Four radionuclides have been identified as being sufficiently volatile in the reprocessing of nuclear fuel that their gaseous release needs to be controlled to meet U.S. regulatory requirements (Jubin et al. 2011, 2012). These radionuclides are 3 H, 14 C, 85 Kr, and 129 I. Of these, 129 I has the longest half-life and potentially highest biological impact. Accordingly, control of the release of 129 I is most critical with respect to U.S. regulations for the release of radioactive material in stack emissions. Current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation governing nuclear facilities (40 CFR 190) states that the total quantity of radioactive materials entering the general environment from the entire uranium fuel cycle, per gigawatt-year of electrical energy produced by the fuel cycle, must contain less than 5 mCi of 129 I.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.