Nuclear facilities, like all industrial facilities, emit substances into the environment. In spite of filtration systems, which can never be 100% efficient, these are effluents containing radionuclides produced during operation of the plant. These effluents may be either gaseous or liquid. These radioactive emissions are extremely low under normal operating conditions: the impact of the annual emissions from Belgian plants represents 0.1% of the maximum dose imposed by the regulations for artificial exposure - a dose from which no effects have ever been observed, since it is less by several orders of magnitude than that from natural radiation.
Whether they are thermal, chemical or radioactive, the emissions of every nuclear facility are regulated and controlled by the operators and the authorities. Standards and principles of radioprotection are in place to ensure the protection of the workers of nuclear facilities and of the people living nearby.
