The annual effective dose from natural sources of ionising radiation in Canada.

A review and analysis of published information combined with the results of recent gamma ray surveys were used to determine the annual effective dose to Canadians from natural sources of radiation. The dose due to external radiation was determined from ground gamma ray surveys carried out in the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Winnipeg and was calculated to be 219 microSv. A compilation of airborne gamma ray data from Canada and the United States shows that there are large variations in external radiation with the highest annual outdoor level of 1424 microSv being found in northern Canada. The annual effective inhalation dose of 926 microSv from 222Rn and 220Rn was calculated from approximately 14,000 measurements across Canada. This value includes a contribution of 128 microSv from 222Rn in the outdoor air together with 6 microSv from long-lived uranium and thorium series radionuclides in dust particles. Based on published information, the annual effective dose due to internal radioactivity is 306 microSv. A program developed by the Federal Aviation Administration was used to calculate a population-weighted annual effective dose from cosmic radiation of 318 microSv. The total population-weighted average annual effective dose to Canadians from all sources of natural background radiation was calculated to be 1769 microSv but varies significantly from city to city, largely due to differences in the inhalation dose from 222Rn.

A fence line noble gas monitoring system for nuclear power plants.

A noble gas monitoring system has been installed at Ontario Power Generation's Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS) near Toronto, Canada. This monitoring system allows a direct measure of air kerma from external radiation instead of calculating this based on plant emission data and meteorological models. This has resulted in a reduction in the reported effective dose from external radiation by a factor of at least ten. The system consists of nine self-contained units, each with a 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm (3 inch x 3 inch) NaI(TI) detector that is calibrated for air kerma. The 512-channel gamma ray spectral information is downloaded daily from each unit to a central computer where the data are stored and processed. A spectral stripping procedure is used to remove natural background variations from the spectral windows used to monitor xenon-133 (133Xe), xenon-135 (135Xe), argon-41 (41Ar), and skyshine radiation from the use of radiography sources. Typical monthly minimum detection limits in air kerma are 0.3 nGy for 133Xe, 0.7 nGy for 35Xe, 3 nGy for 41Ar and 2 nGy for skyshine radiation. Based on 9 months of continuous operation, the annualised air kerma due to 133Xe, 135Xe and 41Ar and skyshine radiation were 7 nGy, 8 nGy, 26 nGy and 107 nGy respectively.

Calibration of a 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm (3 inch x 3 inch) sodium iodide gamma ray spectrometer for air kerma rate.

An experimental procedure is described for converting a gamma ray spectral measurement from a 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm (3 inch x 3 inch) sodium iodide (NaI) detector to air kerma rate. The calibration procedure involves measuring the energy deposited in the detector using 10 radioactive sources of known activity covering an energy range from 60 keV to 1,836 keV. For each of the 10 sources, gamma ray spectra were measured with the source at different angles to the detector axis. The total energy deposited in the detector for the ten sources was confirmed by Monte Carlo calculations. The spectra measured at different angles were combined to produce a spectrum that would represent a homogeneous semi-infinite source of radiation. The resultant spectrum was then subdivided into 10 energy regions. Based on the known air kerma rates due to the sources, a calibration coefficient was calculated for each of the 10 energy regions. These calibration coefficients could then be used to convert the energy deposited in the 10 regions of an unknown spectrum to air kerma rate. The calibration procedure was confirmed by comparing the results from the detector with those from calibrated collimated beams of 137Cs and 60Co. A comparison of measurements using a calibrated pressurised ionisation chamber with those from a similar Nal spectrometer in Finland provided additional confirmation of the calibration procedure.