23.01.2008 // Information Department of Leningrad NPP

Leningrad NPP: radiation situation in 2007

The ecological policy of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant is aimed at ensuring minimum radiation effect on the environment.

In 2007 the radiation situation in the buffer and monitoring zones were within norm, which proves that Leningrad NPP has no negative effect on the environment and the population.

The emission of radioactive gases and aerosols in 2007 was as follows:

Radionuclide	Total emission	% of admissible level
Neutral gases	369 . 4 TBq (656 . 5 TBq )*	9 . 98% (17 . 74%)*
Iodine -131	1 . 70 GBq (0 . 89 GBq )*	1 . 83% (0 . 96%)*
Co-60	125 . 3 MBq (195 . 6 MBq )*	5 . 01% (7 . 83%)*
Cs-134	14 . 6 MBq (37 . 2 MBq )*	1.04% (2.66%)*
Cs-137	152.6 MBq (169.5 MBq )*	3.81% (4.24%)*

* Indices of 2006.

In Dec the emission of radioactive gases and aerosols was as follows: radioactive gases — 4.3% of the admissible level, idodine-131 – 0.3%, Ci-60 0 5.7%, Cs-134 – 0%, Cs-137 – 1.3%.

The concentration of radionuclides in the air in both buffer and monitoring zones made up just 0.001 of the admissible level.

The concentration of radionuclides in Kopora Bay of the Gulf of Finland made up just 0.1% of the admissible level and posed no threat to water consumers.

The gamma radiation background at Leningrad NPP and in the nearby area was within norm.

The maximum gamma radiation background in the area monitored by the plant’s automated radiation control system made up 0.17 mSvh.

Note

The buffer and monitoring zones of Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant are controlled by an automated radiation control system.

The radiation situation in the Gulf of Finland (waste canals of Leningrad NPP) is monitored by two floating stations deployed in the waste canals of the four units of the plant.

The becquerel (symbol Bq) is the SI derived unit of radioactivity, defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. It is therefore equivalent to s-1. The older unit of radioactivity was the curie (Ci), defined as 3.7×1010 becquerels or 37 GBq. The becquerel is named for Henri Becquerel, who shared a Nobel Prize with Pierre and Barie Curie for their work in discovering radioactivity.

Commonly used multiples are kBq (kilobecquerel, 103 Bq), MBq (megabecquerel, 106 Bq), and GBq (gigabecquerel, 109 Bq).