Loose water tritium distribution in soil around CIAE and its impact on the environment

Abstract

Studies have been made of loose water tritium (LWT) distribution and behavior in the soil samples taken from the region within a radius of 2 km to the HWRR stack of CIAE. The analytical results show that the LWT concentrations in most soil samples of the region are in the range from 24.8 Bq/l (3.6 Bq/kg) to 116 Bq/l (16.0 Bq/kg) with an average value of 58.1±24.8 Bq/l (10.3±4.5 Bq/kg). There are two areas with a higher LWT content; the first one (4.61 · 10⁴ m²) is located near HWRR with ahighest LWT concentration of 287 Bq/l (55.8 Bq/kg) and the second one (3.27 ·10⁵ m²) is located near Lab. A with a highest LWT concentration of 2.35 · 10⁴ Bq/l (2.56 · 10³ Bq/kg). It is estimated that the LWT inventories deposited in soil of the two areas are about 1.52 · 10⁹ Bq and 1.42 · 10¹⁰ Bq, respectively. The analytical results have been evaluated by comparing the possible tritium intake of the human body with the annual limit of intake recommended by ICRP, it can be concluded that the operations of all the nuclear facilities releasing tritium in CIAE are safe without causing any notable tritium contamination.