Nuclear energy: health impact of carbon-14

Estimates are presented on the carbon-14 generation rates in several reactor types and in peaceful nuclear explosions. If the carbon-14 generated in light water reactors is released, the population radiation dose rate it causes initially will be comparable to that resulting from the krypton-85 and tritium generated in these reactors. Because of the long half-life, the radiation dose commitment and the dose rate resulting from the environmental build-up of carbon-14 are considerably larger than those of the two other radionuclides.