Radioactive effluents and present and future radiation exposure to the population from nuclear facilities in the Federal Republic of Germany

As this time ten light water cooled nuclear power plants are operated outside of nuclear research centers in the Federal Republic of Germany. A review of the releases of radioactivity in gaseous and liquid effluents shows that increasing operational experience and improved technology combined with restrictive licensing policy and comprehensive control systems have resulted in decreasing release rates. Therefore radiation exposure to the population and critical groups calculated from these release rates on a local scale via different exposure pathways have been low until now. Predictions of future radiation exposure are based on the energy program of the Federal Republic of Germany up to 1985 and continuing forecasts for future energy demands, release rates of new reactor types and reprocessing plants being taken into account. In calculations of exposures to the population local models are combined with regional models superimposing contributions from sources in the Federal Republic and neighbouring countries and with a global multi-compartment model. If, with view to a continued development of the present state of science and technology in connection with major reprocessing plants, retention rates from 90-99% are assumed to be obtainable for H 3 and Kr 85, 99,5-99,9% for iodine and approximately 90% for C 14 from reprocessing plants, it can be demonstrated that also the future radiation exposure can be kept below the dose limits established in the Federal Republic of Germany