Population dose from indoor gamma exposure in the dwellings around Kudankulam nuclear power plant

To assess the population dose due to the natural background radiation around the upcoming Kudankulam nuclear power plant, a systematic investigation has been carried out by measuring the indoor gamma dose. In total, 159 dwellings have been selected around the Kudankulam nuclear power plant area i.e. in Radhapuram and Nanguneri taluk (sub-districts) for the measurement. The geometric mean value of indoor gamma dose rate is 305 ± 48 nGy h-1 and 273 ± 50 nGy h-1 in Radhapuram and Nanguneri taluks, (sub-districts) respectively. The annual effective dose due to indoor gamma radiation to the population has been found to be 1.5 mSv and 1.36 mSv in Radhapuram and Nanguneri taluks, respectively. (authors)