Natural radiation exposure in the Campo Arañuelo region in the surroundings of Almaraz nuclear power station (Spain)

During 1998 regional surveys were conducted to evaluate natural radiation exposure of people in the vicinity of the six Spanish nuclear power stations. Indoor radon, external gamma dose rates outdoors and indoors and radioactivity in soil were measured in these surveys. The highest mean annual effective dose to the population was found in the surroundings of the Almaraz nuclear power plant in the province of Cáceres and was mainly due to the presence of high radon concentrations in homes. In order to make a more accurate assessment of the dose coming from radon in this area, a new and more extensive survey on indoor radon with a total of 380 measurements was carried out in 2000 in the Campo Arañuelo region around the Almaraz nuclear power station. From the results obtained in this survey, a population-weighted mean annual effective dose from radon exposure of 1.7 mSv y −1, 44% lower than that previously reported in 1998, was estimated for the whole Campo Arañuelo region. The maximum dose value due to radon exposure, about 4 mSv y −1, was reached in the so-called La Vera area located in the north of this region. The relationship between the indoor radon concentrations experimentally measured, the geological characteristics of this geographic area and the information provided by the radiation map of the Spanish MARNA Project is also analyzed, confirming that La Vera area should be considered as a high radon level area.