14C in tree rings in the vicinity of the nuclear facility deployment areas

Abstract

14C is naturally and artificially occurred radionuclide presented in atmosphere. 14C is produced during the operation of a nuclear reactor of any type, enters the atmosphere and became a part of carbon cycle. The article presents the results of measuring the concentration of 14C in the tree rings of 10 pines in the area of the Beloyarsk NPP (BelNPP) and the Institute of Nuclear Materials (INM), Zarechny. The sampling site, located 1200 m east of the INM, was selected based on long-term observations of meteorological parameters. The measurements were carried out using the accelerator mass spectrometer of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk. The influence of the operation of nuclear installations on the concentration of 14C in the atmospheric air is demonstrated. The range of values for the concentration of carbon-14 in the sample ranged from 116.0 ± 4.4 to 192.0 ± 8.5 pMC.