Release of liquid and gaseous effluents leads to their dispersion in the environment. For both types of release the main impact on man is through ingestion: sea food in the case of liquid releases and products such as milk, meat and plants for atmospheric releases. Rare gases are not absorbed by plants or animals and have no significant impact. Aqueous and terrestrial environments are sampled extensively for monitoring purposes.

To give an idea of the magnitude impact, releases from La Hague (France) produce a dose to the most exposed person of less than 0.03 mSv/year. This may be compared with doses from exposure to natural radioactivity of 1.5-6 mSv/year (depending upon location) and the authorized level of 1 mSv/year.

Regulations can vary between countries: Japan sets restrictive limits at Rokkasho-Mura plant particularly with regards to liquid releases except tritium. The United Kingdom is more restrictive than France regarding the tritium content in liquid releases but requirements are less stringent for a emitters.