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Appraisal of long-term radiation trends in the environs of nuclear power plants – Examples from Switzerland

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Published/Copyright: May 13, 2013
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Kerntechnik
From the journal Kerntechnik Volume 77 Issue 3

Abstract

Annually since 1989, biannually since 1994 the sites of the Swiss nuclear facilities (4 power plant sites, a nuclear research institute and a waste storage facility) are surveyed flying the same survey lines by airborne gamma ray spectrometry. The equipment and the data processing software used for those surveys was built and developed at the Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich. For mapping the ground radiation around the nuclear facilities a pixel representation and a modified Spectrum Dose Index (SDI) method is used. In the search for long-term trends the local dose-rates are calculated first and in turn the net dose rates over the time span 1992–2010. So far no significant change in the radiation levels was detected over the last 18 years outside of the fenced sites of the nuclear facilities, except for the operation of an industrial radiation facility in 1995.

Kurzfassung

Die Umgebung der Schweizer Kernanlagen (vier Kernkraftwerke, ein Kernforschungsinstitut, und ein Lager für radioaktive Abfälle) wird seit 1989 jährlich und seit 1994 im zweijährigen Turnus mittels Aerogammaspektrometrie entlang derselben Fluglinien vermessen. Die Messeinrichtung und die Datenverarbeitung wurden am Institut für Geophysik der ETH Zürich gebaut bzw. entwickelt. Die Kartierung der Bodenstrahlung (Ortsdosisleistung) erfolgt mit einem modifizierten Spektral-Dosis-Index (SDI) und einer Pixeldarstellung. Bei der Suche nach Langzeit-Trends wurden für die Zeitspanne 1992–2010 aus den lokalen Ortsdosisleistungen Nettodosisleistungen bestimmt. Über die untersuchten 18 Jahre konnten ausserhalb der umzäunten Anlagen-Areale – mit Ausnahme einer industriellen Bestrahlungsanlage im Jahr 1995 – keine signifikanten Änderungen der Strahlungswerte festgestellt werden.

References

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Received: 2012-2-18
Published Online: 2013-05-13
Published in Print: 2012-06-01

© 2012, Carl Hanser Verlag, München

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents/Inhalt
  2. Contents
  3. Summaries/Kurzfassungen
  4. Summaries/Kurzfassungen
  5. Editorial
  6. Naturally occurring and artificially produced radionuclides in our environment
  7. Technical Contributions/Fachbeiträge
  8. The world we really live in – communication on radiation
  9. Appraisal of long-term radiation trends in the environs of nuclear power plants – Examples from Switzerland
  10. Determination of the nuclide vector for decommissioning projects at PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland)
  11. Radiation shielding is not a solution – radiation protection of air crews
  12. The European map of indoor radon concentrations: status and questions of quality assurance
  13. Radon at workplaces in Bavaria and experiences with remediation
  14. Application of the tracer gas technology to investigate convective radon transport processes between mine workings and houses
  15. Dose contributions due to radiation scattered by air (skyshine) in the case of x-ray machines
  16. Measurement of radionuclides within the Global Atmosphere Watch Programme of WMO
  17. The application of equilibrium models to incidence situations using the example of the exposure pathway human milk
  18. 4th COCOSYS User's Workshop at GRS
https://doi.org/10.3139/124.110261

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents/Inhalt
  2. Contents
  3. Summaries/Kurzfassungen
  4. Summaries/Kurzfassungen
  5. Editorial
  6. Naturally occurring and artificially produced radionuclides in our environment
  7. Technical Contributions/Fachbeiträge
  8. The world we really live in – communication on radiation
  9. Appraisal of long-term radiation trends in the environs of nuclear power plants – Examples from Switzerland
  10. Determination of the nuclide vector for decommissioning projects at PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland)
  11. Radiation shielding is not a solution – radiation protection of air crews
  12. The European map of indoor radon concentrations: status and questions of quality assurance
  13. Radon at workplaces in Bavaria and experiences with remediation
  14. Application of the tracer gas technology to investigate convective radon transport processes between mine workings and houses
  15. Dose contributions due to radiation scattered by air (skyshine) in the case of x-ray machines
  16. Measurement of radionuclides within the Global Atmosphere Watch Programme of WMO
  17. The application of equilibrium models to incidence situations using the example of the exposure pathway human milk
  18. 4th COCOSYS User's Workshop at GRS
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