, San Onofre 2, 3 PWR San Clemente, CA 06/12/2013 Units 2, 3 Three Mile Island 1 PWR Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Middletown, PA 09/20/2019 Three Mile Island 2 PWR Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2 Middletown, PA 03/28/1979 Trojan PWR Trojan Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 Portland, OR 11/09/1992 Vermont Yankee BWR Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 Vernon, VT 12/29/2014 Yankee Rowe PWR Yankee Nuclear Power Station Franklin Co., MA 10/01/1991 Zion 1 PWR Zion Generating Station, Units 1 Warrenville, IL 02/21/1997 Zion 2 PWR Zion Generating Station, Units 2 Warrenville, IL 09/19/1996
- These reactor units have permanently shut down but are co-located on site with operating reactor units.
For these units, the licensee reported the sum of the effluents from operating and non-operating units in one report. Therefore, any potential effluents from the non-operating units are included in the release amounts for the operating units in this report.
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For a list of permanently shut down NRC-licensed power reactors and their current decommissioning status, visit the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/power-reactor. A more comprehensive list of other nuclear facilities (i.e.,
Complex Materials Sites, Research and Test Reactors, Uranium Recovery Sites, and Fuel Cycle Facilities) that are in the process of decommissioning can be obtained from the NRC Web site at:
https://www.nrc.gov/waste/decommissioning.html.
Please note that Figures 3-15 and 3-16, which depict the long-term trend of radioactive effluents, include effluent data only from reactors that were in commercial power operation for the full year for each of the years shown.
1.3 Source of Data Each nuclear power plant licensed by the NRC in the United States releases small amounts of radioactive materials to the environment. NRC regulations require each NPP to establish and maintain a program for monitoring radioactive effluents (per Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 50.36a (Ref. [1] ) and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I, Section IV.B) and to report these effluents to the NRC. In accordance with the regulatory framework, licensees submit their ARERRs to the NRC in a format outlined by Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.21 (Ref. [2] ), or an equivalent format.
The information included in this report was obtained from the licensees ARERRs. Individual licensee reports are available through the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland 20852, phone 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, and directly from the NRCs public Web site at:
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/tritium/plant-info.html.
1.4 Limitations of Data Some NPPs have more than one reactor located at a site. If the licensee reports data separately for each reactor unit, those data are included separately as reported by the licensee. Because some licensees operate more than one reactor on a site with a common radioactive waste processing system, these licensees report total effluents from the site instead of reporting the totals from each reactor. This complicates the task of presenting the effluent information in a manner that allows both (1) a direct comparison of one reactor with another, and (2) a direct comparison of each reactor with NRC ALARA criteria and regulations.
For purposes of this report, the data are reported on a per-reactor basis. For multi-reactor sites where the effluents are from a common radioactive waste system, the effluents are divided equally between the units unless additional detail is reported by the site. For example, Catawba Nuclear Station has two reactors (Unit 1 and Unit 2) with a common radioactive waste processing system. For this report, the total effluents for Catawba were split equally between Unit 1 and Unit 2. For other multi-reactor sites, the effluent activity is not always divided equally between the reactors. For example, in the case of Beaver Valley, the licensee reports gaseous effluents from four sources: Unit 1, Unit 2, a common plant vent, and a common building vent. In this case, the releases from the common vents are split equally between Unit 1 and Unit 2, and the totals for each reactor are then calculated. This method of splitting the data has been applied to radionuclide activity data and radiation dose data at some multi-reactor sites. The affected NPPs and the type of data affected are listed in Table 1-3.
Although there are other methods of reporting effluent data (e.g., on the basis of thermal or electrical power generation), the per reactor basis is most intuitive, is most directly comparable 1-5
with the NRC-required design objectives and limiting conditions for operation (i.e., referred to as ALARA criteria in this report), and is easily derived from the effluent data supplied by the licensee.
This approach satisfies a primary objective for this report which is to allow the reader to quickly formulate reasonable comparisons between reactors and the regulatory limits. It should be noted, however, that for some multi-reactor sites, the actual contributions from each reactor might be different than the equal distributions calculated with this approach, such as when a plant is undergoing a major or extended outage.
This report may include licensees corrections submitted to the NRC up to the time of publication of this report. If a licensee submits amended data after publication of this report, this report will not be updated. For the most current data, the reader should use the individual NPPs ARERRs which are available on the NRC Web site.
Table 1-3 Reactors for Which the NRC Has Normalized Data on a per Reactor Basis Boiling-Water Reactors Pressurized-Water R* D* R* D*
Browns Ferry 1, 2, 3 Beaver Valley 1, 2 Brunswick 1, 2 Braidwood 1, 2 LaSalle 1, 2 Calvert Cliffs 1, 2 Limerick 1, 2 Catawba 1, 2 Peach Bottom 2, 3 Comanche Peak 1, 2 Quad Cities 1, 2 Cook 1, 2 Susquehanna 1, 2 Diablo Canyon 1, 2 McGuire 1, 2 North Anna 1, 2 Oconee 1, 2, 3 Point Beach 1, 2 Prairie Island 1, 2 Sequoyah 1, 2 Surry 1, 2 Notes:
- R = Radionuclide Data, *D = Dose Data 1-6
2 DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA 2.1 Introduction Radioactive materials may be disposed of in one of three physical forms: solid, liquid, or gas. This report summarizes the release of radioactive materials in gaseous and liquid effluents from operating nuclear power plants. Note: Data on solid radioactive waste shipped from a nuclear power plant site is provided in each licensees ARERR, and data on solid waste disposed in licensed waste disposal facilities is available from the MIMS database at URL:
As described in Section 1.3, owners and operators of NPPs are required to report the release of radioactive effluents from their facilities to the NRC. The two basic characteristics most often used to describe radioactive effluents are the amount of radioactivity (curies or millicuries) and radiation dose (mrem). Radioactivity will be referred to as activity and radiation dose will simply be referred to as dose.
For this report, activity can be thought of as the amount of radioactive material present in radioactive effluents. The units for measuring activity are further described in Section 2.2. The activities of various radionuclides in radioactive effluents from NPPs are presented in Sections 3.1 through 3.5.
Although the amount of activity is an important, inherent characteristic that helps to describe radioactive effluents, it is notby itselfa good indicator of the potential health effects from exposure to the radiation. Health effects are dependent on many factors, such as the radionuclide, the activity of the radionuclide, the type of radiation emitted by the radionuclide, the energy of the radiation, the uptake of the radionuclide into the human body, and the metabolism of the radionuclide by the human body. To properly describe the potential health effects from exposure to radioactive materials, a combined measure of risk (i.e., dose) that accounts for all of these differences is needed.
The units for measuring dose (mrem) are described in more detail in Section 2.3. The methods and models for calculating dose from radioactive effluents are discussed in Section 2.4. The actual dose values due to radioactive effluents from NPPs are presented in Section 3.6.
Section 2.5 below describes radiation exposure to humans as originating from two primary sources; natural background radioactivity and man-made sources. The human body contains some natural radioactive materials such as radioactive carbon and radioactive potassium. Natural radioactive materials are also in rocks, in soil, in the air we breathe, and in the food we eat.
Cosmic radiation also contributes to radiation exposure from natural background radiation sources. As a result, humans have been exposed to radiation since the dawn of man. Over the last 100 years, man has developed new radioactive materials and new machines that create additional sources of radiation. These new sources include radioactive materials used in medicine, research, industry, and NPPs. Section 2.5 contains basic information on the doses received by the average member of the U.S. population each year from all sources of radiation, including NPPs.
2.2 Measuring Radioactivity in Radioactive Effluents Table 2-1 and Table 2-2 provide a list of both common radionuclides and the most significant radionuclides in gaseous and liquid effleunts. The list of common radionuclides is a more comprehensive list of radionudes in radioactive effluents, whereas the list of significant radionuclides identifies those radionuclides with the most potential radiological impact. In order to 2-1
present the gaseous and liquid effluent data from operating NPPs in a manner that is both useful and concise, only significant radionuclides are included in the tables and figures in this report.
Using the guidance in RG 1.21 (Ref. [2] ), licensees evaluate radionuclides that have either a significant activity or a significant dose contribution in NPP effluents. The radionuclides chosen for inclusion in this report are shown in Tables 2-1 and 2-2.
Activity is a measure of the number of atoms that transform (historically referred to as decay) in a given period of time and is reported in various units, normally either curies (Ci) or becquerels (Bq).
In the United States, the traditional unit for reporting activity is the Ci. One Ci is equal to 37,000,000,000 (37 billion) radioactive atoms transforming in one second. In this document, activity will be reported as curies and millicuries (mCi). A curie is equal to one thousand millicuries. In countries that have adopted the International System of Units (or SI units), activity is reported in units of Bq. One Bq is one atomic transformation per second. One curie equals 37,000,000,000 becquerels, which may be expressed in scientific notation as 3.7E+10 becquerels or 3.7 x 1010 becquerels. One curie is sometimes expressed as 37 gigabecquerels or simply 37 GBq.
One curie of cobalt-60 and one curie of hydrogen-3 (tritium) have the same activity; however, when an atom of cobalt-60 transforms, the atomic transformations typically produce one moderately energetic beta particle and two gamma rays. By contrast, when an atom of hydrogen-3 transforms, it emits a single, low-energy beta particle. Sensitive instruments can detect and measure the transformation products that are unique to each radionuclide. Cobalt and hydrogen are just two examples of elements that can be radioactive. Other examples are shown in Tables 2-1 and 2-2.
The reporting of radionuclides in gaseous and liquid wastes is commonly grouped into categories.
These categories are described in Tables 2-1 and 2-2 as noble gases, iodines, particulates, tritium, carbon, and gross alpha activity. Each category contains one or more radionuclides.
Table 2-1 Radionuclides in Gaseous Effluents Gaseous Effluent Category Common Radionuclides Significant Radionuclides Fission and Activation Gases Krypton (85, 85m, 87, 88) Kr-85 (sometimes referred to as Xenon (131, 131m, 133, 133m, Xe-133 Noble Gases) 135, 135m) Xe-135 Argon (41) All (Sections 3.2, 3.3, and 3.6)
Iodines Iodine (131, 132, 133, 134, 135) I-131 All (Section 3.6)
Particulates Cobalt (58, 60) Co-58 Cesium (134, 137) Co-60 Chromium (51) Cs-134 Manganese (54) Cs-137 Niobium (95) All (Section 3.6)
Tritium Hydrogen (3) H-3 Carbon Carbon (14) C-14 Gross Alpha Total alpha activity *Not Presented in this Report 2-2
- Gross alpha is rarely released in radioactive effluents, therefore, the following tables do not report alpha releases. For further information on alpha releases, please refer to the individual ARERRs.
The radionuclides listed in this report are the most significant radionuclides discharged from a site.
For example, although Table 2-1 lists 11 radionuclides in the category called fission and activation gases, only the three most significant radionuclides (Kr-85, Xe-133, and Xe-135) were selected for inclusion in Table 3-1 and Figure 3-1 for noble gas radionuclides. These three were chosen because these radionuclides are the most significant, are representative of the overall effluent releases, and because as their activities increase, the activities of other fission and activation gases typically increase as well. Conversely, if the activities of these three radionuclides are very low, the activities of other fission and activation gases also tend to be low. All noble gas radionuclides are included in Section 3.2, Short-Term Trend in Gaseous Effluents, Section 3.3, Long-Term Trend in Gaseous Effluents, and Section 3.6, Radiation Doses from Gaseous and Liquid Effluents.
Table 2-2 Radionuclides in Liquid Effluents Liquid Effluent Category Common Radionuclides Significant Radionuclides Mixed Fission and Iron (55) Fe-55 Activation Products Cobalt (58, 60) Co-58 Cesium (134, 137) Co-60 Chromium (51) Cs-134 Manganese (54) Cs-137 Zirconium (95) I-131 Niobium (95) All (Sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6)
Iodine (131, 133, 135)
Tritium Hydrogen (3) H-3 Dissolved and Entrained Krypton (85, 85m, 87, 88) Not Presented in this Report Noble Gases Xenon (131, 133, 133m, 135, 135m)
Gross Alpha Total alpha activity Not Presented in this Report Information related to the operation of plant systems (e.g., the effectiveness of waste processing equipment) can be inferred from the radionuclides present in radioactive effluents. Additionally, the ratios of the activities of radionuclides can provide insights into fuel integrity, radioactive waste system operation, and general radioactive waste handling practices at a site. The reader who is interested in seeing the activities of all radionuclides released from any particular NPP is encouraged to review the detailed, site-specific ARERRs provided on the NRC Web site.
Laboratory instruments are used to identify radionuclides and the amount of activity present in radioactive effluents. Although activity measures the rate of atomic transformations, it does not provide a direct measure of the potential health effects from exposure to radionuclides. When discussing potential health effects, the concept of dose is used. Radiation dose is discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.
2.3 Dose Units and Limits Radiation dose is a measure of the amount of radiation absorbed by the human body and its biological impact. The traditional unit for reporting radiation dose in the United States is the rem.
Small exposures are often reported as millirem (mrem) or as fractions of a mrem. One thousand mrem equals one rem. Other countries report radiation dose in units of sieverts (Sv). One sievert 2-3
equals 100 rem. One millirem equals 0.00001 sievert or 0.01 millisievert (mSv). The number 0.00001 can be represented in scientific notation as 1 x 10-5 or 1E-05.
Radioactive effluents discharged from NPPs are controlled by regulations. NRC regulations (10 CFR 20.1301) require licensees to conduct operations so that the annual dose to individual members of the public does not exceed 100 mrem (1 millisievert) (Ref. [3] ). In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established environmental radiation protection standards for nuclear power operations such that the annual dose to any member of the public does not exceed 25 mrem to the whole body, 75 mrem to the thyroid, and 25 mrem to any other organ.
Typically, the median dose from radioactive effluents to members of the public is so low that the radionuclides and the dose in the environment cannot be measured directly. Section 2.4 below describes how radiation dose to the public is calculated based on the measurements of radioactive effluents at the point of release from the plant.
2.4 Radiation Dose to the Public Licensees are required by 10 CFR 50.36a to establish Technical Specifications which require that operating procedures for the control of effluents be established and followed, and that the radioactive waste system be maintained and used to keep average annual effluent releases at small percentages of the public dose limits (Ref. [1] ). The Technical Specifications establish the licensees Radioactive Effluent Controls Program and the Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program, which are used to ensure plant operations keep radioactive effluent releases ALARA and meet the ALARA criteria in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I (Ref. [1] ). The ALARA criteria are established as a small fraction (typically about 3 percent) of the NRC safety limits for dose to members of the public.
The licensee is required to keep levels of radioactive material in effluents ALARA, even under unusual operating conditions. The ALARA criteria are design objectives and limiting conditions for operation, not safety limits. If releases ever exceed design objectives, the licensee is required to take corrective actions to ensure the plant systems are functioning as designed and to report this information to the NRC.
The plants license includes Technical Specifications which require licensees to establish a Radioactive Effluent Controls Program in the Offsite Dose Calculation Manual (ODCM) (or equivalent), and to control radioactive effluents in a manner such as to keep doses to members of the public from radioactive effluents ALARA. The methods of determining dose are described in the licensees ODCM. The ODCMs are available through the NRC Public Document Room. Any changes to the ODCM are reported to the NRC and are provided in the licensees ARERR. The licensees Technical Specifications also require that an ARERR be submitted to the NRC on an annual basis.
The ODCM contains both the offsite dose calculation methodologies and a Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program. Those dose calculations are based on:
- actual measurements of the radioactive materials discharged to the unrestricted area;
- how radionuclides are dispersed and diluted in the environment;
- how radionuclides are incorporated into animals, plants, and soil; and
- biokinetic models of human uptake and metabolism of radioactive materials.
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The dose calculation models are designed to calculate the dose either to a real individual close to the NPP or conservatively to a hypothetical individual exposed to the highest concentrations of radioactive materials from radioactive effluents. This person is often referred to as the maximum exposed individual (or maximum exposed hypothetical individual). The parameters and assumptions used in these dose calculations typically include conservative assumptions that tend to overestimate the dose. As a result, the actual doses received by real individuals are often much less than those calculated for the hypothetical individual. Guidance for these calculations is provided in NRC RG 1.109 (Ref. [4] ).
The doses calculated by a licensee are reported in the NPPs ARERRs. Summaries of these calculated doses are provided in this report in Tables 3-19 through 3-22, and are shown graphically in Figures 3-17 through 3-22.
2.5 Other Sources of Radiation Dose to the U.S. Population In Section 2.4, doses from radioactive effluents to maximally exposed (real or hypothetical) individuals living very close to a NPP were discussed. This section discusses the doses that the average American typically receives each year from naturally occurring background radiation and all other sources of radiation. With the information presented in this section, the reader can compare the doses received from NPP effluents with the doses received from natural, medical, and other sources of radiation. This comparison provides some context to the concept of radiation dose effects.
In March 2009, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) published Report No. 160 as an update to the 1987 NCRP Report No. 93, Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United States (Refs. [5] , [6] ). NCRP Report No. 160 describes the doses to the U.S. population from all sources of ionizing radiation for 2006, the most recent data available at the time the NCRP report was written. The NCRP report also includes information on the variability of those doses from one individual to another. The NCRP estimated that the average person in the United States receives about 620 mrem of radiation dose each year from all sources (i.e., both natural background radiation and man-made radiation sources).
NCRP Report No. 160 describes each of the sources of radiation that contribute to this dose, including:
- naturally occurring sources (natural background) such as cosmic radiation from space, terrestrial radiation from radioactive materials in the earth, and naturally occurring radioactive materials in the food people eat and in the air people breathe;
- medical sources from diagnosis and treatment of health disorders using radioactive pharmaceuticals and radiation-producing equipment;
- consumer products (such as household smoke detectors);
- industrial processes, security devices, educational tools, and research activities; and
- exposure of workers that result from their occupations.
Figure 2-1 is a pie chart showing the relative contributions of these sources of radiation to the dose received by the average person. Larger contributors to dose are represented by proportionally larger slices of the pie. Doses to the public from NPPs is extremely small and cannot be seen in comparison to other sources of radiation. Doses to the public from NPPs are 2-5
included in the industrial category; while doses to occupational workers from nuclear power generation are included in the category of occupational dose.
Doses to the public due to effluents from NPPs are less than 0.1 percent (one-tenth of one percent) of what that member of the public receives each year from all sources of radiation. Doses to workers from occupational exposures, including those received from work at NPPs, also are less than 0.1 percent of the dose to members of the public from all sources.
Figure 2-1 Sources of Radiation Exposure to the U.S. Population The chart above shows the contribution of various sources of exposure to the total collective dose and the total dose per individual in the U.S. population for 2006. Values have been rounded to the nearest 1%, except for those <1% [less than 1%]. Credit: Modification to image courtesy of National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
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3 EFFLUENT DATA 3.1 Radioactive Materials in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents The amount of activity from the most significant radionuclides discharged in gaseous and liquid effluents in 2020 are shown in Tables 3-1 through 3-14. The data from these tables are illustrated graphically in Figures 3-1 through 3-14. The tables and figures are organized by the two types of reactors used in the United States: boiling-water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized-water reactors (PWRs). The tables and figures are further subdivided into gaseous and liquid effluents. Finally, the data are subdivided into the radionuclide categories (common radionuclides and significant radionuclides) as listed in Tables 2-1 and 2-2. These tables and figures allow a detailed comparison of each reactors effluents with other reactors of the same type.
The amount of activity (curies) discharged from the most significant radionuclides are included in the tables and graphs in Section 3.1. In addition, the radiation dose from all radionuclides discharged from the reactors is included in Section 3.6, Radiation Doses from Gaseous and Liquid Effluents.
For comparison between plants, median values are included in some tables and figures. The median is the midpoint of the data such that half of the power plants will have greater activity and dose values than the median plant and half of the power plants will have values equal to or lower than the median plant. The use of a median value is a method of estimating a central or typical value while avoiding bias caused by extremely high or low values in the data set. All operating nuclear plant reactors are included when calculating the medians, even those reactors for which no measurable release of a particular radionuclide is reported.
All licensees are required to have and use sensitive radioactive effluent measurement capabilities.
Many times, radioactive effluent releases are so low in concentration that a release cannot be detected. If no value is listed for a particular radionuclide in a table, it is because the licensee reported that the radionuclide was not detected. Blanks in data fields are generally used instead of zeros in order to make the tables and figures easier for the reader to quickly identify the positive values.
On the following pages, the tables are presented first. The facilities discharging the most activity are shown near the top of each table, while the facilities discharging the least activity are shown toward the bottom of each table. The median value is shown in the middle of each data set. Tables with information on more than one radionuclide are listed by the total activity per reactor, in descending order.
The figures are shown following the tables. The facilities discharging the most activity of the selected radionuclides are shown near the top of the figure, while the facilities discharging the least activity of the radionuclides are shown toward the bottom of each figure. The median value is shown in the middle of each data set.
Figures with information on more than one radionuclide are listed by the total activity per reactor, in descending order of activity. Figures with information on more than one radionuclide are shown in multi-colored graphs (e.g., Figure 3-1). In figures with multi-colored graphs, the total activity of the selected radionuclides is shown on the right side of the graph, while the relative contribution of each radionuclide to the total activity is shown on the left side of the graph. The relative contributions of each nuclide are shownin multiple colorsas a percent of the total activity. A multi-colored graph allows the reader to compare not only the activity but also the relative amounts of significant radionuclides released by the various reactors. Multi-colored graphs contain two 3-1
separate scales of measurement. The total activity is shown on a logarithmic scale, while the radionuclide percentages of the total activity are shown on a linear scale.
Table 3-1 BWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity BWR Facility Kr-85 (Ci) Xe-133 (Ci) Xe-135 (Ci) Total (Ci)
River Bend 4.20E+03 5.84E+01 4.26E+03 Grand Gulf 7.39E+01 6.84E+01 1.42E+02 Brunswick 1 7.05E+01 4.67E+01 1.17E+02 Brunswick 2 7.05E+01 4.67E+01 1.17E+02 Monticello 4.88E+01 1.06E+01 5.94E+01 LaSalle 1 2.45E+01 2.45E+01 LaSalle 2 2.45E+01 2.45E+01 Limerick 1 5.79E-01 1.38E+01 7.96E+00 2.24E+01 Limerick 2 5.79E-01 1.38E+01 7.96E+00 2.24E+01 Peach Bottom 2 1.27E+01 5.04E+00 1.77E+01 Peach Bottom 3 1.27E+01 5.04E+00 1.77E+01 Nine Mile Point 2 1.03E+01 5.52E+00 1.58E+01 FitzPatrick 6.68E+00 5.32E+00 1.20E+01 Dresden 2 6.00E+00 4.00E+00 1.00E+01 BWR Median Release 0.00E+00 5.68E+00 5.05E-01 6.41E+00 Quad Cities 1 5.68E+00 7.31E-01 6.41E+00 Quad Cities 2 5.68E+00 7.31E-01 6.41E+00 Browns Ferry 1 3.87E+00 5.05E-01 4.37E+00 Browns Ferry 2 3.87E+00 5.05E-01 4.37E+00 Browns Ferry 3 3.87E+00 5.05E-01 4.37E+00 Cooper 1.08E-01 1.62E+00 1.73E+00 Dresden 3 1.10E+00 4.75E-01 1.58E+00 Perry 4.02E-01 4.02E-01 Fermi 2 1.02E-02 1.02E-02 Clinton Columbia Hatch 1 Hatch 2 Hope Creek Nine Mile Point 1 Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 3-2
Table 3-2 BWR Gaseous Releases Iodine, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity BWR Facility I-131 (Ci) BWR Facility I-131 (Ci)
Brunswick 1 2.45E-02 BWR Median Release 2.44E-04 Brunswick 2 2.45E-02 Browns Ferry 1 2.44E-04 River Bend 1.95E-02 Browns Ferry 2 2.44E-04 LaSalle 1 4.40E-03 Browns Ferry 3 2.44E-04 LaSalle 2 4.40E-03 Nine Mile Point 2 1.17E-04 Fermi 2 4.32E-03 Hope Creek 1.01E-04 Monticello 2.71E-03 Cooper 8.27E-05 Limerick 1 1.30E-03 Columbia 7.07E-05 Limerick 2 1.30E-03 Quad Cities 1 5.12E-05 Dresden 2 1.03E-03 Quad Cities 2 5.12E-05 FitzPatrick 6.08E-04 Hatch 2 2.26E-05 Grand Gulf 5.75E-04 Nine Mile Point 1 1.18E-05 Peach Bottom 2 2.90E-04 Hatch 1 8.24E-06 Peach Bottom 3 2.90E-04 Susquehanna 1 1.93E-06 Dresden 3 2.57E-04 Susquehanna 2 1.93E-06 Clinton 1.12E-06 Perry 3-3
Table 3-3 BWR Gaseous Releases Particulates, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity BWR Facility Co-58 (Ci) Co-60 (Ci) Cs-134 (Ci) Cs-137 (Ci) Total (Ci)
Fermi 2 7.35E-03 7.35E-03 Nine Mile Point 1 1.02E-03 2.25E-03 1.25E-04 3.39E-03 Nine Mile Point 2 3.15E-03 3.15E-03 Quad Cities 1 8.10E-06 4.68E-04 3.32E-06 4.79E-04 Quad Cities 2 8.10E-06 4.68E-04 3.32E-06 4.79E-04 Dresden 2 7.01E-06 3.83E-04 3.90E-04 Brunswick 1 7.07E-05 1.72E-04 4.98E-06 1.29E-05 2.60E-04 Brunswick 2 7.07E-05 1.72E-04 4.98E-06 1.29E-05 2.60E-04 Browns Ferry 1 4.29E-06 1.48E-04 1.52E-04 Browns Ferry 2 4.29E-06 1.48E-04 1.52E-04 Browns Ferry 3 4.29E-06 1.48E-04 1.52E-04 Monticello 5.38E-05 9.54E-07 9.45E-05 1.49E-04 Cooper 6.69E-06 1.24E-04 2.48E-06 1.34E-04 Dresden 3 1.58E-06 1.13E-04 1.15E-04 BWR Median Release 1.58E-06 7.69E-05 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 8.56E-05 LaSalle 1 8.56E-05 8.56E-05 LaSalle 2 8.56E-05 8.56E-05 Columbia 7.69E-05 7.69E-05 River Bend 1.97E-05 5.51E-05 7.47E-05 Hope Creek 2.38E-05 4.08E-05 6.46E-05 Peach Bottom 2 6.15E-06 3.67E-05 1.73E-07 4.30E-05 Peach Bottom 3 6.15E-06 3.67E-05 1.73E-07 4.30E-05 FitzPatrick 3.42E-06 2.96E-05 3.30E-05 Grand Gulf 1.10E-05 1.83E-05 2.92E-05 Susquehanna 1 2.06E-05 2.06E-05 Susquehanna 2 2.06E-05 2.06E-05 Clinton 9.35E-06 9.35E-06 Hatch 1 1.65E-08 4.35E-06 7.89E-09 4.38E-06 Limerick 1 4.20E-06 4.20E-06 Limerick 2 4.20E-06 4.20E-06 Hatch 2 4.68E-08 6.85E-07 7.89E-09 7.40E-07 Perry 3-4
Table 3-4 BWR Gaseous Releases Tritium, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity BWR Facility H-3 (Ci) BWR Facility H-3 (Ci)
Browns Ferry 1 1.61E+02 BWR Median Release 4.16E+01 Browns Ferry 2 1.61E+02 Quad Cities 1 4.16E+01 Browns Ferry 3 1.61E+02 Quad Cities 2 4.16E+01 Hope Creek 1.60E+02 Peach Bottom 2 4.11E+01 Fermi 2 9.18E+01 Peach Bottom 3 4.11E+01 Nine Mile Point 2 8.81E+01 Nine Mile Point 1 2.96E+01 Brunswick 1 7.56E+01 Clinton 2.69E+01 Brunswick 2 7.56E+01 Columbia 2.48E+01 Susquehanna 1 7.00E+01 Dresden 2 2.38E+01 Susquehanna 2 7.00E+01 Perry 1.82E+01 Hatch 1 4.43E+01 River Bend 1.73E+01 LaSalle 1 4.32E+01 Monticello 1.68E+01 LaSalle 2 4.32E+01 Limerick 1 1.63E+01 Hatch 2 4.25E+01 Limerick 2 1.63E+01 Grand Gulf 1.52E+01 FitzPatrick 1.43E+01 Cooper 1.25E+01 Dresden 3 7.50E+00 3-5
Table 3-5 BWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity BWR Facility C-14 (Ci) BWR Facility C-14 (Ci)
Susquehanna 1 2.26E+01 BWR Median Release 1.69E+01 Susquehanna 2 2.26E+01 Columbia 1.69E+01 Peach Bottom 2 1.92E+01 Dresden 2 1.65E+01 Peach Bottom 3 1.92E+01 Dresden 3 1.55E+01 Perry 1.88E+01 Quad Cities 1 1.46E+01 Nine Mile Point 2 1.82E+01 Quad Cities 2 1.46E+01 Hope Creek 1.81E+01 Hatch 1 1.42E+01 Limerick 1 1.78E+01 Hatch 2 1.42E+01 Limerick 2 1.78E+01 Cooper 1.10E+01 Browns Ferry 1 1.75E+01 River Bend 1.10E+01 Browns Ferry 2 1.75E+01 Fermi 2 1.09E+01 Browns Ferry 3 1.75E+01 Brunswick 1 1.08E+01 LaSalle 1 1.75E+01 Brunswick 2 1.08E+01 LaSalle 2 1.75E+01 FitzPatrick 9.73E+00 Clinton 1.73E+01 Grand Gulf 9.72E+00 Nine Mile Point 1 9.36E+00 Monticello 8.01E+00 3-6
Table 3-6 PWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity PWR Facility Kr-85 (Ci) Xe-133 (Ci) Xe-135 (Ci) Total (Ci)
Vogtle 1 2.50E+02 1.46E-01 2.50E+02 Wolf Creek 1.42E-01 3.75E+01 1.04E+01 4.81E+01 Watts Bar 1 1.21E-06 1.83E+01 2.01E+00 2.03E+01 Oconee 1 3.68E+00 4.08E-03 3.68E+00 Oconee 2 3.68E+00 4.08E-03 3.68E+00 Oconee 3 3.68E+00 4.08E-03 3.68E+00 Byron 1 3.11E+00 1.97E-03 3.11E+00 Catawba 1 4.84E-02 4.44E-01 2.56E+00 3.05E+00 Catawba 2 4.84E-02 4.44E-01 2.56E+00 3.05E+00 Watts Bar 2 2.36E+00 1.77E-01 2.54E+00 Palisades 2.73E-02 1.41E+00 1.03E+00 2.47E+00 South Texas 2 2.11E+00 2.11E+00 Harris 1.04E+00 1.04E+00 Millstone 3 7.70E-01 2.42E-03 1.80E-02 7.90E-01 St. Lucie 2 6.50E-01 2.62E-03 6.53E-01 South Texas 1 6.41E-01 6.41E-01 Summer 1.49E-02 3.65E-01 3.79E-01 Calvert Cliffs 1 3.33E-01 2.55E-03 3.35E-01 Calvert Cliffs 2 3.33E-01 2.55E-03 3.35E-01 Byron 2 2.30E-01 1.88E-03 2.32E-01 Ginna 2.20E-01 2.20E-01 Beaver Valley 1 5.69E-02 1.47E-01 2.04E-01 Beaver Valley 2 5.69E-02 1.47E-01 2.04E-01 Point Beach 1 1.88E-01 4.96E-03 1.93E-01 Point Beach 2 1.88E-01 4.96E-03 1.93E-01 Millstone 2 2.93E-03 1.76E-01 3.94E-03 1.83E-01 Waterford 3 1.68E-01 2.31E-03 1.70E-01 Salem 1 1.06E-01 3.15E-02 1.37E-01 Sequoyah 1 1.10E-01 4.87E-03 1.15E-01 Sequoyah 2 1.10E-01 4.87E-03 1.15E-01 Davis-Besse 9.57E-02 6.95E-03 1.03E-01 (continued on the following page) 3-7
Table 3-6 PWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases, 2020 (continued)
Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity PWR Facility Kr-85 (Ci) Xe-133 (Ci) Xe-135 (Ci) Total (Ci)
PWR Median Release 2.73E-02 8.92E-02 4.08E-03 1.01E-01 McGuire 1 8.91E-02 1.19E-02 1.01E-01 McGuire 2 8.91E-02 1.19E-02 1.01E-01 Cook 1 4.04E-02 5.02E-02 8.49E-03 9.91E-02 Cook 2 4.04E-02 5.02E-02 8.49E-03 9.91E-02 Vogtle 2 9.68E-02 9.68E-02 St. Lucie 1 9.24E-02 2.76E-04 9.27E-02 Palo Verde 1 8.92E-02 2.28E-04 8.95E-02 Surry 1 8.15E-02 5.46E-04 8.20E-02 Surry 2 8.15E-02 5.46E-04 8.20E-02 North Anna 1 6.59E-02 1.66E-03 6.76E-02 North Anna 2 6.59E-02 1.66E-03 6.76E-02 Palo Verde 2 4.46E-02 4.46E-02 Robinson 2 3.17E-02 8.70E-03 4.04E-02 Braidwood 1 3.58E-02 3.33E-03 3.91E-02 Braidwood 2 3.58E-02 3.33E-03 3.91E-02 Salem 2 3.12E-02 4.66E-03 3.59E-02 Indian Point 3 3.40E-02 1.01E-04 3.41E-02 Palo Verde 3 3.31E-02 5.18E-04 3.36E-02 Diablo Canyon 1 3.04E-02 1.67E-03 3.21E-02 Diablo Canyon 2 3.04E-02 1.67E-03 3.21E-02 Comanche Peak 1 4.38E-03 1.56E-02 3.84E-03 2.38E-02 Comanche Peak 2 4.38E-03 1.56E-02 3.84E-03 2.38E-02 Turkey Point 3 1.84E-02 3.70E-05 1.85E-02 Turkey Point 4 1.84E-02 3.70E-05 1.85E-02 Seabrook 2.93E-03 4.93E-03 7.86E-03 Farley 2 4.59E-03 5.16E-05 4.64E-03 Callaway 2.42E-03 2.42E-03 Prairie Island 1 6.45E-04 8.18E-05 7.26E-04 Prairie Island 2 6.45E-04 8.18E-05 7.26E-04 Farley 1 3.31E-04 3.31E-04 Arkansas 1 1.32E-04 1.32E-04 Arkansas 2 3-8
Table 3-7 PWR Gaseous Releases Iodine, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity PWR Facility I-131 (Ci) PWR Facility I-131 (Ci)
Davis-Besse 5.59E-03 PWR Median Release 0.00E+00 Vogtle 1 8.63E-04 Arkansas 1 Braidwood 1 7.37E-04 Arkansas 2 Braidwood 2 7.37E-04 Beaver Valley 1 Vogtle 2 1.12E-04 Beaver Valley 2 Palisades 1.07E-04 Byron 1 Oconee 1 3.00E-05 Callaway Oconee 2 3.00E-05 Calvert Cliffs 1 Oconee 3 3.00E-05 Calvert Cliffs 2 Millstone 2 1.88E-05 Catawba 1 Palo Verde 2 1.80E-05 Catawba 2 Palo Verde 1 1.48E-05 Comanche Peak 1 St. Lucie 2 4.87E-06 Comanche Peak 2 Cook 1 3.72E-06 Diablo Canyon 1 Cook 2 3.72E-06 Diablo Canyon 2 Summer 3.32E-06 Farley 2 South Texas 1 2.70E-06 Harris Watts Bar 1 2.36E-06 Indian Point 3 Watts Bar 2 2.32E-06 McGuire 1 Byron 2 1.48E-06 McGuire 2 Seabrook 1.15E-06 Millstone 3 Point Beach 1 9.75E-07 Palo Verde 3 Point Beach 2 9.75E-07 Prairie Island 1 Robinson 2 9.74E-07 Prairie Island 2 St. Lucie 1 4.43E-07 Salem 1 Ginna 1.07E-07 Salem 2 Farley 1 1.03E-07 Sequoyah 1 North Anna 1 3.58E-09 Sequoyah 2 North Anna 2 3.58E-09 South Texas 2 Surry 1 Surry 2 Turkey Point 3 Turkey Point 4 Waterford 3 Wolf Creek 3-9
Table 3-8 PWR Gaseous Releases Particulates, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity PWR Facility Co-58 (Ci) Co-60 (Ci) Cs-134 (Ci) Cs-137 (Ci) Total (Ci)
Wolf Creek 1.04E-02 1.04E-02 1.04E-02 1.04E-02 4.17E-02 St. Lucie 1 9.34E-04 9.34E-04 Palo Verde 2 2.41E-04 2.31E-04 4.73E-04 South Texas 1 2.09E-04 8.05E-05 2.89E-04 Beaver Valley 2 1.94E-04 2.37E-05 2.18E-04 Millstone 3 8.68E-05 3.58E-05 1.23E-04 Palisades 8.99E-05 1.24E-05 1.20E-06 1.04E-04 Turkey Point 4 8.11E-05 2.21E-05 1.03E-04 Byron 1 5.18E-06 7.89E-05 8.41E-05 Byron 2 1.56E-05 5.02E-05 6.58E-05 Palo Verde 1 1.51E-05 2.51E-05 4.02E-05 Surry 1 3.61E-05 2.09E-06 8.35E-09 3.81E-05 Surry 2 3.61E-05 2.09E-06 8.35E-09 3.81E-05 Robinson 2 2.57E-05 2.26E-06 2.79E-05 Cook 1 2.16E-05 5.60E-06 2.72E-05 Cook 2 2.16E-05 5.60E-06 2.72E-05 Turkey Point 3 2.51E-05 2.23E-07 2.53E-05 Watts Bar 1 1.62E-05 8.86E-06 2.51E-05 Watts Bar 2 1.62E-05 8.86E-06 2.51E-05 Salem 1 1.57E-05 1.57E-05 Palo Verde 3 1.45E-05 1.45E-05 Diablo Canyon 1 5.95E-06 7.10E-06 1.31E-05 Diablo Canyon 2 5.95E-06 7.10E-06 1.31E-05 Seabrook 1.10E-05 1.10E-05 St. Lucie 2 6.87E-08 1.14E-07 7.91E-06 8.09E-06 Millstone 2 1.57E-06 3.17E-06 7.78E-08 4.82E-06 Waterford 3 3.97E-07 2.66E-06 3.05E-07 3.36E-06 Beaver Valley 1 3.33E-06 3.33E-06 North Anna 1 5.50E-07 1.64E-06 2.19E-06 North Anna 2 5.50E-07 1.64E-06 2.19E-06 (continued on the following page) 3-10
Table 3-8 PWR Gaseous Releases Particulates, 2020 (continued)
Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity PWR Facility Co-58 (Ci) Co-60 (Ci) Cs-134 (Ci) Cs-137 (Ci) Total (Ci)
PWR Median Release 5.44E-07 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 9.59E-07 Point Beach 1 5.66E-07 3.93E-07 9.59E-07 Point Beach 2 5.66E-07 3.93E-07 9.59E-07 Salem 2 9.42E-07 9.42E-07 Vogtle 1 9.26E-07 9.26E-07 Vogtle 2 8.08E-07 8.08E-07 Farley 2 5.44E-07 1.22E-07 6.66E-07 Arkansas 1 3.09E-09 3.09E-09 Arkansas 2 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 Callaway Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Davis-Besse Farley 1 Ginna Harris Indian Point 3 McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Prairie Island 1 Prairie Island 2 Sequoyah 1 Sequoyah 2 South Texas 2 Summer 3-11
Table 3-9 PWR Gaseous Releases Tritium, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity PWR Facility H-3 (Ci) PWR Facility H-3 (Ci)
Palo Verde 1 9.80E+02 PWR Median Release 3.49E+01 Palo Verde 3 5.93E+02 Oconee 1 3.49E+01 Palo Verde 2 5.58E+02 Oconee 2 3.49E+01 Salem 1 2.93E+02 Oconee 3 3.49E+01 Salem 2 1.43E+02 Arkansas 2 3.27E+01 Harris 1.17E+02 Davis-Besse 3.15E+01 Ginna 1.05E+02 Diablo Canyon 1 2.18E+01 Watts Bar 1 9.50E+01 Diablo Canyon 2 2.18E+01 Catawba 1 9.49E+01 Surry 1 2.14E+01 Catawba 2 9.49E+01 Surry 2 2.14E+01 Beaver Valley 2 8.35E+01 Watts Bar 2 1.81E+01 Seabrook 7.65E+01 Farley 2 1.75E+01 South Texas 1 7.44E+01 Arkansas 1 1.69E+01 South Texas 2 6.48E+01 Farley 1 1.58E+01 McGuire 1 5.48E+01 Palisades 1.40E+01 McGuire 2 5.48E+01 Indian Point 3 1.38E+01 Vogtle 2 5.47E+01 Prairie Island 1 1.38E+01 Waterford 3 5.02E+01 Prairie Island 2 1.38E+01 Millstone 3 4.59E+01 North Anna 1 1.12E+01 Vogtle 1 4.49E+01 North Anna 2 1.12E+01 St. Lucie 2 4.37E+01 Comanche Peak 1 1.11E+01 Point Beach 1 4.35E+01 Comanche Peak 2 1.11E+01 Point Beach 2 4.35E+01 Robinson 2 1.06E+01 Cook 1 4.32E+01 Byron 1 9.91E+00 Cook 2 4.32E+01 Millstone 2 9.14E+00 Wolf Creek 4.25E+01 Turkey Point 3 8.14E+00 Braidwood 1 4.14E+01 Beaver Valley 1 7.70E+00 Braidwood 2 4.14E+01 Calvert Cliffs 1 4.34E+00 Byron 2 3.82E+01 Calvert Cliffs 2 4.34E+00 Callaway 3.69E+01 Sequoyah 1 3.47E+00 Sequoyah 2 3.47E+00 Turkey Point 4 2.88E+00 Summer 1.82E+00 St. Lucie 1 1.51E+00 3-12
Table 3-10 PWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity PWR Facility C-14 (Ci) PWR Facility C-14 (Ci)
North Anna 1 1.39E+01 PWR Median Release 9.56E+00 North Anna 2 1.39E+01 Surry 1 9.56E+00 Comanche Peak 1 1.26E+01 Surry 2 9.56E+00 Comanche Peak 2 1.26E+01 Farley 1 9.28E+00 Seabrook 1.21E+01 Farley 2 9.28E+00 Vogtle 1 1.21E+01 Beaver Valley 2 9.27E+00 Vogtle 2 1.21E+01 Beaver Valley 1 9.24E+00 St. Lucie 1 1.16E+01 Summer 9.08E+00 Sequoyah 1 1.13E+01 Millstone 2 9.00E+00 Sequoyah 2 1.13E+01 Harris 8.75E+00 Indian Point 3 1.10E+01 Arkansas 1 8.58E+00 Millstone 3 1.07E+01 Palisades 8.33E+00 Wolf Creek 1.07E+01 Robinson 2 8.20E+00 St. Lucie 2 1.05E+01 Salem 1 8.15E+00 Catawba 1 1.04E+01 South Texas 1 7.32E+00 Catawba 2 1.04E+01 South Texas 2 7.32E+00 Watts Bar 1 1.04E+01 Oconee 1 7.02E+00 Arkansas 2 1.03E+01 Oconee 2 7.02E+00 Salem 2 1.03E+01 Oconee 3 7.02E+00 McGuire 1 1.02E+01 Ginna 6.80E+00 McGuire 2 1.02E+01 Turkey Point 3 6.27E+00 Calvert Cliffs 1 1.01E+01 Point Beach 1 5.90E+00 Calvert Cliffs 2 1.01E+01 Turkey Point 4 5.90E+00 Cook 1 1.01E+01 Point Beach 2 5.86E+00 Cook 2 1.01E+01 Prairie Island 1 5.29E+00 Waterford 3 1.01E+01 Prairie Island 2 5.29E+00 Diablo Canyon 1 9.86E+00 Byron 1 4.54E+00 Diablo Canyon 2 9.86E+00 Palo Verde 1 4.52E+00 Callaway 9.59E+00 Palo Verde 2 4.52E+00 Watts Bar 2 9.58E+00 Palo Verde 3 4.52E+00 Byron 2 4.37E+00 Braidwood 1 4.27E+00 Braidwood 2 4.27E+00 Davis-Besse 3.63E+00 3-13
Table 3-11 BWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity Co-58 Co-60 Cs-134 Cs-137 Fe-55 I-131 Total BWR Facility (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci)
Hope Creek 2.06E-02 9.68E-02 1.66E-02 1.81E-02 3.02E-07 1.52E-01 Grand Gulf 3.92E-04 2.92E-03 7.00E-04 7.99E-04 6.93E-03 8.07E-05 1.18E-02 Cooper 1.55E-05 8.82E-03 6.74E-04 9.51E-03 Browns Ferry 1 3.61E-04 7.04E-03 7.30E-04 7.56E-04 8.88E-03 Browns Ferry 2 3.61E-04 7.04E-03 7.30E-04 7.56E-04 8.88E-03 Browns Ferry 3 3.61E-04 7.04E-03 7.30E-04 7.56E-04 8.88E-03 River Bend 2.41E-06 5.78E-03 1.05E-05 2.34E-05 2.45E-05 5.84E-03 Susquehanna 1 1.34E-03 4.32E-03 5.66E-03 Susquehanna 2 1.34E-03 4.32E-03 5.66E-03 Peach Bottom 2 7.07E-06 3.56E-03 7.75E-07 3.57E-03 Peach Bottom 3 7.07E-06 3.56E-03 7.75E-07 3.57E-03 Brunswick 1 2.43E-05 2.67E-06 1.46E-05 1.60E-03 1.64E-03 Brunswick 2 2.43E-05 2.67E-06 1.46E-05 1.60E-03 1.64E-03 Quad Cities 1 4.32E-04 5.20E-04 1.78E-04 1.13E-03 Quad Cities 2 4.32E-04 5.20E-04 1.78E-04 1.13E-03 BWR Median 2.41E-06 3.10E-04 0.00E+00 7.75E-07 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 8.98E-04 Release Hatch 1 7.42E-05 5.84E-04 8.48E-05 1.54E-04 8.98E-04 Perry 2.52E-06 3.43E-04 3.78E-04 7.24E-04 Hatch 2 1.87E-05 3.10E-04 2.57E-05 3.54E-04 Limerick 1 1.64E-05 1.71E-04 1.87E-04 Limerick 2 1.64E-05 1.71E-04 1.87E-04 Clinton Columbia Dresden 2 Dresden 3 Fermi 2 FitzPatrick LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Monticello Nine Mile Point 1 Nine Mile Point 2 3-14
Table 3-12 BWR Liquid Releases Tritium, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity BWR Facility H-3 (Ci) BWR Facility H-3 (Ci)
Grand Gulf 8.50E+01 BWR Median Release 1.77E+00 Hatch 2 6.45E+01 Limerick 1 1.77E+00 River Bend 5.08E+01 Limerick 2 1.77E+00 Brunswick 1 3.89E+01 Quad Cities 1 3.53E-01 Brunswick 2 3.89E+01 Quad Cities 2 3.53E-01 Hope Creek 3.83E+01 FitzPatrick 1.31E-01 Hatch 1 2.98E+01 Perry 8.99E-03 Browns Ferry 1 1.61E+01 Dresden 2 6.72E-03 Browns Ferry 2 1.61E+01 Dresden 3 6.72E-03 Browns Ferry 3 1.61E+01 Clinton Susquehanna 1 1.59E+01 Columbia Susquehanna 2 1.59E+01 Fermi 2 Cooper 5.84E+00 LaSalle 1 Peach Bottom 2 4.37E+00 LaSalle 2 Peach Bottom 3 4.37E+00 Monticello Nine Mile Point 1 Nine Mile Point 2 3-15
Table 3-13 PWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity Co-58 Co-60 Cs-134 Cs-137 Fe-55 I-131 Total PWR Facility (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci)
Millstone 3 2.93E-04 1.99E-05 3.69E-02 3.72E-02 Beaver Valley 1 1.20E-02 1.27E-02 3.20E-04 7.56E-03 3.26E-02 Beaver Valley 2 1.20E-02 1.27E-02 3.20E-04 7.56E-03 3.26E-02 Byron 1 1.44E-02 7.07E-03 6.40E-06 5.83E-04 3.19E-03 2.53E-02 Byron 2 1.44E-02 7.07E-03 6.40E-06 5.83E-04 3.19E-03 2.53E-02 Vogtle 2 1.03E-02 8.79E-03 3.22E-05 5.76E-03 2.86E-05 2.49E-02 Turkey Point 3 1.55E-02 8.30E-04 2.39E-03 4.28E-03 2.29E-04 2.32E-02 Turkey Point 4 1.55E-02 8.30E-04 2.39E-03 4.28E-03 2.29E-04 2.32E-02 Braidwood 1 1.03E-02 6.66E-03 3.66E-03 2.06E-02 Braidwood 2 1.03E-02 6.66E-03 3.66E-03 2.06E-02 Arkansas 1 9.31E-03 6.10E-03 4.43E-04 2.06E-03 3.07E-04 1.82E-02 Callaway 1.28E-03 1.36E-02 3.99E-04 1.53E-02 Robinson 2 5.55E-03 5.95E-04 7.77E-03 1.39E-02 Vogtle 1 5.01E-03 3.95E-03 2.12E-08 3.45E-04 4.04E-03 4.57E-05 1.34E-02 Indian Point 3 1.83E-03 5.03E-03 1.63E-03 4.79E-03 1.33E-02 Salem 1 9.38E-03 1.48E-03 1.63E-04 1.10E-02 Waterford 3 2.31E-03 3.33E-03 1.43E-03 3.57E-03 1.06E-02 Seabrook 6.34E-03 6.22E-04 2.03E-06 3.20E-03 1.02E-02 Catawba 1 1.06E-03 6.00E-03 1.60E-05 8.73E-04 7.94E-03 Catawba 2 1.06E-03 6.00E-03 1.60E-05 8.73E-04 7.94E-03 St. Lucie 1 9.44E-04 6.64E-03 7.48E-05 4.55E-05 7.70E-03 St. Lucie 2 9.44E-04 6.64E-03 7.48E-05 4.55E-05 7.70E-03 Salem 2 4.07E-03 3.36E-03 1.26E-05 1.22E-04 7.57E-03 McGuire 1 2.06E-03 2.91E-03 5.85E-04 6.22E-04 6.18E-03 McGuire 2 2.06E-03 2.91E-03 5.85E-04 6.22E-04 6.18E-03 Sequoyah 1 2.19E-03 3.06E-03 1.02E-05 5.26E-03 Sequoyah 2 2.19E-03 3.06E-03 1.02E-05 5.26E-03 Prairie Island 1 5.60E-04 5.75E-04 3.99E-03 5.13E-03 Prairie Island 2 5.60E-04 5.75E-04 3.99E-03 5.13E-03 Arkansas 2 1.48E-04 3.29E-04 3.96E-03 4.43E-03 Farley 2 1.25E-03 2.69E-03 1.10E-06 3.92E-04 4.33E-03 (continued on the following page) 3-16
Table 3-13 PWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products, 2020 (continued)
Shown in Descending Order of Total Activity Co-58 Co-60 Cs-134 Cs-137 Fe-55 I-131 Total PWR Facility (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci) (Ci)
PWR Median 1.06E-03 1.29E-03 0.00E+00 2.46E-05 1.43E-04 0.00E+00 3.64E-03 Release Farley 1 6.20E-04 2.49E-03 2.11E-05 5.03E-04 3.64E-03 Cook 1 5.13E-04 3.10E-03 1.02E-06 3.51E-07 3.61E-03 Cook 2 5.13E-04 3.10E-03 1.02E-06 3.51E-07 3.61E-03 Palisades 1.74E-03 1.31E-03 2.26E-04 3.28E-03 Point Beach 1 1.30E-03 1.39E-03 3.53E-05 2.28E-04 2.95E-03 Point Beach 2 1.30E-03 1.39E-03 3.53E-05 2.28E-04 2.95E-03 Davis-Besse 6.94E-05 1.06E-05 8.37E-06 2.80E-03 2.89E-03 South Texas 2 1.33E-04 1.68E-03 1.41E-05 9.91E-04 2.82E-03 Surry 1 1.48E-03 7.21E-04 4.14E-07 5.62E-04 2.57E-06 2.77E-03 Surry 2 1.48E-03 7.21E-04 4.14E-07 5.62E-04 2.57E-06 2.77E-03 Harris 3.35E-04 1.68E-03 5.62E-05 3.49E-04 2.42E-03 Calvert Cliffs 1 5.94E-04 8.51E-04 2.65E-04 1.32E-04 1.84E-03 Calvert Cliffs 2 5.94E-04 8.51E-04 2.65E-04 1.32E-04 1.84E-03 North Anna 1 1.18E-03 5.00E-04 1.63E-04 1.84E-03 North Anna 2 1.18E-03 5.00E-04 1.63E-04 1.84E-03 Watts Bar 1 4.60E-04 1.28E-03 1.74E-03 Watts Bar 2 4.60E-04 1.28E-03 1.74E-03 Summer 1.24E-04 1.29E-03 4.82E-06 1.42E-03 South Texas 1 2.73E-04 6.10E-04 0.00E+00 5.00E-04 1.38E-03 Diablo Canyon 1 1.30E-04 7.21E-04 4.23E-08 2.82E-05 1.43E-04 1.02E-03 Diablo Canyon 2 1.30E-04 7.21E-04 4.23E-08 2.82E-05 1.43E-04 1.02E-03 Wolf Creek 3.85E-04 1.09E-04 7.05E-05 5.64E-04 Comanche Peak 1 1.67E-04 1.38E-04 3.05E-04 Comanche Peak 2 1.67E-04 1.38E-04 3.05E-04 Ginna 2.24E-04 9.28E-06 2.33E-04 Oconee 1 6.04E-05 6.04E-05 Oconee 2 6.04E-05 6.04E-05 Oconee 3 6.04E-05 6.04E-05 Millstone 2 3.11E-05 1.78E-05 4.89E-05 Palo Verde 1 0.00E+00 Palo Verde 2 0.00E+00 Palo Verde 3 0.00E+00 3-17
Table 3-14 PWR Liquid Releases Tritium, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Activity PWR Facility H-3 (Ci) PWR Facility H-3 (Ci)
Watts Bar 1 5.99E+03 PWR Median Release 6.37E+02 Millstone 3 1.64E+03 Salem 1 6.37E+02 Callaway 1.46E+03 Calvert Cliffs 1 6.21E+02 Byron 1 1.41E+03 Calvert Cliffs 2 6.21E+02 Byron 2 1.41E+03 Salem 2 6.11E+02 Diablo Canyon 1 1.39E+03 Robinson 2 5.97E+02 Diablo Canyon 2 1.39E+03 Summer 5.87E+02 Wolf Creek 1.39E+03 McGuire 1 5.85E+02 Comanche Peak 1 1.37E+03 McGuire 2 5.85E+02 Comanche Peak 2 1.37E+03 Prairie Island 1 5.34E+02 Cook 1 1.32E+03 Prairie Island 2 5.34E+02 Cook 2 1.32E+03 Farley 1 5.29E+02 Watts Bar 2 1.14E+03 Indian Point 3 5.14E+02 Vogtle 2 1.13E+03 Arkansas 1 4.36E+02 Waterford 3 1.09E+03 Arkansas 2 4.31E+02 Braidwood 1 9.55E+02 Surry 1 4.19E+02 Braidwood 2 9.55E+02 Surry 2 4.19E+02 North Anna 1 9.13E+02 Point Beach 1 4.12E+02 North Anna 2 9.13E+02 Point Beach 2 4.12E+02 South Texas 1 8.75E+02 Oconee 1 3.39E+02 Seabrook 8.70E+02 Oconee 2 3.39E+02 Palisades 8.22E+02 Oconee 3 3.39E+02 Vogtle 1 7.54E+02 Millstone 2 3.26E+02 Turkey Point 3 7.51E+02 Ginna 3.14E+02 Turkey Point 4 7.51E+02 Beaver Valley 1 2.49E+02 South Texas 2 7.34E+02 Beaver Valley 2 2.49E+02 Farley 2 7.30E+02 Harris 2.10E+02 Sequoyah 1 7.26E+02 Davis-Besse 2.04E+02 Sequoyah 2 7.26E+02 St. Lucie 1 1.79E+02 Catawba 1 7.20E+02 St. Lucie 2 1.79E+02 Catawba 2 7.20E+02 Palo Verde 1 Palo Verde 2 Palo Verde 3 3-18
River Bend Grand Gulf Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Monticello LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 Nine Mile Point 2 FitzPatrick Dresden 2 BWR*
Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 Cooper Dresden 3 Perry Fermi 2 Clinton Columbia Hatch 1 Hatch 2 Hope Creek Kr-85 Xe-133 Nine Mile Point 1 Xe-135 Susquehanna 1 Total Activity Susquehanna 2 Released 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0.001 0.010 0.100 1 10 100 1,000 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- BWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-1 BWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases 3-19
Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 River Bend LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Fermi 2 Monticello Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Dresden 2 FitzPatrick Grand Gulf Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 Dresden 3 BWR Median Release Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 Nine Mile Point 2 Hope Creek Cooper Columbia Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 Hatch 2 Nine Mile Point 1 Hatch 1 Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Clinton I-131 Perry 1E-7 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-2 BWR Gaseous Releases Iodine 3-20
Fermi 2 Nine Mile Point 1 Nine Mile Point 2 Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 Dresden 2 Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 Monticello Cooper Dresden 3 BWR*
LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Columbia River Bend Hope Creek Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 FitzPatrick Grand Gulf Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Clinton Hatch 1 Co-58 Co-60 Limerick 1 Cs-134 Limerick 2 Cs-137 Hatch 2 Total Activity Released Perry 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 1E-11 1E-9 1E-7 1E-5 1E-3 1E-1 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- BWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-3 BWR Gaseous Releases Particulates 3-21
Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 Hope Creek Fermi 2 Nine Mile Point 2 Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Hatch 1 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Hatch 2 BWR Median Release Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 Nine Mile Point 1 Clinton Columbia Dresden 2 Perry River Bend Monticello Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Grand Gulf FitzPatrick Cooper H-3 Dresden 3 0.010 0.100 1 10 100 1,000 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-4 BWR Gaseous Releases Tritium 3-22
Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 Perry Nine Mile Point 2 Hope Creek Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Clinton BWR Median Release Columbia Dresden 2 Dresden 3 Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 Hatch 1 Hatch 2 Cooper River Bend Fermi 2 Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 FitzPatrick Grand Gulf Nine Mile Point 1 C-14 Monticello 1 10 100 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-5 BWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14 3-23
Vogtle 1 Wolf Creek Watts Bar 1 Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Byron 1 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 Watts Bar 2 Palisades South Texas 2 Harris Millstone 3 St. Lucie 2 South Texas 1 Summer Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Byron 2 Ginna Beaver Valley 1 Beaver Valley 2 Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Millstone 2 Waterford 3 Salem 1 Sequoyah 1 Kr-85 Xe-133 Sequoyah 2 Xe-135 Davis-Besse Total Activity Released PWR*
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 1E-7 1E-5 1E-3 1E-1 1E+1 1E+3 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- PWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-6 PWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases (continued on the following page) 3-24
PWR*
McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Vogtle 2 St. Lucie 1 Palo Verde 1 Surry 1 Surry 2 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 Palo Verde 2 Robinson 2 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 Salem 2 Indian Point 3 Palo Verde 3 Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Turkey Point 3 Turkey Point 4 Seabrook Farley 2 Callaway Prairie Island 1 Kr-85 Prairie Island 2 Xe-133 Farley 1 Xe-135 Arkansas 1 Total Activity Released Arkansas 2 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 1E-7 1E-5 1E-3 1E-1 1E+1 1E+3 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- PWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-6 PWR Gaseous Releases Fission and Activation Gases (continued) 3-25
Davis-Besse Vogtle 1 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 Vogtle 2 Palisades Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Millstone 2 Palo Verde 2 Palo Verde 1 St. Lucie 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Summer South Texas 1 Watts Bar 1 Watts Bar 2 Byron 2 Seabrook Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Robinson 2 St. Lucie 1 Ginna Farley 1 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 I-131 PWR Median Release 1E-10 1E-7 1E-4 1E-1 1E+2 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Note: See Table 3-7 for list of nuclear power plants with no releases of iodine reported.
Figure 3-7 PWR Gaseous Releases Iodine 3-26
Wolf Creek St. Lucie 1 Palo Verde 2 South Texas 1 Beaver Valley 2 Millstone 3 Palisades Turkey Point 4 Byron 1 Byron 2 Palo Verde 1 Surry 1 Surry 2 Robinson 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Turkey Point 3 Watts Bar 1 Watts Bar 2 Salem 1 Palo Verde 3 Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Seabrook St. Lucie 2 Millstone 2 Waterford 3 Beaver Valley 1 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 PWR* Co-58 Point Beach 1 Co-60 Point Beach 2 Cs-134 Salem 2 Vogtle 1 Cs-137 Vogtle 2 Total Activity Released Farley 2 Arkansas 1 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 1E-111E-10 1E-9 1E-8 1E-7 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Note: See Table 3-8 for list of nuclear power plants with no releases of selected particulates reported.
- PWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-8 PWR Gaseous Releases Particulates 3-27
Palo Verde 1 Palo Verde 3 Palo Verde 2 Salem 1 Salem 2 Harris Ginna Watts Bar 1 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 Beaver Valley 2 Seabrook South Texas 1 South Texas 2 McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Vogtle 2 Waterford 3 Millstone 3 Vogtle 1 St. Lucie 2 Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Wolf Creek Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 Byron 2 Callaway H-3 PWR Median Release 0.001 0.010 0.100 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-9 PWR Gaseous Releases Tritium (continued on the following page) 3-28
PWR Median Release Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Arkansas 2 Davis-Besse Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Surry 1 Surry 2 Watts Bar 2 Farley 2 Arkansas 1 Farley 1 Palisades Indian Point 3 Prairie Island 1 Prairie Island 2 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Robinson 2 Byron 1 Millstone 2 Turkey Point 3 Beaver Valley 1 Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Sequoyah 1 Sequoyah 2 Turkey Point 4 Summer H-3 St. Lucie 1 0.001 0.010 0.100 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-9 PWR Gaseous Releases Tritium (continued) 3-29
North Anna 1 North Anna 2 Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Seabrook Vogtle 1 Vogtle 2 St. Lucie 1 Sequoyah 1 Sequoyah 2 Indian Point 3 Millstone 3 Wolf Creek St. Lucie 2 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 Watts Bar 1 Arkansas 2 Salem 2 McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Waterford 3 Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Callaway Watts Bar 2 C-14 PWR Median Release 0.0001 0.0010 0.0100 0.1000 1 10 100 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-10 PWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14 (continued on the following page) 3-30
PWR Median Release Surry 1 Surry 2 Farley 1 Farley 2 Beaver Valley 2 Beaver Valley 1 Summer Millstone 2 Harris Arkansas 1 Palisades Robinson 2 Salem 1 South Texas 1 South Texas 2 Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Ginna Turkey Point 3 Point Beach 1 Turkey Point 4 Point Beach 2 Prairie Island 1 Prairie Island 2 Byron 1 Palo Verde 1 Palo Verde 2 Palo Verde 3 Byron 2 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 C-14 Davis-Besse 0.0001 0.0010 0.0100 0.1000 1 10 100 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-10 PWR Gaseous Releases Carbon-14 (continued) 3-31
Hope Creek Grand Gulf Cooper Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 River Bend Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 BWR*
Hatch 1 Perry Hatch 2 Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Clinton Columbia Dresden 2 Dresden 3 Fermi 2 Co-58 FitzPatrick Co-60 LaSalle 1 Cs-134 Cs-137 LaSalle 2 Fe-55 Monticello I-131 Nine Mile Point 1 Total Activity Released Nine Mile Point 2 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 1E-9 1E-8 1E-7 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- BWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-11 BWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products 3-32
Grand Gulf Hatch 2 River Bend Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Hope Creek Hatch 1 Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Cooper Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 BWR Median Release Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 FitzPatrick Perry Dresden 2 Dresden 3 Clinton Columbia Fermi 2 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Monticello Nine Mile Point 1 H-3 Nine Mile Point 2 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 1E+3 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-12 BWR Liquid Releases Tritium 3-33
Millstone 3 Beaver Valley 1 Beaver Valley 2 Byron 1 Byron 2 Vogtle 2 Turkey Point 3 Turkey Point 4 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 Arkansas 1 Callaway Robinson 2 Vogtle 1 Indian Point 3 Salem 1 Waterford 3 Seabrook Catawba 1 Catawba 2 St. Lucie 1 St. Lucie 2 Salem 2 McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Sequoyah 1 Co-58 Co-60 Sequoyah 2 Cs-134 Prairie Island 1 Cs-137 Prairie Island 2 Fe-55 Arkansas 2 I-131 Total Activity Farley 2 Released PWR*
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- PWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-13 PWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products (continued on the following page) 3-34
PWR*
Farley 1 Cook 1 Cook 2 Palisades Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Davis-Besse South Texas 2 Surry 1 Surry 2 Harris Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 Watts Bar 1 Watts Bar 2 Summer South Texas 1 Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Wolf Creek Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Ginna Co-58 Oconee 1 Co-60 Oconee 2 Cs-134 Oconee 3 Cs-137 Millstone 2 Fe-55 Palo Verde 1 I-131 Palo Verde 2 Total Activity Released Palo Verde 3 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 Radionuclide Distribution Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
- PWR average radionuclide mix and median activity released Figure 3-13 PWR Liquid Releases Fission and Activation Products (continued) 3-35
Watts Bar 1 Millstone 3 Callaway Byron 1 Byron 2 Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Wolf Creek Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Watts Bar 2 Vogtle 2 Waterford 3 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 South Texas 1 Seabrook Palisades Vogtle 1 Turkey Point 3 Turkey Point 4 South Texas 2 Farley 2 Sequoyah 1 Sequoyah 2 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 H-3 PWR Median Release 0.001 0.010 0.100 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-14 PWR Liquid Releases Tritium (continued on the following page) 3-36
PWR Median Release Salem 1 Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Salem 2 Robinson 2 Summer McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Prairie Island 1 Prairie Island 2 Farley 1 Indian Point 3 Arkansas 1 Arkansas 2 Surry 1 Surry 2 Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Millstone 2 Ginna Beaver Valley 1 Beaver Valley 2 Harris Davis-Besse St. Lucie 1 St. Lucie 2 Palo Verde 1 Palo Verde 2 H-3 Palo Verde 3 0.001 0.010 0.100 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 Activity Released in 2020 (Ci)
Figure 3-14 PWR Liquid Releases Tritium (continued) 3-37
3.2 Short-Term Trend in Gaseous Effluents In the previous section, only the significant radionuclides from each of the categories in Table 2-1 were shown in the tables and figures. Although particular focus on the significant radionuclides yields useful information, there are also less-significant radionuclides present in radioactive gaseous effluents. This section provides the reader with information to gain a better understanding of the total releases of gaseous effluents from a facility.
A long-standing, historical measure of the licensees ability to control gaseous effluents is based on the activities of noble gases discharged in gaseous effluents. This category of radionuclides noble gasesis described in Table 2-1. The noble gases category includes all radionuclides in gaseous effluents except iodines, particulates, carbon-14 (C-14), tritium, and alpha activity.
Although the doses from noble gases are generally small, the activity and doses from other radionuclides (such as iodines and mixed fission and activation products) will generally only be elevated if the activity of noble gases is elevated. As a result, a plants total noble gas release is sometimes used as a leading indicator of fuel integrity and the quality of a plants gaseous radiological effluent control program. However, the amount of C-14 released as a gaseous effluent is directly related to the amount of power produced rather than to the quality of a plants effluent control program.
Tables 3-15 and 3-16 show the short-term trend in the total activity of all noble gases in gaseous effluents for the last 5 years for BWRs and PWRs, respectively. The facilities are listed in alphabetical order for ease of reference when searching for a site.
Table 3-15 shows that the discharges of noble gases from all operating BWRs in 2020 ranged from a low of 0 curies to a maximum of 4,634.2 curies, with a median value of 30.0 curies. Table 3-16 shows that the discharge of noble gases from all PWRs in 2020 ranged from a low of 0 curies to a maximum of 558.4 curies, with a median value of 0.4 curies.
Fluctuations in the short-term data are within the range of expected values, based on power production and the increasing sensitivity of measurement techniques. For example, a plant that has an extremely sensitive measurement capability is capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of noble gas. For a plant with extremely sensitive measurement capability, due to the large amount of air discharged from the ventilation system, the plant is likely to report a discharge of noble gas. Meanwhile, a plant with a slightly less sensitive measurement capability may not be detecting the same extremely low concentration of noble gas and, thus, may report a low or zero discharge of noble gas. Overall, the nuclear power industry has steadily reduced the amount of radioactivity discharged into the environment (see Section 3.3 for the long-term trend in gaseous effluents).
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Table 3-15 Short-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents, BWRs, Curies (Ci)
Shown in Alphabetical Order Facility 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Browns Ferry 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 41.9 25.6 Browns Ferry 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 41.9 25.6 Browns Ferry 3 0.0 0.0 0.0 41.9 25.6 Brunswick 1 90.1 121.3 225.7 221.2 470.0 Brunswick 2 90.1 121.3 225.7 221.2 470.0 Clinton 27.3 55.7 66.8 187.4 21.9 Columbia 164.3 205.7 114.7 121.3 102.7 Cooper 2.2 1.6 22.7 8.4 9.6 Dresden 2 16.9 20.0 51.7 394.3 72.1 Dresden 3 45.0 29.0 29.3 40.0 13.3 Duane Arnold 137.3 25.2 20.1 9.9 Fermi 2 45.5 4.6 8.4 0.0 0.1 FitzPatrick 66.4 420.2 725.9 40.6 101.1 Grand Gulf 295.1 397.6 499.3 267.9 156.2 Hatch 1 3.4 4.7 1.1 1.8 0.4 Hatch 2 4.7 3.5 0.9 1.7 0.6 Hope Creek 1.4 0.0 2.0 31.6 0.0 LaSalle 1 1,469.5 785.5 501.5 147.3 124.8 LaSalle 2 1,469.5 785.5 501.5 147.3 124.8 Limerick 1 72.9 17.9 32.5 7.0 30.0 Limerick 2 72.9 17.9 32.5 7.0 30.0 Monticello 759.0 617.0 312.8 181.5 156.3 Nine Mile Point 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Nine Mile Point 2 0.1 2.2 42.3 85.8 18.8 Oyster Creek 103.6 65.7 Peach Bottom 2 276.9 249.4 447.0 312.5 200.2 Peach Bottom 3 276.9 249.4 447.0 312.5 200.2 Perry 0.7 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.4 Pilgrim 0.2 0.0 0.0 Quad Cities 1 81.9 62.0 54.0 32.1 44.3 Quad Cities 2 81.9 62.0 54.0 32.1 44.3 River Bend 418.4 832.4 961.1 259.7 4,634.2 Susquehanna 1 76.3 61.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 Susquehanna 2 76.3 61.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 MEDIAN 72.9 42.3 32.5 41.3 30.0 Note: Data for the years 2018-2020 does not include Oyster Creek, which closed on September 17, 2018.
Data for the years 2019-2020 does not include Pilgrim, which closed on May 31, 2019. Data for the year 2020 does not include Duane Arnold, which closed on August 10, 2020.
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Table 3-16 Short-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents, PWRs, Curies (Ci)
Shown in Alphabetical Order Facility 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Arkansas 1 15.2 0.0 11.9 0.0 0.0 Arkansas 2 13.2 8.9 15.0 0.1 0.1 Beaver Valley 1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 7.0 Beaver Valley 2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6 7.0 Braidwood 1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.9 Braidwood 2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.9 Byron 1 0.8 0.4 0.7 0.3 3.3 Byron 2 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.5 Callaway 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 Calvert Cliffs 1 1.6 0.1 0.4 3.4 0.4 Calvert Cliffs 2 1.6 0.1 0.4 3.4 0.4 Catawba 1 2.0 2.9 2.7 4.1 3.1 Catawba 2 2.0 2.9 2.7 4.1 3.1 Comanche Peak 1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 Comanche Peak 2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 Cook 1 11.5 1.8 1.0 0.7 0.4 Cook 2 11.5 1.8 1.0 0.7 0.4 Davis-Besse 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 Diablo Canyon 1 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.2 Diablo Canyon 2 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.2 Farley 1 4.1 37.6 10.0 2.1 8.5 Farley 2 4.0 3.3 1.3 5.8 1.9 Ginna 0.8 3.5 1.3 1.6 0.8 Harris 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.0 1.0 Indian Point 2 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.2 Indian Point 3 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.1 McGuire 1 1.1 0.8 1.2 1.0 1.1 McGuire 2 1.1 0.8 1.2 1.0 1.1 Millstone 2 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.3 Millstone 3 1.3 1.3 2.4 0.9 0.9 North Anna 1 0.5 0.2 0.7 1.8 0.1 North Anna 2 0.5 0.2 0.7 1.8 0.1 Note: Median data for the years 2017-2020 include effluent data for Watts Bar Unit 2, which began operations in October 2016. Data for the year 2019-2020 does not include Three Mile Island 1, which closed on September 20, 2019. Data for the year 2020 does not include Indian Point 2, which closed on May 12, 2020.
(continued on the following page) 3-40
Table 3-16 Short-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents, PWRs, Curies (Ci)
(continued)
Shown in Alphabetical Order Facility 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Oconee 1 7.0 2.6 0.6 2.9 3.7 Oconee 2 7.0 2.6 0.6 2.9 3.7 Oconee 3 7.0 2.6 0.6 2.9 3.7 Palisades 8.7 22.6 28.3 7.5 6.5 Palo Verde 1 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.4 Palo Verde 2 0.3 2.9 1.3 0.2 0.5 Palo Verde 3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.4 Point Beach 1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 Point Beach 2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 Prairie Island 1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 Prairie Island 2 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 Robinson 2 0.2 1.9 0.3 0.2 0.4 Salem 1 11.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.3 Salem 2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 Seabrook 0.0 1.2 1.1 0.1 1.4 Sequoyah 1 63.0 20.5 2.2 2.6 0.9 Sequoyah 2 63.0 20.5 2.2 2.6 0.9 South Texas 1 1.8 1.4 1.8 1.6 0.0 South Texas 2 1.7 1.8 2.4 4.4 3.5 St. Lucie 1 15.5 40.5 15.2 14.7 0.4 St. Lucie 2 4.5 40.5 4.2 1.5 8.0 Summer 0.0 0.1 0.5 5.3 0.8 Surry 1 1.4 37.9 5.7 0.1 0.1 Surry 2 1.4 37.9 5.7 0.1 0.1 Three Mile Island 1 23.0 82.6 1.0 Turkey Point 3 0.1 1.5 0.2 0.0 0.0 Turkey Point 4 0.1 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 Vogtle 1 0.2 0.3 69.8 150.8 258.0 Vogtle 2 4.4 1.3 0.6 1.9 0.3 Waterford 3 0.0 0.7 0.4 3.0 0.4 Watts Bar 1 36.0 18.0 12.1 153.0 558.4 Watts Bar 2 18.0 0.1 16.8 40.2 Wolf Creek 0.3 3.4 25.9 1.6 0.4 MEDIAN 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.4 Note: Median data for the years 2017-2020 include effluent data for Watts Bar Unit 2, which began operations in October 2016. Data for the year 2019-2020 does not include Three Mile Island 1, which closed on September 20, 2019. Data for the year 2020 does not include Indian Point 2, which closed on May 12, 2020.
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3.3 Long-Term Trend in Gaseous Effluents NRC regulations (10 CFR 50.36a) (Ref. [1] ) require NPPs to keep the release of radioactive effluents ALARA. As a result of improved radioactive effluent control programs, the amount of activity of radioactive effluents has steadily decreased over time. The downward trend in the median noble gas activity of gaseous effluents since 1975 is shown in Figure 3-15. All power reactors that have operated in the United States are included, some of which are now shut down.
100,000 10,000 1,000 Industry Median, per Reactor BWRs Noble Gases (Ci) 100 10 1 PWRs 0.10 0.01 Figure 3-15 Long-Term Trend in Noble Gases in Gaseous Effluents Figure 3-15 indicates a long-term, downward trend in the median amount of noble gases in gaseous effluents from both BWRs and PWRs. The magnitude of the reduction is significant. For example, in 1975, the median release for BWRs was greater than 40,000 curies; however, in 2020, the median was 30.0 curies. That change corresponds to a 99.9 percent reduction in noble gas effluents over the last 45 years.
One of the primary contributors to the reduction in noble gas effluents is improved fuel integrity in both BWRs and PWRs. The use of advanced off-gas systems in BWRs is also responsible for reductions in the BWR industry averages. Lastly, contributions from the operations, maintenance, chemistry, and health physics departments at the various facilities have improved the handling and processing of gaseous waste to further reduce the amount of noble gas effluents.
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3.4 Short-Term Trend in Liquid Effluents In Section 3.1, only the significant radionuclides discharged in gaseous and liquid effluents were shown in the tables and figures. Although particular focus on the significant radionuclides yields useful information, there are also less-significant radionuclides present in radioactive liquid effluents. This section provides the reader with a tool to gain a better understanding of the total releases of liquid effluents from a facility.
An indicator of the licensees ability to control liquid effluents is based on the activity of the mixed fission and activation products (MFAP) discharged in liquid effluents. This category of radionuclidesMFAPis described in Table 2-2. It includes all radionuclides in liquid effluents except tritium, C-14, noble gases, and gross alpha activity. MFAP can be effectively reduced by improved fuel integrity and source term reduction programs, as well as by improved liquid radioactive waste treatment systems (e.g., ion exchange resins and filtration equipment). As a result, MFAP are sometimes used as a primary indicator of the overall control and handling of radioactive liquid effluents.
Tables 3-17 and 3-18 show the short-term trend in MFAP in liquid effluents for BWRs and PWRs, respectively. In these tables, all detected MFAP radionuclides are included. For each reactor, the activities of all MFAP are added together. In this way, the yearly total of all MFAP in liquid effluents from a reactor is represented by a single number.
The facilities are listed in alphabetical order for ease of reference when searching for a site.
Fluctuations in these short-term data are within the range of expected values, based on power production and the increasing sensitivity of measurement techniques. Overall, the nuclear power industry has steadily reduced the amount of radioactivity discharged into the environment (see Section 3.5 for the long-term trend in liquid effluents).
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Table 3-17 Short-Term Trend in Mixed Fission and Activation Products in Liquid Effluents, BWRs, millicuries (mCi)
Shown in Alphabetical Order Facility 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Browns Ferry 1 45.8 1.3 133.9 77.6 12.1 Browns Ferry 2 45.8 1.3 133.9 77.6 12.1 Browns Ferry 3 45.8 1.3 133.9 77.6 12.1 Brunswick 1 3.5 3.5 3.0 1.1 3.9 Brunswick 2 3.5 3.5 3.0 1.1 3.9 Clinton 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Columbia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Cooper 0.0 0.0 15.5 4.6 10.1 Dresden 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Dresden 3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Duane Arnold 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Fermi 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 FitzPatrick 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 Grand Gulf 50.6 41.5 42.2 13.7 15.2 Hatch 1 2.6 0.8 1.3 1.8 1.8 Hatch 2 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.6 0.6 Hope Creek 3.3 0.7 77.1 16.6 204.9 LaSalle 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 LaSalle 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Limerick 1 0.4 1.2 0.8 5.1 0.8 Limerick 2 0.4 1.2 0.8 5.1 0.8 Monticello 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 Nine Mile Point 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Nine Mile Point 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Oyster Creek 0.0 0.0 Peach Bottom 2 2.1 2.1 2.3 5.4 0.0 Peach Bottom 3 2.1 2.1 2.3 5.4 0.0 Perry 16.8 62.5 0.0 33.3 0.8 Pilgrim 0.0 0.0 0.0 Quad Cities 1 0.0 0.0 20.3 0.0 1.2 Quad Cities 2 0.0 0.0 20.3 0.0 1.2 River Bend 6.3 15.8 9.1 15.1 8.8 Susquehanna 1 4.9 0.2 4.1 30.0 7.8 Susquehanna 2 4.9 0.2 4.1 30.0 7.8 MEDIAN 0.2 0.2 0.9 1.4 0.8 Note: Median data for the years 2018-2020 does not include Oyster Creek, which closed on September 17, 2018. Data for the year 2019-2020 does not include Pilgrim, which closed on May 31, 2019. Data for the year 2020 does not include Duane Arnold, which closed on August 10, 2020.
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Table 3-18 Short-Term Trend in Mixed Fission and Activation Products in Liquid Effluents, PWRs, millicuries (mCi)
Shown in Alphabetical Order Facility 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Arkansas 1 151.1 82.8 45.3 31.2 23.2 Arkansas 2 18.3 14.5 4.5 0.9 9.5 Beaver Valley 1 42.1 35.4 36.4 24.4 45.8 Beaver Valley 2 42.1 35.4 36.4 24.4 45.8 Braidwood 1 14.9 46.0 24.0 21.9 35.9 Braidwood 2 14.9 46.0 24.0 21.9 35.9 Byron 1 8.0 9.9 10.2 5.9 51.1 Byron 2 8.0 9.9 10.2 5.9 51.1 Callaway 66.6 46.3 32.8 43.7 41.0 Calvert Cliffs 1 49.1 1.9 2.6 9.0 1.9 Calvert Cliffs 2 49.1 1.9 2.6 9.0 1.9 Catawba 1 6.5 7.1 29.7 9.3 12.6 Catawba 2 6.5 7.1 29.7 9.3 12.6 Comanche Peak 1 1.0 0.5 0.2 0.7 0.8 Comanche Peak 2 1.0 0.5 0.2 0.7 0.8 Cook 1 0.7 1.5 0.4 0.5 5.7 Cook 2 0.7 1.5 0.4 0.5 5.7 Davis-Besse 39.1 0.3 0.6 3.5 3.9 Diablo Canyon 1 15.3 11.8 9.9 16.3 3.4 Diablo Canyon 2 15.3 11.8 9.9 16.3 3.4 Farley 1 50.3 48.6 147.3 13.0 6.4 Farley 2 66.5 71.0 118.6 29.1 7.9 Ginna 1.1 5.9 13.9 2.4 4.3 Harris 19.7 6.7 7.9 5.9 6.1 Indian Point 2 110.8 39.9 80.4 20.8 Indian Point 3 26.6 40.0 9.6 18.1 32.3 McGuire 1 8.9 10.3 6.2 20.3 11.0 McGuire 2 8.9 10.3 6.2 20.3 11.0 Millstone 2 1.1 11.3 1.0 2.5 0.0 Millstone 3 75.6 2.2 14.3 4.6 42.5 North Anna 1 17.1 7.4 11.3 10.7 2.6 North Anna 2 17.1 7.4 11.3 10.7 2.6 Note: Median data for the years 2017-2020 include effluent data for Watts Bar Unit 2, which began operations in October 2016. Data for the year 2019-2020 does not include Three Mile Island 1, which closed on September 20, 2019. Data for the year 2020 does not include Indian Point 2, which closed on May 12, 2020.
(continued on the following page) 3-45
Table 3-18 Short-Term Trend in Mixed Fission and Activation Products in Liquid Effluents, PWRs, millicuries (mCi) (continued)
Shown in Alphabetical Order Facility 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Oconee 1 2.3 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.1 Oconee 2 2.3 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.1 Oconee 3 2.3 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.1 Palisades 2.9 12.6 15.2 6.7 12.1 Palo Verde 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Palo Verde 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Palo Verde 3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Point Beach 1 47.2 36.8 47.8 48.1 37.8 Point Beach 2 47.2 36.8 47.8 48.1 37.8 Prairie Island 1 9.1 11.6 3.3 2.7 11.5 Prairie Island 2 9.1 11.6 3.3 2.7 11.5 Robinson 2 6.9 20.3 13.6 5.2 16.1 Salem 1 12.2 2.2 15.9 8.3 11.8 Salem 2 6.2 12.6 19.6 13.1 9.1 Seabrook 13.1 10.1 12.1 7.0 14.3 Sequoyah 1 20.7 21.1 20.9 21.4 11.0 Sequoyah 2 20.7 21.1 20.9 21.4 11.0 South Texas 1 8.0 10.4 5.7 5.6 2.1 South Texas 2 8.2 2.8 5.7 4.4 4.2 St. Lucie 1 22.7 15.3 32.2 23.2 19.2 St. Lucie 2 22.7 15.3 32.2 23.2 19.2 Summer 7.6 15.5 14.7 2.9 2.1 Surry 1 5.7 4.9 19.5 11.1 5.6 Surry 2 5.7 4.9 19.5 11.1 5.6 Three Mile Island 1 0.6 0.5 0.3 Turkey Point 3 44.4 67.2 54.9 34.8 61.1 Turkey Point 4 44.4 67.2 54.9 34.8 61.1 Vogtle 1 23.6 21.4 14.5 39.9 17.1 Vogtle 2 13.4 17.8 7.8 5.2 40.0 Waterford 3 11.7 17.5 25.9 26.2 20.2 Watts Bar 1 11.8 12.6 4.7 0.0 2.0 Watts Bar 2 12.6 4.7 0.0 2.0 Wolf Creek 25.5 6.1 6.1 14.9 8.6 MEDIAN 13.1 10.9 11.3 9.1 9.5 Note: Median data for the years 2017-2020 include effluent data for Watts Bar Unit 2, which began operations in October 2016. Data for the year 2019-2020 does not include Three Mile Island 1, which closed on September 20, 2019. Data for the year 2020 does not include Indian Point 2, which closed on May 12, 2020.
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3.5 Long-Term Trend in Liquid Effluents This section discusses the long-term trend of MFAP in liquid effluents from nuclear power plants in the United States. NRC regulations require NPPs to keep the release of radioactive effluents ALARA. As a result of improvements in fuel integrity, source term reduction programs and radioactive effluent control programs, the amount of activity of radioactive effluents has steadily decreased over time. The trend in the median MFAP activity of liquid effluents since 1975 is shown in Figure 3-16. All power reactors that have operated in the United States are included, some of which are now shut down.
10,000 1,000 PWRs 100 Industry Median, per Reactor MFAP (mCi) 10 BWRs 1
0.10 0.01 Figure 3-16 Long-Term Trend in MFAP in Liquid Effluents Figure 3-16 indicates a long-term, downward trend in the amounts of MFAP in liquid effluents from both BWRs and PWRs. The magnitude of the reduction is significant. For example, in 1975, the median activity of liquid effluents from BWRs was greater than 1,500 millicuries; however, in 2020, the median was 0.8 millicuries. That corresponds to a 99.9 percent reduction in MFAP in liquid effluents over the last 45 years.
One of the primary contributors to the reduction of MFAP in liquid effluents is improved fuel integrity in both BWRs and PWRs. The use of advanced liquid radioactive waste processing systems has also significantly lowered the amount of MFAP in liquid effluents. Furthermore, improvements in the handling and processing of liquid waste made by the operations, maintenance, chemistry, and health physics departments at the various facilities have further reduced the amount of effluent releases and public dose.
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Because BWRs do not use boron in reactor water, many BWRs recycle (or re-use) some or all of the reactor water. The recycling (or re-use) of reactor water contributes to lowering the amount of MFAP in BWR liquid effluent releases, particularly for tritium. The recycling of reactor water at BWRs also allows some BWRs to operate with a zero liquid-release strategy that results in the release of tritium as a gaseous effluent instead of a liquid effluent. The recycling of reactor water at BWRs is one reason why the amount of MFAP in liquid effluents from BWRs is generally lower than from PWRs. However, the PWR design requires the use of boron in the reactor water, which makes water reuse impractical and results in a higher amount of MFAP in liquid effluents.
A comparison of doses from gaseous and liquid effluents can be made by examining Figures 3-21 and 3-22; which shows, in general, that most of the dose from NPP effluents comes from the gaseous effluents. As a result, licensees may focus additional efforts on reducing the radionuclides in gaseous effluents.
The zero liquid-release strategy, combined with improved fuel performance and advanced waste processing systems, is responsible for the decreases in the median MFAP liquid activity releases during the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond 2000, which can be seen in Figure 3-16. However, at those sites using a zero liquid-release strategy, the tritium is released as a gaseous effluent (rather than as a liquid effluent), and consequently, has the potential to result in a small increase in dose to members of the public. This small increase in public dose, due to release of tritium as a gaseous effluent instead of as a liquid effluent, can be attributed to four factors:
- Waste water in some plants has been recycled (instead of discharged as a liquid effluent).
- As waste water is recycled, the tritium concentration in the water increases over time.
- When all radioactive liquid releases are eliminated, tritium is released through the gaseous release points instead of as a liquid release.
- The dose due to tritium discharged from a gaseous release point can, depending on plant design and site characteristics, be higher than the dose from the same amount of tritium discharged from a liquid release point.
However, a plant that allows some liquid effluent releases can shift the release of tritium from a gaseous release point to a liquid release point, thereby lowering public doses. This strategy can cause a slight increase in the amount of activity of MFAP in liquid effluents and a small decrease in public dose.
3.6 Radiation Doses from Gaseous and Liquid Effluents In accordance with regulatory requirements and the calculation methodologies of RG 1.109 (Ref. [4] ), the doses are calculated for either real or hypothetical individuals receiving the highest total body and organ doses. As a result, these doses are often referred to as the maximum total body and the maximum organ doses. Additionally, licensees are required to calculate the organ doses for six separate organs in the human body: bone, liver, thyroid, kidney, lung, and intestines.
Only the highest of the organ doses is shown in this report. Because these doses are calculated for the individual receiving the highest dose from gaseous and liquid effluents, these individuals are typically located in close proximity to the facility. As a result, doses to other individuals, especially those located farther away from the facility, are significantly less than those shown in this report.
The maximum annual organ doses for 2020 from gaseous and liquid effluents are shown in Tables 3-19 through 3-22. The data from these tables are illustrated graphically in Figures 3-17 through 3-3-48
- 20. These tables and figures contain annual organ doses (for gaseous and liquid effluents) and annual total body doses (for liquid effluents).
The NRC ALARA criteria, discussed in Section 2.4, are included in the tables and figures for purposes of comparison. Because many plants have more than one operating reactor, the ALARA criteria are shown on a per reactor basis.
If the licensee does not report a dose, a blank entry is used to indicate that either (1) no releases occurred or (2) no exposure pathway exists. Also, blanks in data fields are generally used instead of zeros in order to make it easier for the reader to quickly identify the positive values.
The doses shown in the tables and graphs of this section include contributions from all radionuclides for the type of effluent shown (i.e., gaseous or liquid). For gaseous effluents, the majority of the dose is from C-14 due to assumed consumption of garden vegetables grown locally.
The release of C-14 from NPPs is insignificant compared to the natural production and world inventory of C-14 (Ref. [7] ).
For comparison purposes, median of these maximum dose values are included in the tables and figures. The median is the midpoint of the data. Approximately half of the power plants will report doses greater than the median and approximately half will report doses lower than the median.
The median is a method of estimating a central or typical value while avoiding bias caused by extremely high or low values in the data set. All sites are included when calculating the medians, even those sites for which no dose is reported.
For example, in Table 3-20, the median PWR maximum annual organ dose due to gaseous effluents is highlighted in bold at the top of the table. In this case, the median dose is 0.144 mrem.
This represents the typical annual organ dose, due to all gaseous effluents, from all PWRs operating in the United States in 2020. Figures 3-21 and 3-22 show the 5-year trend in the median of all plants maximum annual organ doses in gaseous and liquid effluents, respectively. The median organ doses for liquid effluents from BWRs and PWRs have remained consistently low between 2016 and 2020 as seen in Figure 3-22.
The tables in this section indicate that the highest total body dose from all of the facilities was 0.322 mrem (Table 3-22), and the highest organ dose from all of the facilities was 4.70 mrem (Table 3-19). For purposes of comparison, 1 mrem is less than the radiation dose from any one of the following:
- the dose received in 1 week from skiing in the Rocky Mountains;
- the dose received in 4 weeks from the natural potassium in each persons body; or
- the dose received in 8 weeks by a homeowner with a brick or stone house.
The basis for each of these three natural background dose values is based on information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Ref. [8] ). Radiation exposure to cosmic rays at the high altitudes of Colorado would result in a dose of about 70 mrem per year. Additionally, the dose from rocks and soil in the mountains of Colorado would be about 40 mrem per year. The total of these two values is about 110 mrem per year for a person in the high elevations of Colorado. A person in Florida, who is typically at sea level and surrounded by the native Florida terrain, would receive about 40 mrem per year from rocks, soil, and cosmic radiation. As a result, people living at the high altitudes of Colorado receive about 70 mrem per year more radiation dose than a person 3-49
living in Florida. People from Florida skiing in the Rocky Mountains for a week would be expected to receive an additional doseabove what they might normally have received if they had stayed in Floridaof about 1.3 mrem.
According to a DOE report prepared by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Ref. [9] ), the average individual receives about 1.1 mrem per month or 14 mrem per year from the natural potassium-40 that is incorporated into the human body.
NCRP Report No. 95, Radiation Exposure of the U.S. Population from Consumer Products and Miscellaneous Sources, (Ref. [10] ) indicates that the radiation exposure from living in a brick, stone, adobe, or concrete home is about 7 mrem per year. At this annual dose rate, the exposure received in 8 weeks would be about 1.1 mrem.
NPPs in the United States release small but measurable amounts of radioactive materials in radioactive effluents. All of these radioactive releases must comply with NRC requirements. These requirements are in place to ensure (1) the radwaste processing systems at NPPs are operating properly, (2) the doses to members of the public are within the public dose limits, and (3) the doses to members of the public are ALARA.
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Table 3-19 BWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Organ Dose Annual Organ BWR Facility Dose (mrem)
River Bend 4.70E+00 Grand Gulf 3.29E+00 Nine Mile Point 1 1.42E+00 Nine Mile Point 2 1.42E+00 Cooper 1.14E+00 Brunswick 1 8.55E-01 Brunswick 2 8.55E-01 Susquehanna 2 7.08E-01 Limerick 1 6.65E-01 Limerick 2 6.65E-01 Susquehanna 1 6.16E-01 Fermi 2 4.14E-01 Perry 2.51E-01 Hope Creek 2.37E-01 BWR Median Dose 1.69E-01 Quad Cities 1 1.69E-01 Quad Cities 2 1.69E-01 Columbia 1.67E-01 Hatch 1 1.59E-01 Hatch 2 1.59E-01 FitzPatrick 1.19E-01 Peach Bottom 2 7.75E-02 Peach Bottom 3 7.75E-02 Dresden 2 5.96E-02 Browns Ferry 1 4.71E-02 Browns Ferry 2 4.71E-02 Browns Ferry 3 4.71E-02 Clinton 3.92E-02 Monticello 2.97E-02 Dresden 3 1.50E-02 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 ALARA Criteria 15 3-51
Table 3-20 PWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Organ Dose Annual Organ Annual Organ Dose PWR Facility PWR Facility Dose (mrem) (mrem)
Wolf Creek 4.60E+00 PWR Median Dose 1.44E-01 Watts Bar 1 3.52E+00 Arkansas 2 1.44E-01 Watts Bar 2 2.63E+00 Palo Verde 3 1.26E-01 Beaver Valley 1 2.52E+00 Point Beach 1 1.22E-01 Beaver Valley 2 2.46E+00 Point Beach 2 1.22E-01 Catawba 1 2.44E+00 Comanche Peak 1 1.08E-01 Catawba 2 2.44E+00 Comanche Peak 2 1.08E-01 North Anna 1 1.39E+00 Oconee 1 1.05E-01 North Anna 2 1.39E+00 Oconee 2 1.05E-01 Cook 1 1.17E+00 Oconee 3 1.05E-01 Cook 2 1.17E+00 Salem 2 1.01E-01 Braidwood 1 8.30E-01 Turkey Point 3 8.97E-02 Braidwood 2 8.30E-01 Vogtle 1 8.46E-02 Summer 8.08E-01 Turkey Point 4 8.38E-02 Sequoyah 1 7.86E-01 St. Lucie 1 8.35E-02 Sequoyah 2 7.86E-01 St. Lucie 2 8.35E-02 Robinson 2 5.60E-01 Salem 1 7.98E-02 Davis-Besse 5.35E-01 Arkansas 1 7.43E-02 Harris 4.68E-01 Surry 1 5.94E-02 Farley 1 4.11E-01 Surry 2 5.94E-02 Farley 2 4.11E-01 South Texas 2 4.15E-02 Byron 1 3.71E-01 Waterford 3 4.09E-02 Byron 2 3.56E-01 South Texas 1 4.05E-02 McGuire 1 3.43E-01 Prairie Island 1 2.98E-02 McGuire 2 3.43E-01 Prairie Island 2 2.98E-02 Indian Point 3 3.38E-01 Ginna 1.94E-02 Seabrook 3.29E-01 Palisades 1.79E-02 Millstone 2 3.06E-01 Calvert Cliffs 1 1.30E-02 Millstone 3 2.93E-01 Calvert Cliffs 2 1.30E-02 Palo Verde 1 1.91E-01 Callaway 1.20E-02 Palo Verde 2 1.59E-01 Vogtle 2 1.38E-03 Diablo Canyon 1 1.35E-04 Diablo Canyon 2 3.65E-05 ALARA Criteria 15 3-52
Table 3-21 BWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Organ Dose Total Body Dose Organ Dose BWR Facility (mrem) (mrem)
Grand Gulf 2.71E-01 3.71E-01 Cooper 7.53E-02 1.15E-01 Hope Creek 1.65E-02 5.13E-02 Perry 3.06E-03 4.16E-03 Susquehanna 1 1.38E-03 2.42E-03 Susquehanna 2 1.38E-03 2.42E-03 Limerick 1 1.42E-04 1.17E-03 Limerick 2 1.42E-04 1.17E-03 Hatch 2 6.99E-04 7.66E-04 Hatch 1 5.83E-04 7.57E-04 Brunswick 1 5.15E-04 5.15E-04 Brunswick 2 5.15E-04 5.15E-04 Browns Ferry 1 3.83E-04 5.00E-04 Browns Ferry 2 3.83E-04 5.00E-04 Browns Ferry 3 3.83E-04 5.00E-04 BWR Median Dose 9.30E-05 1.74E-04 Peach Bottom 2 7.70E-05 1.74E-04 Peach Bottom 3 7.70E-05 1.74E-04 River Bend 6.05E-05 1.57E-04 Quad Cities 1 9.30E-05 1.49E-04 Quad Cities 2 9.30E-05 1.49E-04 FitzPatrick 2.45E-06 2.45E-06 Dresden 2 2.89E-08 2.89E-08 Dresden 3 2.89E-08 2.89E-08 Clinton Columbia Fermi 2 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Monticello Nine Mile Point 1 Nine Mile Point 2 ALARA Criteria 3 10 3-53
Table 3-22 PWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose, 2020 Shown in Descending Order of Organ Dose Total Body Organ Dose Total Body Organ Dose PWR Facility PWR Facility Dose (mrem) (mrem) Dose (mrem) (mrem)
North Anna 1 3.22E-01 3.25E-01 PWR Median Dose 4.22E-03 7.56E-03 North Anna 2 3.22E-01 3.25E-01 Farley 1 6.33E-03 7.56E-03 Byron 1 1.35E-01 3.22E-01 Robinson 2 2.01E-03 5.63E-03 Byron 2 1.35E-01 3.22E-01 Waterford 3 3.67E-03 5.20E-03 Harris 9.55E-02 1.76E-01 South Texas 1 5.02E-03 5.02E-03 Wolf Creek 1.59E-01 1.59E-01 South Texas 2 4.22E-03 4.23E-03 Vogtle 1 5.85E-02 1.19E-01 Callaway 3.50E-03 4.02E-03 Vogtle 2 6.66E-02 1.03E-01 Millstone 3 1.29E-03 3.97E-03 Braidwood 1 8.25E-02 8.70E-02 Watts Bar 2 3.45E-03 3.45E-03 Braidwood 2 8.25E-02 8.70E-02 Summer 6.25E-03 3.41E-03 McGuire 1 6.85E-02 7.09E-02 Arkansas 2 2.29E-03 3.16E-03 McGuire 2 6.85E-02 7.09E-02 Arkansas 1 1.95E-03 2.51E-03 Comanche Peak 1 5.72E-02 5.73E-02 Sequoyah 1 1.71E-03 1.70E-03 Comanche Peak 2 5.72E-02 5.73E-02 Sequoyah 2 1.71E-03 1.70E-03 Oconee 1 4.67E-02 4.67E-02 Indian Point 3 3.02E-04 1.43E-03 Oconee 2 4.67E-02 4.67E-02 Davis-Besse 1.10E-03 1.16E-03 Oconee 3 4.67E-02 4.67E-02 Prairie Island 1 1.99E-03 1.13E-03 Catawba 1 6.98E-02 3.76E-02 Prairie Island 2 1.99E-03 1.13E-03 Catawba 2 6.98E-02 3.76E-02 Point Beach 1 9.50E-04 1.01E-03 Salem 2 4.67E-03 3.41E-02 Point Beach 2 9.50E-04 1.01E-03 Cook 1 4.44E-02 2.97E-02 Calvert Cliffs 1 6.65E-04 7.75E-04 Cook 2 4.44E-02 2.97E-02 Calvert Cliffs 2 6.65E-04 7.75E-04 Salem 1 1.36E-02 2.93E-02 Seabrook 5.15E-04 5.53E-04 Ginna 7.80E-03 2.15E-02 Diablo Canyon 1 1.68E-04 1.85E-04 Watts Bar 1 1.77E-02 1.77E-02 Diablo Canyon 2 1.68E-04 1.85E-04 Beaver Valley 1 1.15E-02 1.44E-02 Millstone 2 1.33E-04 1.34E-04 Beaver Valley 2 1.15E-02 1.44E-02 Turkey Point 3 1.24E-04 1.24E-04 Palisades 1.87E-03 1.09E-02 Turkey Point 4 1.24E-04 1.24E-04 St. Lucie 1 2.09E-03 1.08E-02 Surry 1 8.85E-05 1.17E-04 St. Lucie 2 2.09E-03 1.08E-02 Surry 2 8.85E-05 1.17E-04 Farley 2 8.25E-03 1.02E-02 Palo Verde 1 Palo Verde 2 Palo Verde 3 ALARA Criteria 3 10 3-54
ALARA Criteria River Bend Grand Gulf Nine Mile Point 1 Nine Mile Point 2 Cooper Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Susquehanna 2 Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Susquehanna 1 Fermi 2 Perry Hope Creek BWR Median Dose Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 Columbia Hatch 1 Hatch 2 FitzPatrick Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 Dresden 2 Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 Clinton Monticello Dresden 3 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 2020 Annual Organ Dose (mrem)
Figure 3-17 BWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose 3-55
ALARA Criteria Wolf Creek Watts Bar 1 Watts Bar 2 Beaver Valley 1 Beaver Valley 2 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 North Anna 1 North Anna 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 Summer Sequoyah 1 Sequoyah 2 Robinson 2 Davis-Besse Harris Farley 1 Farley 2 Byron 1 Byron 2 McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Indian Point 3 Seabrook Millstone 2 Millstone 3 Palo Verde 1 Palo Verde 2 PWR Median Dose 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 2020 Annual Organ Dose (mrem)
Figure 3-18 PWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose (continued on the following page) 3-56
ALARA Criteria PWR Median Dose Arkansas 2 Palo Verde 3 Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Salem 2 Turkey Point 3 Vogtle 1 Turkey Point 4 St. Lucie 1 St. Lucie 2 Salem 1 Arkansas 1 Surry 1 Surry 2 South Texas 2 Waterford 3 South Texas 1 Prairie Island 1 Prairie Island 2 Ginna Palisades Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Callaway Vogtle 2 Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 2020 Annual Organ Dose (mrem)
Figure 3-18 PWR Gaseous Effluents Maximum Annual Organ Dose (continued) 3-57
ALARA Criteria Grand Gulf Cooper Hope Creek Perry Susquehanna 1 Susquehanna 2 Limerick 1 Limerick 2 Hatch 2 Hatch 1 Brunswick 1 Brunswick 2 Browns Ferry 1 Browns Ferry 2 Browns Ferry 3 BWR Median Dose Peach Bottom 2 Peach Bottom 3 River Bend Quad Cities 1 Quad Cities 2 FitzPatrick Dresden 2 Dresden 3 Clinton Columbia Fermi 2 LaSalle 1 LaSalle 2 Monticello Total Body Nine Mile Point 1 Organ Nine Mile Point 2 1E-9 1E-8 1E-7 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 2020 Annual Dose (mrem)
Figure 3-19 BWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose 3-58
ALARA Criteria North Anna 1 North Anna 2 Byron 1 Byron 2 Harris Wolf Creek Vogtle 1 Vogtle 2 Braidwood 1 Braidwood 2 McGuire 1 McGuire 2 Comanche Peak 1 Comanche Peak 2 Oconee 1 Oconee 2 Oconee 3 Catawba 1 Catawba 2 Salem 2 Cook 1 Cook 2 Salem 1 Ginna Watts Bar 1 Beaver Valley 1 Beaver Valley 2 Palisades St. Lucie 1 St. Lucie 2 Total Body Farley 2 Organ PWR Median Dose 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 2020 Annual Dose (mrem)
Figure 3-20 PWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose (continued on the following page) 3-59
ALARA Criteria PWR Median Dose Farley 1 Robinson 2 Waterford 3 South Texas 1 South Texas 2 Callaway Millstone 3 Watts Bar 2 Summer Arkansas 2 Arkansas 1 Sequoyah 1 Sequoyah 2 Indian Point 3 Davis-Besse Prairie Island 1 Prairie Island 2 Point Beach 1 Point Beach 2 Calvert Cliffs 1 Calvert Cliffs 2 Seabrook Diablo Canyon 1 Diablo Canyon 2 Millstone 2 Turkey Point 3 Turkey Point 4 Surry 1 Surry 2 Palo Verde 1 Total Body Palo Verde 2 Organ Palo Verde 3 1E-6 1E-5 1E-4 1E-3 1E-2 1E-1 1E+0 1E+1 1E+2 2020 Annual Dose (mrem)
Figure 3-20 PWR Liquid Effluents Maximum Annual Total Body and Organ Dose (continued) 3-60
0.350 0.326 Doses From All Gaseous Effluents (mrem)
Noble gases, Iodines, Particulates, H-3, and C-14 0.300 0.258 PWRs 0.275 0.250 0.218 0.250 0.200 0.169 BWRs 0.159 0.150 0.144 0.140 0.122 0.100 0.050 0.000 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Figure 3-21 Median Maximum Annual Organ Dose, Gaseous Effluents 5-Year Trend, 2016-2020 0.014 Organ Total Body Doses From All Liquid Effluents (mrem) 0.012 0.0111 0.010 PWRs 0.0072 0.0076 0.008 0.0068 0.0058 0.0072 0.006 0.0054 0.004 0.0046 0.0042 0.0037 0.002 0.0001 BWRs 0.0001 0.0003 0.0003 0.0002 0.0001 0.0000 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.000 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Figure 3-22 Median Maximum Annual Dose, Liquid Effluents 5-Year Trend, 2016-2020 3-61
4
SUMMARY
The information contained in this report summarizes gaseous and liquid effluents and public doses from all 94 United States (U.S.) nuclear power plants (NPPs) licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and in operation for the full year during calendar year 2020.
Although all NPPs released some radioactive materials in 2020, none of the effluents from any NPP resulted in an exceedance of any NRC or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public dose limit, or any NRC as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA) criteria.
The radionuclides selected for inclusion in this report are either the most common radionuclides or the most significant radioactive effluents, and they are particularly useful indicators of overall releases. The radionuclides selected also provide additional information about operational practices at a site. Nuclear power plants have reduced their radioactive effluents by more than 99 percent in a long-term decreasing trend in radioactive effluents (i.e., mixed fission and activation products in liquid effluents and noble gases in gaseous effluents) since the mid-1970s.
For additional context, the median dose resulting from radioactive effluents are provided for comparison to the ALARA criteria, to the natural background sources of radiation, and other sources of radiation exposure to the U.S. population. Comparisons of the radioactive effluents between NPPs may indicate differences in measurement sensitivities, fuel conditions, fuel cycle length, radioactive waste processing equipment, reactor types, reactor ages, electrical outputs, and operating conditions. Each of these factors can affect radioactive effluents.
More complete and detailed information, including copies of the NPPs Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Reports (ARERRs), is available to the public on the NRC Web site.
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5 ERRATA CORRECTED TOTAL LIQUID TRITIUM RELEASE, CURIES (CI) FOR INDIAN POINT 2 AND 3, 2014 - 2018 During the collection and analysis of the 2019 ARERR data, the NRC determined that in the years 2014 - 2018, NUREG/CR-2907 under reported the total tritium released in Indian Point liquid effluents.
Table 5-1 below provides the corrected total values for the tritium activity released from liquid effluents total (continuous plus batch modes) for each of the years indicated. Readers should note that these values should be used instead of the values that were previously published in Table 3-14 of the NUREG/CR-2907 reports from 2014 through 2018.
Table 5-1 Corrected Total Liquid Tritium Release, Curies (Ci) for Indian Point 2 and 3, 2014 - 2018 Facility 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Indian Point 2 4.72E+02 6.82E+02 6.32E+02 6.54E+02 4.94E+02 Indian Point 3 1.68E+02 1.29E+03 4.51E+02 7.68E+02 8.64E+02 5-1
6 REFERENCES
[1] 10 CFR Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC.
[2] Regulatory Guide 1.21, Measuring, Evaluating, and Reporting Radioactive Material in Liquid and Gaseous Effluents and Solid Waste, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, .
[3] 10 CFR Part 20, Standards for Protection Against Radiation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC.
[4] Regulatory Guide 1.109, Calculation of Annual Doses to Man from Routine Releases of Reactor Effluents for the Purpose of Demonstrating Compliance with 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, October 1977.
[5] NCRP Report No. 160, Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United States, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, March 3, 2009.
[6] NCRP Report No. 93, Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United States, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, September 1987.
[7] NCRP Report No. 81, Carbon-14 in the Environment, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, May 1985.
[8] Duval, J.S., Carson, J.M., Holman, P.B., and Darnley, A.G., 2005, Terrestrial Radioactivity and Gamma-Ray Exposure in the United States and Canada: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1413. Available online only.
[9] PNNL-18240, Radiation Doses to Hanford Workers from Natural Potassium-40, Strom, D.J.,
Lynch, T.P., and Weier, D.R., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, February 2009.
[10] NCRP Report No. 95, Radiation Exposure of the U.S. Population from Consumer Products and Miscellaneous Sources, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, 1987.
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7 GLOSSARY Activity or radioactivity: The rate of radioactive transformations of a radionuclide, measured in the traditional unit of the curie (Ci) or the international standard unit of the becquerel (Bq).
Background (radiation): Radiation from cosmic sources; naturally occurring radioactive material, including radon (except as a decay product of source or special nuclear material); and global fallout as it exists in the environment from the testing of nuclear explosive devices and from past nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl that contribute to background radiation and are not under the control of the licensee. Background radiation does not include radiation from source, byproduct, or special nuclear materials regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Effluent discharge, radioactive discharge: The portion of an effluent release that reaches an unrestricted area.
Effluent release, radioactive release: The emission of an effluent from a plant structure into the site environment.
Exposure pathway: A mechanism by which radioactive material is transferred from the (local) environment to humans. There are three commonly recognized exposure pathways: inhalation, ingestion, and direct radiation.
Fission and activation gases: The noble (chemically non-reactive) gases formed from the splitting (fission) of the uranium-235 isotope in a nuclear reactor or the creation of radioactive atoms from non-radioactive atoms (activation) by the capture of neutrons or gamma rays that are released during the fission process.
Gaseous effluents: Airborne effluents.
Iodines: The measured radioactive isotopes of iodine or of other non-metal elements in group 17 of the Periodic Table of Elements. Licensees might report any combination of the iodine isotopes, I-131, I-132, I-133, I-134, and I-135.
Maximum exposed individuals: Individuals characterized as maximum with regard to food consumption, occupancy, and other usage of the region in the vicinity of the plant site. As such, they represent individuals with habits that are considered to be maximum reasonable deviations from the average for the population in general. Additionally, in physiological or metabolic respects, the maximum exposure individuals are assumed to have those characteristics that represent the averages for their corresponding age group in the general population.
Member of the public (10 CFR Part 20): Any individual except when that individual is receiving an occupational dose.
Monitoring: The measurement of radiation levels, concentrations, surface area concentrations, or quantities of radioactive material and the use of results of these measurements to evaluate potential exposures and doses.
Noble gas: One of six noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon) with an oxidation number of 0 that prevents it from forming compounds readily. All noble gases have the maximum number of electrons possible in their outer shell (two for helium, eight for all others),
making them unreactive.
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Occupational dose: as defined in 10 CFR 20.1003, means the dose received by an individual in the course of employment in which the individuals assigned duties involve exposure to radiation or to radioactive material from licensed and unlicensed sources of radiation, whether in the possession of the licensee or other person. Occupational dose does not include doses received from background radiation, from any medical administration the individual has received, from exposure to individuals administered radioactive material and released under [10 CFR] 35.75, from voluntary participation in medical research programs, or as a member of the public.
NUREG: A publication by or for the NRC containing non-sensitive information related to NRCs mission that does not contain regulatory requirements and is published in a formal agency series to ensure the dissemination to the public of scientific and technical information related to atomic energy as mandated by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. Each publication bears an agency designator (e.g., NUREG-number-year).
Particulates: Radioactive materials that are entrained in the gaseous effluents and are not included in any other effluent category.
Site boundary: That line beyond which the land or property is not owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the licensee.
Tritium: The radioactive isotope of hydrogen (H-3).
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NUREG/CR-2907, Vol. 26 Radioactive Effluents from Nuclear Power Plants June 2023 Annual Report 2020 Jason Davis, PhD., CHP Health Physicist - ORAU Technical January 2020 - December 2020 Oak Ridge Associated Universities 1299 Bethel Valley Road, SC-200, MS-21 Oak Ridge, TN 37830 Division of Risk Assessment Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738 In 2020, there were 94 commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) licensed to operate on 55 sites in the United States (U.S.) regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Each year, each power reactor sends a report to the NRC that identifies the radioactive liquid and gaseous effluents discharged from the facility. This report summarizes that information and presents it in a format intended for both nuclear professionals and the general public.
The reader can use this report to quickly characterize the radioactive discharges from any U.S. NPP in 2020. The radioactive effluents can then be compared across reactors. The results can also be compared with typical (or median) effluents for the industry, including short-term trends and long-term trends.
Although all operating NPPs released some radioactive materials in 2020, all effluents discharged were within the NRCs and the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) public dose limits, and NRC as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA) criteria.
Additionally, the doses from radioactive effluents were much less than the doses from other sources of natural radiation that are commonly considered safe. This indicates radioactive effluents from NPPs in 2020 had no significant impact on the health and safety of the public or the environment.
Effluents Radioactive materials ALARA Dose
NUREG/CR-2907 Radioactive Effluents from Nuclear Power Plants June 2023 Volume 26