Evaluation on the environmental radioactivity in Shanghai city during the normal operational condition of Qinshan nuclear power station

The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of environmental radioactivity in Shanghai from the operation of Qinshan Nuclear Power Station (QNPS). The levels of terrestrial gamma radiation and radioactivities in the drinking water, main food and soils in the Jinshan area where is only 38 km far away from the QNPS were continuously measured in the past 19 y. Both the levels of terrestrial gamma radiation and the radioactivities in the samples were on the normal background levels. No significant changes were found before and after the running of QNPS. The annual public exposure to the terrestrial gamma radiation was estimated to be ∼0.1 mSv, and the annual exposure from intakes of (90)Sr and (137)Cs in food was ∼0.5 μSv. In the past 19 y, no significant impact on the environmental radioactivity in Shanghai was observed due to the operation of QNPS.