Quality Control of Soil and Water in the Vicinity of Coal Fired Power Plants - Radiological Aspect

The operation of coal fired power plants greatly influences the surrounding environment, especially water and soil, due to large amounts of combustion waste products released. Besides the quality of soil and water from the aspect of chemical and structural composition (release of heavy metals, ash and slag deposition on soil) it is of at most importance to maintain a strict control from the radiological safety point of view. All coal types contain certain amount of naturally occurring radionuclides, which depends on the composition of the rock and soil adjacent to the place of the coal excavation. These radionuclides are concentrated in the process of coal combustion, thus leading to potentially high levels of radioactivity in the ash and slag. These by – products are released into the environment and can increase the radiation burden on the environment, change the composition of the soil and bodies of water in the vicinity, thus potentially influencing the health of the general population. In this paper, the radiological analysis of soil and water samples taken from the vicinity of different coal fired power plants in Serbia in the period of 2019-2021. will be presented. Measurements are performed in the Radiation and Environmental Protection Department of Institute of Nuclear Sciences Vinča within the framework of regular environment monitoring of the power plants.