Tritium in Atmospheric Water Vapor Near Canadian Nuclear Plants

Health Canada's Radiological Monitoring Network provides monthly tritium activity concentration measurements in becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m³) from atmospheric water vapor. The data covers monitoring stations in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, primarily near nuclear power plants. An average concentration of 0.22 Bq/m³ was reported for the period 2004 to 2013.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in tritium activity concentration from monthly samples to assess environmental stability near nuclear facilities.
• Compare tritium levels across different monitoring station locations, such as the six sites near Point Lepreau versus the four near Gentilly.
• Model the uncertainty associated with each measurement, which can include reported values below zero due to background subtraction in liquid scintillator analysis.

Strengths

• Data is collected by the authoritative national health agency, Health Canada's Radiological Monitoring Network (CRMN).
• Provides a long-term reference point with a reported average tritium concentration of 0.22 Bq/m³ for the 2004-2013 period.
• Covers specific geographic areas of interest, including six monitoring sites near Point Lepreau and four near Gentilly.

Limitations

• The dataset's temporal coverage is unclear; monitoring at some Ontario stations ended in 1996, and the most recent average cited is from 2004-2013.
• Measurement uncertainty is explicitly noted, which can result in reported values less than zero, complicating direct analysis.
• The sample size (number of rows or data points) and specific column structure are not provided in the input.

Provenance

Source

Health Canada’s Radiological Monitoring Network (CRMN), aggregated by Natural Resources Canada.

Collection Method

Atmospheric water is sampled monthly, and tritium content is determined using liquid scintillator measurements with background contribution removed.

Time Range

Monitoring began prior to 1996 at some stations; an average is provided for 2004-2013. Specific start and end dates for the dataset are not provided.

Freshness

The metadata was last updated in March 2026, but the actual data's time range is not fully specified.

Geography

Monitoring stations in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, Canada, primarily in proximity to nuclear power plants (Darlington, Bruce, Pickering, Gentilly, Point Lepreau) and one site in the Greater Toronto Area.