Members of the public are subject to radiation expo­sure as a consequence of the radioactive discharges. Exposure from gaseous effluents arises from:

• Direct radiation from the gaseous plume passing overhead.

• Ingested activity via the agricultural food chain from deposited material.

• Inhaled materials.

Public exposure from liquid effluents is through:

• Ingestion of radioactivity via the sea food and fish pathway,

• External exposure from occupation of beaches and shorelines as a result of radioactive material de­position.

The radiation exposure of the public from liquid and gaseous effluents discharged from nuclear power sta­tions is very low. Typically, the annual exposure of a member of the critical group (the most highly ex­posed members of the public at any particular lo­cation) from liquid and gaseous effluents discharged by a magnox power station of the early type is given by Pepper [11] to be 0.11 mSv (0.011 rem). This dose may be compared with the average annual UK expo­sure from natural sources of 1.86 mSv (0.186 rem) and the International Commission on Radiological

Protection (ICRP) recommended dose limit for members of the public of 5 mSv (0.5 rem) per year.

Solid wastes which are not readily dispersed to the environment when buried on land and/or discharged as packages to sea, give rise to negligible radiation exposure of the public.