Analysis of the Effective Dose to the Public Living Around Korean Nuclear Power Plants After the Monitoring of Carbon‐14 Discharge Was Implemented

Radioactive effluents discharged by nuclear power plants (NPPs) are classified into two categories: gas and liquid effluents, based on their source and discharge pathways. During the operation of these facilities, both types of effluents are released into the environment. In Korea, the discharge of radioactive effluents is regulated according to three criteria: radioactivity concentration, radiation dose, and the total amount of radioactivity. Among the various radioactive nuclides discharged by NPPs, carbon‐14 stands out due to its long half‐life and significant contribution to the effective dose to the public living near these plants. The radioactive effluents discharged from Korean NPPs contain a variety of nuclides. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the operator of these facilities, carefully manages effluent discharges. This study assesses the effective dose to the public caused by carbon‐14 emissions from Korean NPPs over a decade. Since 2013, the monitoring of carbon‐14 in gaseous effluents at Korean pressurized water reactors (PWRs) has been conducted through direct measurements. The findings indicate that while tritium constitutes a large portion of the radioactive effluents, carbon‐14 has emerged as the primary contributor to public radiation exposure. The average annual effective dose from measured carbon‐14 emissions was assessed at 1.06 × 10 − 2 mSv for PWRs and 3.25 × 10 − 2 mSv for pressurized heavy water reactors from 2013 to 2022. As a result, carbon‐14 has a relatively significant radiological impact on the effective dose received by the public living near Korean NPPs.