Evaluation of tritium ingestion dose in the Republic of Korea using environmental impact assessment methodologies from three organizations

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and technology Vol. 57; no. 4; p. 103323
• Main Authors: Park, Jewan, Kim, Yongmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.04.2025; Elsevier; 한국원자력학회
• Subjects: CSA N288.1–14; Dose evaluation; Effective dose; IAEA TRS-472; Republic of Korea; Tritium; 원자력공학; Dose evaluation; IAEA TRS-472; Tritium; CSA N288.1–14; Effective dose; Republic of Korea
• ISSN: 1738-5733; 2234-358X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2024.11.025

This study performed a comparative analysis using data from Republic of Korea's nuclear power plants and applied methodologies from Republic of Korea, IAEA TRS-472, and CSA N288.1–14 to assess environmental impact doses. The research primarily centered on estimating the effective doses received from consuming crops and fish affected by tritiums's atmospheric and marine discharge from nuclear facilities. It has been confirmed that significant differences exist in the effective dose due to various influencing factors such as the moisture content ratio, the weight ratio of the measurement target parameters, and the calculation methods of Organically Bound Tritium (OBT). In the context of crops, the effective dose for Republic of Korea was represented as 1.297 μSv. Conversely, the TRS-472 and N288.1–14 revealed doses of 2.684 μSv and 2.284 μSv, respectively, demonstrating an approximate two-fold difference in the effective dose values. This study highlights the essential need for technological advancements in environmental dose impact assessments, urging the development of customized evaluation models that consider each country's unique characteristics while advocating for enhanced international standardization in dose evaluations.