Doses received while crossing a plume of radioactive material released during an accident at a nuclear power plant

A set of calculations was performed to determine doses resulting from a release of radioactive material during a hypothetical serious accident at a nuclear power plant. Three different accident scenarios were considered, and calculations were performed for each of three meteorological conditions accompanying each accident scenario. The calculated doses were the doses received by a reference man traversing the entire width of the plume of radioactive material at distances ranging from one to 40km downwind of the release site. Dose pathways considered included the internal dose due to inhalation of material in the plume, the external dose due to exposure to the plume, and the external dose due to ground contamination deposited by the passing plume. The calculated doses are presented along with a discussion of their implications for emergency response planning.