Assessment of tritium monitoring for radiation environment around the typical nuclear power plants in China

During the conventional operation, nuclear power plants discharge waste water containing amount of radioactivity, one of main ingredient is the artificial radionuclide tritium. In this paper, the chemical characteristics and the level of tritium in the environment are studied. The monitoring medium and results of tritium in eight typical nuclear power plants are described. According to the monitoring data, the emission of tritium in heavy water reactor is relatively high, while that in pressurized water reactor is basically at the background level. Tips on topics related to strengthen the monitoring of radiation environment around the nuclear power plants have noted.