Analyzing Radionuclide Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants

To analyze alternatives for regulating airborne radionuclide emissions from coal-fired power plants, a model was developed to provide information about (1) the quantity of radionuclides emitted by a specific power plant, (2) the resulting radiation dose to the exposed population, (3) the induced health effects, and (4) the uncertainty associated with these estimates. The computer program implementing the model is simple to use, requires little computer time, and is inexpensive to run. The results are very similar to those obtained with more complex models, which are more difficult and expensive to use and do not explicitly address uncertainty.