• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.1772-1777
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• 2017

Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs) periodically evaluate the radioactive gaseous and liquid effluents released from power reactors to protect the public from radiation exposure. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the release of radioactive effluents from Korean NPPs and the effects on the annual radiation doses to the public. The amounts of radioactive effluents released to the environment and the resulting radiation doses to members of the public living around NPPs were analyzed for the years 2011-2015 using the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd's annual summary reports of the assessment of radiological impact on the environment. The results show that tritium was the primary contributor to the activity in both gaseous and liquid effluents. The averages of effective doses to the public were approximately on the order of $10^{-3}mSv$ or $10^{-2}mSv$. Therefore, even though Korean NPPs discharged some radioactive materials into the environment, all effluents were within the regulatory safety limits and the resulting doses were much less than the dose limits.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.2 s.58
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• pp.146-151
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• 2005

Recent studies indicated the utility of whole effluent assessment as a measure to control discharge of toxic effluents to receiving water in Korea. However, most studies have been focussed on acute lethal effects of toxic wastewater with little consideration of chronic sublethal impacts which are of growing concern in protecting aquatic ecosystem. We conducted acute and chronic toxicity tests with effluents discharged from five different dyeing plants in Gyeong-gi province using a marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri and a freshwater macroinvertebrate Daphnia magna to demonstrate the importance of assessing chronic sublethal effects. Various levels of acute and chronic toxicities were observed in many samples tested in this study. In 21-d chronic toxicity tests using D. magna all samples showed effects on reproduction and growth. Notable mortalities were also noted in three out of five effluents. The result of the Microtox assay indicated that acute microbial toxicity existed in effluents from two out of five plants and acute daphnid toxicity was observed in only one effluent. The result of this study clearly suggests chronic toxicity tests are more suitable to assess biological effects of effluents because it was shown from this study that even an effluent with no acute toxicity could cause chronically lethal and/or sublethal adverse effects on aquatic biota which may affect the population dynamics in aquatic ecosystem.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.195-200
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• 2009

effluents to the environment. The activity of carbon-14, one of the radioactive effluents, in the environment is already high level and its effect on radiation exposure to the public and the environment is insignificant; thus, NPPs did not perform the carbon-14 monitoring in effluents in the past. By the way, effluents of noble gas and particulate radioactive materials originated from nuclear fuels has been continuously reduced due to both the advancement of manufacturing and integrity technology for nuclear fuels and the improvement of operation methods of NPPs. Futhermore, the portion of dose assessment by tritium and carbon-14 to the public has been relatively increased because the lower limit of detection for low-energy beta sources, such as tritium and carbon-14, is low due to the advancement of radiation detection technology. In this paper, the technical background for carbon-14 monitoring in nuclear facilities was investigated using United States technical reports and papers. This paper also reviews whether carbon-14 monitoring is necessary or not based on the investigated documents.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.138-145
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• 2012

As of the end of 2010, 21 nuclear power reactors were operating in Korea. Radioactive effluents from nuclear power plants (NPPs) had been increased continuously and the radioactivity of effluents released in 2010 was 547.12 TBq. From 2001 to 2010, the annual average radioactivity of gaseous and liquid effluents per reactor was 11.61 TBq for pressurized water reactor (PWR) plants and 118.12 TBq for PHWR (pressurized heavy water reactor) plants. Most of the radioactivity from gaseous and liquid effluents was came from $^3H$. Based on the results of release trends and analysis, effluents characteristics was suggested for the management of radioactive effluents from NPPs.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.61-64
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• 2014

Radioactive materials are in use and have many applications from the generation of electricity to the purposes of research, industry and medicine such as diagnosis and therapy. In the course of their use some of radioactive substances may be discharged into the environment from facilities using the unsealed radioactive materials, which are main artificial sources occurring the public exposure. Discharges are in the form of gases, particles or liquids. This paper provides procedures to estimate the level of the public exposure based on the conservative assumptions and simple calculations in the facility using unsealed liquid sources. They consist of two processes; (1) to calculate maximum concentration of gaseous effluents discharged through the exhaust pipe and average concentration of liquid effluents discharged through the drain of the storage tank, (2) to compare each of them to numerical guidances for the discharges of radioactive gaseous and liquid effluents mentioned in the related notification. For this purpose followings are assumed properly; daily usage, form and dispersion rate of radionuclides, daily amount of radioactive liquid waste and exhaust and drainage equipment. The procedures are readily applicable to evaluate environmental effects by planned effluent discharges from facilities using the unsealed radioactive materials. In addition they may be utilized to obtain practical requirements for radiation safety control necessary for the reductions of the public exposure.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.811-818
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• 2011

Daphnia Magna Stratus has been widely accepted as useful species for estimating the toxicity of chemicals to aquatic invertebrate and recommended as species for the testing chemicals from the international guideline as well as Korean guideline. The study was performed for the acute toxicity test by using water flea(D. Magna) for effluents from several wastewater treatment plants and drainage canals in GyeongBuk area. Five heavy metals, 1,4-Dioxane and Perchlorate were tested. Most Toxicity Units(TU) of Industrial wastewater effluents were less than 1 which means effluent was not toxic to D. Magna. However, effluents containing 1,4-Dioxane and Perchlorate were significantly toxic to D. Magna. Therefore, facilities should reduce the 1,4-dioxane since new regulations will force them after the year of 2011.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2003

To prevent the potential health detriment to the public from radioactive effluents, radiological dose assessments due to the operation of nuclear facilities located at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) site has been performed semiannually in compliance with the Minister of Science and Technology (MOST)'s Notice in Korea. Radiological dose assessment based on the new recommendation of the International Committee on Radiation Protection (ICRP-60) has been conducted since 1998. In this manuscript, a serial activities at KAERI site to meet the regulatory standards for routine releases of radioactive effluents are introduced and discussed including technical approaches. It is clear that each nuclear facility has been operated in compliance with regulatory standards. Furthermore, it is identified that the radiation induced health effects for residents around the site are neglectable.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.523-532
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• 2011

In this study, from 2004 to 2008 influents and discharging effluents from 241 municipal public sewage treatment plants were surveyed. Statistics including average, Coefficient of Variation (CV) and Coefficient of Reliability (COR) for each season, time series analysis for removal efficiency and water quality of effluents, and a comparison of the effluent standards in Korea and other countries were presented. The average concentrations of TN and TP in influents. during winter season were 32.6 and 3.78 mg/L and during other season were 30.8 and 3.61 mg/L in 2008, respectively. The average TN concentration on the basis of the maximum monthly concentrations in the effluents during winter season ranged from 14.2~17.4 mg/L and during other season ranged from 12.2~14.8 mg/L. The TP concentration in the effluents depending on the each season was no big difference. TN removal efficiency decreased from Jan. to Feb. and TP removal efficiency decreased in Jan., Jun and July. Maximum COR during winter season were 0.61 but the COR for TN and TP during other season ranged from 0.96~1.48 and 1.09~1.81, respectively, due to big difference in the standard for TN and TP in effluents depending on the season. TN and TP standards for effluent of sewage treatment during winter season in Korea was much higher than those in other countries. Therefore the lower effluent standards during winter season is essential for the water quality improvement.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.377-386
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• 2015

The purpose of this research was to suggest the water quality improvement in streams by evaluating the distribution characteristics of organics and ammonia nitrogen discharged by pollution sources from human living. The public sewage treatment plants'(PSTPs) effluents and the waters from streams in Gyeonggi-do were sampled and analyzed. Nitrogenous oxygen demand (NOD) was measured for the stream waters as well as the PSTPs effluents, and the correlations of NOD and $NH_3$-N, $NH_3$-N and water temperature in the PSTPs effluents were confirmed. In the case of the stream waters, the ratios of NOD to BOD and $NH_3$-N increased in the downstream sites after discharging the PSTPs effluents. As a result of statistical analysis of $NH_3$-N concentrations for the national water quality monitoring streams in Gyeonggi-do, $NH_3$-N showed the non-normal distribution which were biased to the left, but showed the considerable level because of higher coefficient of variation. Therefore, it is required to establish the water quality standard for the $NH_3$-N as a new parameter for judging the quality of the streams. In addition, inducing complete nitrification and introducing a logical standard setting system are needed to improve the water quality of streams by identifying distribution of the nitrogen components from PSTPs effluents.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.41-46
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• 2001

Trihalomethane(THMs) levels in drinking tap water, indoor swimming pool water and industrial effluent in Kunsan area were surveyed in this study. During experimental period, the monthly averages of THMs in drinking tap water from Keumkang wide-area supply ranged from 15$\mu\textrm{g}$/ι/to 50 $\mu\textrm{g}$ showing the highest level in summer. 3 indoor swimming pools showed the monthly average levels of THMs formation ranging from 8$\mu\textrm{g}$/ι/to 20$\mu\textrm{g}$/ι and the pool under public management seemed to maintain its water quality more stable than those under private management THMs concentrations in the effluents. discharged from 10 manufacturing companies, ranged from N.D. to 95$\mu\textrm{g}$/ι and it was estimated that the overall THMs level discharged front those manufacturing companies is not high, reflecting the traces recorded for most effluents. The composition ratios of individual THMs for industrial effluents showed a difference from those for drinking water and swimming pool water, along with their wide variations according to the company and relatively high composition ratios of Br substituents.