DETERMINATION OF 14C IN GRAB SAMPLES OF STACK AIR FROM NUCLEAR POWER

ABSTRACT. At present, the most significant artificial sources of radiocarbon in the environment are effluents from nuclear energy facilities, even though they represent a minor contribution in comparison with the natural production of 14C. Never-theless, 14C is a major contributor to the collective effective dose from all radionuclides released by nuclear power plants (NPP) with light-water pressurized reactors (LWPR) during normal operation. This paper aims to develop a 14C determination method for grab samples from NPPs ’ stack air. This method enables separate determination of 14CO2 and 14C in combustible compounds. Treated samples are counted by LSC with an indication of interferences. Our results of 14C activity concentra-tions in stack air grab samples are compared with results of 14C determinations performed by the NPP’s laboratory, which uti-lizes monthly/weekly accumulated samples