Abstract: To implement a conservative and rapid assessment of public exposure due to airborne effluent discharge from nuclear facilities under the conditions of limited environmental parameters of facility site, this study develops a graded screening assessment model based on the screening assessment strategy proposed in the IAEA Safety Report Series No.113, which can implement a conservative to realistic assessment of public exposure due to airborne effluent discharge to atmosphere. A case study of airborne C-14 effluent release scenarios from Hualong One nuclear reactor was established and the assessment results of different public exposure assessment models were compared. The results of the study demonstrate the robustness of the developed screening assessment model. The model can be used for screening assessment of airborne effluent discharge from different types of nuclear facilities when assessment parameters are not available, and for independent review of assessment results by regulatory agencies.

Key words: environmental impact assessment, public dose, graded screening assessment, C-14 airborne effluent