Evaluation of tritium level in Danube - Black Sea ecosystem after Cernavoda NPP commissioning

CANDU type Nuclear Power Plant was put into service on December 1996. It will be the most powerful tritium source in Europe. Although tritium is a radioisotope with a low radiotoxicity, public opinion from Romania and especially the international public opinion are very sensitive concerning the possible emission impact on environment. So, tritium management in a CANDU Power Plant and its monitoring in surrounding ecosystem is an important part of every nuclear program. This paper presents the processing and preparing procedure of water samples with a view to determine low and ultralow tritium concentration using direct measurement with an ultralow level liquid scintillation spectrometer. All these measurements are made according to international standards. It is also presented tritium level in Nuclear Power Plant and Black Sea limitrophe zone after 20 months since the commissioning of the Heavy Water Reactor. All these data are presented and discussed comparatively with those existing before 1996