Study on the characteristics of airborne gross alpha and gross beta activities in the vicinity of nuclear facilities

Abstract

Continuous monitoring of radioactive substances over a prolonged duration can yield crucial insights into the levels of radiation exposure through inhalation, both in the vicinity of nuclear facilities and/or general environments. In this study, we evaluated long-term measurements (2012–2022) of gross alpha-beta activities in the air in the vicinity of nuclear facilities and reference site, distribution characteristics of temporal trends and spatial fluctuations, and factors affecting radioactivity levels. The average airborne gross-α (in mBq m−3) for on-site and off-site were 0.124 and 0.117, respectively, and the average airborne gross-β (in mBq m−3) measurements were 1.10 and 1.04, respectively. The activity ratio (AR) of gross-α and gross-β were calculated as a ratio of 0.12. The distribution characteristics of gross-α and gross-β activities in this study area are likely influenced by the meteorological factors and variations in airborne PM concentrations rather than the operation of the nuclear facility.

Keywords

• Gross alpha
• Gross beta
• Activity ratio
• Temporal trend
• Spatial fluctuation