Atmospheric Dispersion of Radioactivity from Nuclear Power Plant Accidents: Global Assessment and Case Study for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
We estimate the contamination risks from the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides released by severe nuclear power plant accidents using the ECHAM/Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) atmospheric chemistry (EMAC) atmospheric chemistry-general circulation model at high resolution (50 km). We present an overview of global risks and also a case study of nuclear power plants that are currently under construction, planned and proposed in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, a region prone to earthquakes. We implemented continuous emissions from each location, making the simplifying assumption that all potential accidents release the same amount of radioactivity. We simulated atmospheric transport and decay, focusing on <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>131</sup>I as proxies for particulate and gaseous radionuclides, respectively. We present risk maps for potential surface layer concentrations, deposition and doses to humans from the inhalation exposure of <sup>131</sup>I. The estimated risks exhibit seasonal variability, with the highest surface level concentrations of gaseous radionuclides in the Northern Hemisphere during winter.
Year of publication: |
2014
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Authors: | Christoudias, Theodoros ; Proestos, Yiannis ; Lelieveld, Jos |
Published in: |
Energies. - MDPI, Open Access Journal, ISSN 1996-1073. - Vol. 7.2014, 12, p. 8338-8354
|
Publisher: |
MDPI, Open Access Journal |
Subject: | nuclear power plant accidents | radioactivity transport modeling | deposition and inhalation risks |
Saved in:
freely available
Extent: | application/pdf text/html |
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Type of publication: | Article |
Classification: | Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Q0 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics. General ; Q4 - Energy ; Q40 - Energy. General ; Q41 - Demand and Supply ; Q42 - Alternative Energy Sources ; Q43 - Energy and the Macroeconomy ; q47 ; Q48 - Government Policy ; Q49 - Energy. Other |
Source: |
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011098117
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