Radioactive Level in Fishes and Surface Sediments from the Coastal Areas of Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of operating nuclear power plants on the ecological environment in the surrounding sea areas, 4 nuclear power plants which had been operated along the coast of China, namely Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, Ningde Nuclear Power Plant and Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant, were selected as research objects. The specific activity of main radionuclides in fish and surface sediments in the surrounding sea areas was determined from June to September of 2016 and from April to July of 2017 respectively, and the sources of surface sediments were analyzed. The results showed that the operation of nuclear power plant had not affected the radioactivity level of fish and surface sediments in surrounding sea areas, and the specific activity of 137Cs and 226Ra in fish was much lower than the detection limits of national food. Specific activity of 238U, 226Ra and 228Ra in surface sediments increased gradually with the decrease of latitude, and that of 137Cs decreased with time compared with the results of earlier literature. According to the average 226Ra/238U value of surface sediments, the sources of surface sediments in different areas were different, and the higher the correlation between 226Ra and 228Ra specific activity, the more single the source of surface sediments.

Keywords

• nuclear power plants
• radionuclides
• specific activity
• surface sediments
• fishes