Research and analysis

RIFE 28 Summary, Radioactivity in food and the environment, 2022

Updated 2 November 2023

General summary

Radioactivity is all around us. It occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, and it can be found in the food we eat, the water we drink, as well as the air we breathe. We are also exposed to artificial sources of radioactivity, such as in medical applications used in hospitals and nuclear power. It is a legal requirement to ensure that the radiation exposure from artificial radioactivity, from all sources, is kept within a safe limit. Globally, strict regulations and recommendations are in place to protect the public and the environment.

In the UK, the radiation exposure from artificial radioactivity in the environment mainly comes from permitted or authorised releases from UK nuclear sites. In addition to these sites, there are other users of radioactivity, such as hospitals, research or industrial facilities. These other facilities are generally known as the non-nuclear industries. Releases from hospital and research sites are significantly lower than from nuclear sites.

The Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report is published each year by environmental regulators and food standards agencies. This report brings together all the results of monitoring of radioactivity in food and the environment by the RIFE partners (Environment Agency, Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency).

The main aim of the RIFE programme is to monitor the environment, and the diet of people living or working near nuclear and selected non-nuclear sites. From this monitoring, we can estimate the amount of radioactivity the public is exposed to, and in particular, those groups of people who are most exposed because of their age, diet, location or lifestyle.

An additional comparison can be made with the exposure from natural radioactivity using a different approach to those estimated for people who live or work near nuclear and other sites. The UK Health Security Agency has published estimates of exposures to the UK population from naturally occurring and artificial sources of radioactivity. The most recent values show that naturally occurring sources, particularly radon gas, accounted for around 84% of the exposure from all sources of radioactivity, with medical radiation contributing around 16%. Artificial radioactivity in the environment, from the nuclear industry and from past testing of nuclear weapons, accounted for less than 0.2% of the exposure to the UK population (See Figure GS).

Figure GS. Average UK population exposure from natural and artificial sources of radioactivity (Oatway and others, 2016)

Image courtesy of UK Health Security Agency, @Crown Copyright 2022.

The headlines from the 2022 RIFE programme are:

All sites

Exposure to the public from all sources of artificial radioactivity in food and the environment was low and well within the legal limit of 1 millisievert (mSv) per year^{[footnote 1]}, demonstrating that radioactivity in food and the environment is safe

Overall, between 2021 and 2022 there were no significant changes to the radioactivity measured in food and the environment

For nuclear sites

In 2022, people living around the Cumbrian coast (near Sellafield), Capenhurst and Amersham were the most exposed from releases of radioactivity. The highest exposure was 24% of the legal limit in 2022 due to people eating locally produced seafood (fish and crustacean) around the Cumbrian coast. This is up from 21% of the legal limit in 2021.

In 2022 in Scotland, people eating food collected from areas along the Dumfries and Galloway coastline were the most exposed from releases of radioactivity. The exposure in 2022 was approximately 2% of the legal limit, and as in previous years, this was mostly due to the effects of past discharges from the Sellafield site.

The highest exposure in Wales was for those people living near the former Trawsfynydd nuclear power station, which is being decommissioned. This was due to them consuming locally produced food (milk), containing radioactivity released from past discharges from the station. The exposure was approximately 4% of the legal limit.

For other areas

In Northern Ireland, exposure to the public from artificial radioactivity in 2022 was estimated to be less than 1% of the legal limit.

A survey on the Channel Islands confirmed that the radiation exposure due to discharges from the French fuel reprocessing plant at La Hague and other local sources was less than 0.5% of the legal limit.

Food and sources of public drinking water that make up a general diet for people were analysed for radioactivity across the UK. Results show that the radiation exposure from artificial radionuclides in people’s general diet was very small (less than 0.5% of the legal limit) in 2022.

Highlights: Nuclear fuel production and reprocessing

‘Total doses’ for the representative person were 24% (or less) of the annual dose limit for all assessed sites. ‘Total doses’ increased to the Cumbrian coastal community near Sellafield, compared to the values in 2021, but remained well below the legal limit

Capenhurst, Cheshire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.14mSv and decreased in 2022.

Springfields, Lancashire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.032mSv and increased in 2022.

Sellafield, Cumbria

‘Total doses’ for the representative person were 0.24mSv (or less) and increased in 2022.

The highest ‘total doses’ were from seafood, dominated by the effects of naturally occurring radionuclides. Historical discharges from the Sellafield site made a lesser contribution.

Radiation dose from historical discharges of naturally occurring radionuclides (non-nuclear industry) was lower in 2022. The contribution to ‘total dose’ from Sellafield discharges decreased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of carbon-14, ruthenium-106, plutonium-alpha and americium-241/curium-242 were slightly higher, in 2022 when compared to those in 2021.

Liquid discharges were slightly lower, in 2022 when compared to those in 2021.

Highlights: nuclear power stations

‘Total doses’ for the representative person were less than 2% of the dose limit for all sites assessed.

Hartlepool, County Durham

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.011mSv and decreased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of carbon-14 decreased in 2022.

Liquid discharges of tritium increased in 2022.

Heysham, Lancashire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.016mSv and increased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of argon-41 from Heysham 2 increased in 2022.

Hinkley Point, Somerset

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.015mSv and decreased in 2022.

Hunterston, North Ayrshire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and decreased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of carbon-14 and sulphur-35 from Hunterston B decreased in 2022.

Liquid discharges of tritium and sulphur-35 from Hunterston B decreased in 2022.

Sizewell, Suffolk

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and decreased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of tritium and carbon-14 from Sizewell B increased in 2022.

Torness, East Lothian

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.006mSv and increased in 2022.

Berkeley, Gloucestershire and Oldbury, South Gloucestershire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.006mSv and decreased in 2022.

Bradwell, Essex

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and decreased in 2022.

Chapelcross, Dumfries and Galloway

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.008mSv and decreased in 2022.

Dungeness, Kent

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.011mSv and decreased in 2022.

Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.009mSv and decreased in 2022.

Wylfa, Isle of Anglesey

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.014mSv and increased in 2022.

Highlights: research and radiochemical production establishments

‘Total doses’ (research) for the representative person were less than 3% of the annual dose limit in 2022 (for sites that were assessed).

‘Total doses’ (radiochemical production) for the representative person were less than 9% of the annual dose limit in 2022.

Dounreay, Highland

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.010mSv and decreased in 2022.

GE Healthcare Limited, Grove Centre, Amersham, Buckinghamshire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.086mSv and increased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of radon-222 increased in 2022.

Harwell, Oxfordshire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and unchanged in 2022.

Winfrith, Dorset (Magnox and Tradebe Inutec)

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.028mSv and increased in 2022

Highlights: defence establlishments

‘Total doses’ for the representative person were approximately 3% of the dose limit for all sites assessed.

Aldermaston, Berkshire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and decreased in 2022.

Gaseous discharges of volatile beta decreased in 2022.

Barrow, Cumbria

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.030mSv and decreased in 2022.

Derby, Derbyshire

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and unchanged in 2022.

Devonport, Devon

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was less than 0.005mSv and unchanged in 2022.

Faslane and Coulport, Argyll and Bute

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.007mSv and unchanged in 2022.

Rosyth, Fife

‘Total dose’ for the representative person was 0.006mSv and decreased in 2022.

Highlights: Industrial, landfill, legacy and other non-nuclear sites

Doses (dominated by the effects of legacy discharges from other sources) decreased at the LLWR in 2022.

Doses at landfill sites were less than 0.5% of the dose limit in 2022.

Doses (dominated by the effects of naturally occurring radionuclides from legacy discharges) decreased at Whitehaven in 2022.

Highlights: regional monitoring

Doses for the representative person were approximately 1% (or less) of the annual public dose limit in 2022.

Conclusion

Overall, between 2021 and 2022 there have been no significant changes to the radioactivity measured in food and the environment around UK nuclear sites and other locations remote from these sites. Exposure from all sources of technologically enhanced naturally occurring and artificial radioactivity to members of the public was well below legal limits, demonstrating that radioactivity in food and the environment is safe.

Reference

Oatway, W.B., Jones, A.L., Holmes, S., Watson, S. & Cabianca, T., 2016, Ionising radiation exposure of the UK population: 2010 Review. PHE-CRCE-026, Chilton.

1. The average individual dose in the UK population (which is not comparable with doses calculated within the RIFE report), mostly due to natural sources, amounts to about 2.3 millisieverts (mSv) per year. ↩