9 
2 Sources of Radioactive 
Substances in the Baltic Sea 
Maria Lüning 1 , Erkki Mus 2 , Jürgen Herrmann 3 
1 > Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, Sweden 
2> STUK, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland 
3> BSH, Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, Germany 
2.1 Introduction 
This chapter examines the different sources of 
the current amount of man-made radioactive 
substances found in the Baltic Sea. The 
sources are divided as: 
• Nuclear facilities in the Baltic Sea 
drainage area (nuclear power plants 
(NPPs), research reactors, waste 
handling, fuel handling, etc.) 
• Non-nuclear facilities in the Baltic Sea 
drainage area (e.g. hospitals, non 
nuclear industries, etc.) 
• Discharges from nuclear facilities 
located outside the Baltic Sea 
drainage area 
• The Chernobyl accident 
• Atmospheric nuclear weapons tests 
2.2 Discharges from facilities in the Baltic 
Sea drainage area 
2.2.1 Nuclear facilities 
(NPPs, research reactors, waste 
handling, fuel handling, etc.) 
This category includes all the nuclear facili 
ties (power reactors, research reactors, 
waste handling facilities, fuel production, etc.) 
located in the drainage area of the Baltic Sea 
which discharge directly or indirectly into the 
Baltic Sea. The main characteristics of these 
facilities are summarised in Table 1. The loca 
tions of the facilities are shown in Figure 1. 
The discharge pattern for most of the NPPs 
is similar, and the most abundant nuclides 
present in the discharges are shown in 
Table 1. The amounts of the most significant 
radionuclides discharged are shown in 
Figures 2-10. 
Facility 
Country 
Type of facility ; number of 
units 
Main radionuclides 
discharged 
Remarks 
Loviisa 
Finland 
Power plant; 2 PWR 
3 H, 60 Co, 137 Cs, 110m Ag, 124 Sb, 
58 Co, ^Mn 
Olkiluoto 
Finland 
Power plant; 2 BWR 
3 H , 60 COi 137 CSi 51 Cn 58 COi 
54 Mn, ,34 Cs 
Greifswald 
Germany 
Power plant; 5 PWR 
311, 137 Cs, 60 Co 
Shut down in 1990 
Ignalina 
Lithuania 
Power plant; 2 RBMK 
3 H, ,37 Cs, 60 Co 
First reactor shut down 
in 2004 
Leningrad 
Russia 
Power plant; 4 RBMK 
137 Cs, 60 Co 
H-3 not reported 
Barsebäck 
Sweden 
Power plant; 2 BWR 
3 H, “Co, 5 'Cr, “Co, 137 Cs, 54 Mn 
First reactor shut down in 
1999, and second in 2005 
Forsmark 
Sweden 
Power plant; 3 BWR 
3 H, 60 Co, 137 Cs, 134 Cs, 58 Co, 
54 Mn, 51 Cr, 65 Zn, 124 Sb 
Oskarshamn 
Sweden 
Power plant; 3 BWR 
3 H, 60 Co, 51 Cr, 58 Co, 110m Ag, 
54 Mn, 65 Zn, 125 Sb, 137 Cs 
Ringhals 
Sweden 
Power plant; 3 PWR, 1 BWR 
3 H, 58 Co, 60 Co, 124 Sb, 51 Cr, 
54 Mn, 125 Sb, 137 Cs, 95 Nb 
Ris 0 
Denmark 
Research reactor 
3 H 
Shut down in 2000 
Salaspils 
Latvia 
Research reactor 
3 H, 137 Cs, ,34 Cs 
Shut down in 1998 
Studsvik 
Sweden 
Research reactor and waste 
handling facility 
3 H, “Sr, 137 Cs, “Co, 134 Cs, 192 lr, 
144 Ce, 54 Mn, 106 Ru 
Research reactor shut 
down in 2005 
Paldiski 
Estonia 
Training centre for nuclear 
submarines 
3 H, 137 Cs, “Sr 
Shut down in 1989 
Sillamäe 
Estonia 
Chemical metallurgy plant and 
waste depository 
238 u, ^sRa, 
Waste depository will be 
finally covered in 2009 
Westinghouse Electric 
Sweden AB 
Sweden 
Fuel fabrication plant 
234 U, 238 Ui 60 Co 
Table 1: 
Nuclear facilities in the drainage 
area of the Baltic Sea, and their 
main discharge nuclides. 
Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No. 117