Simulation of a nuclear major accident at the Cattenom NPP

Rank, NPP code, date	mSv
1 CAT_2017-02-24	85.10
2 CAT_2020-01-07	78.98
3 CAT_2020-03-03	45.28
4 CAT_2021-04-07	31.10
5 CAT_2020-07-16	28.85
6 CAT_2017-01-02	26.49
7 CAT_2020-03-09	23.35
8 CAT_2021-03-14	23.07
9 CAT_2020-02-21	21.52
10 CAT_2021-12-02	21.12
11 CAT_2017-04-21	20.39
12 CAT_2018-09-06	20.07
13 CAT_2020-02-28	19.73
14 CAT_2021-05-07	19.69
15 CAT_2021-11-29	19.26
16 CAT_2020-11-03	19.21
17 CAT_2021-08-16	18.98
18 CAT_2020-01-04	18.42
19 CAT_2021-08-01	17.58
20 CAT_2017-06-16	17.48
21 CAT_2020-02-03	17.25
22 CAT_2020-03-07	16.60
23 CAT_2021-04-06	16.40
24 CAT_2017-07-05	16.35
25 CAT_2021-12-11	16.06
26 CAT_2018-06-21	15.99
27 CAT_2021-02-16	15.93
28 CAT_2020-04-02	14.74
29 CAT_2017-02-17	13.70
30 CAT_2017-10-23	13.33
31 CAT_2018-02-12	13.04
32 CAT_2021-05-12	12.89
33 CAT_2017-04-16	12.83
34 CAT_2017-10-08	12.10
35 CAT_2018-08-14	12.03
36 CAT_2020-07-24	11.86
37 CAT_2021-11-17	11.60
38 CAT_2020-02-14	11.16
39 CAT_2020-06-21	10.98
40 CAT_2017-06-12	10.68
41 CAT_2021-12-14	9.69
42 CAT_2018-02-03	9.38
43 CAT_2017-01-15	9.23
44 CAT_2017-05-23	9.20
45 CAT_2017-07-14	9.20
46 CAT_2021-06-12	9.10
47 CAT_2018-10-03	8.84
48 CAT_2020-07-06	8.69
49 CAT_2018-08-24	8.67
50 CAT_2020-12-12	8.54
51 CAT_2020-06-14	8.41
52 CAT_2020-04-03	8.08
53 CAT_2021-01-17	7.95
54 CAT_2021-12-07	7.95
55 CAT_2020-07-15	7.74
56 CAT_2021-03-15	7.64
57 CAT_2020-10-10	6.99
58 CAT_2021-01-18	6.81
59 CAT_2017-10-03	6.54
60 CAT_2018-01-02	6.44
61 CAT_2018-12-10	6.37
62 CAT_2017-07-26	6.26
63 CAT_2021-03-29	6.23
64 CAT_2020-06-15	5.94
65 CAT_2020-04-12	5.80
66 CAT_2021-10-15	5.62
67 CAT_2021-07-08	5.60
68 CAT_2021-03-31	5.29
69 CAT_2020-05-24	5.28
70 CAT_2017-04-13	5.24
71 CAT_2021-05-11	5.22
72 CAT_2017-10-06	5.10
73 CAT_2018-07-10	5.03
74 CAT_2020-07-03	4.95
75 CAT_2018-12-11	4.92
76 CAT_2021-05-02	4.92
77 CAT_2017-06-10	4.78
78 CAT_2017-12-17	4.76
79 CAT_2020-09-29	4.68
80 CAT_2017-08-20	4.24
81 CAT_2021-07-02	4.18
82 CAT_2021-01-26	4.15
83 CAT_2021-11-04	4.15
84 CAT_2017-12-04	4.06
85 CAT_2020-05-04	4.05
86 CAT_2021-12-12	4.05
87 CAT_2020-03-16	3.81
88 CAT_2021-07-15	3.81
89 CAT_2017-12-21	3.78
90 CAT_2020-09-26	3.77
91 CAT_2017-02-18	3.72
92 CAT_2017-11-19	3.63
93 CAT_2020-04-23	3.60
94 CAT_2020-06-09	3.60
95 CAT_2018-12-04	3.58
96 CAT_2020-08-13	3.57
97 CAT_2017-05-14	3.55
98 CAT_2021-05-19	3.54
99 CAT_2018-07-11	3.53
100 CAT_2020-09-05	3.49
101 CAT_2018-10-24	3.39
102 CAT_2018-04-15	3.36
103 CAT_2017-01-07	3.28
104 CAT_2018-03-16	3.25
105 CAT_2018-05-10	3.16
106 CAT_2020-06-19	3.16
107 CAT_2017-11-30	3.14
108 CAT_2017-07-13	3.11
109 CAT_2020-02-27	3.11
110 CAT_2017-05-06	2.99
111 CAT_2018-06-17	2.70
112 CAT_2017-06-20	2.64
113 CAT_2017-03-29	2.57
114 CAT_2018-01-19	2.51
115 CAT_2020-05-23	2.49
116 CAT_2017-04-01	2.47
117 CAT_2020-07-21	2.46
118 CAT_2020-06-13	2.40
119 CAT_2021-06-11	2.36
120 CAT_2021-12-10	2.21
121 CAT_2017-04-17	2.19
122 CAT_2017-11-29	2.13
123 CAT_2020-05-11	2.12
124 CAT_2018-07-05	2.11
125 CAT_2021-12-05	2.00
126 CAT_2017-05-30	1.99
127 CAT_2021-12-29	1.97
128 CAT_2018-09-30	1.95
129 CAT_2018-12-30	1.93
130 CAT_2018-09-07	1.90
131 CAT_2018-01-20	1.88
132 CAT_2017-04-22	1.87
133 CAT_2021-11-03	1.87
134 CAT_2020-06-16	1.80
135 CAT_2017-12-15	1.68
136 CAT_2018-07-28	1.67
137 CAT_2018-08-30	1.67
138 CAT_2017-05-28	1.64
139 CAT_2017-08-11	1.64
140 CAT_2020-06-17	1.62
141 CAT_2017-08-10	1.61
142 CAT_2017-08-31	1.57
143 CAT_2018-03-22	1.57
144 CAT_2017-12-20	1.54
145 CAT_2021-08-15	1.52
146 CAT_2017-10-26	1.48
147 CAT_2021-04-11	1.48
148 CAT_2018-07-04	1.38
149 CAT_2017-08-05	1.37
150 CAT_2018-08-29	1.36
151 CAT_2017-04-26	1.34
152 CAT_2020-10-02	1.28
153 CAT_2017-03-09	1.26
154 CAT_2020-05-10	1.26
155 CAT_2017-12-03	1.24
156 CAT_2021-10-12	1.22
157 CAT_2018-03-26	1.17
158 CAT_2017-05-05	1.16
159 CAT_2017-06-13	1.15
160 CAT_2018-06-19	1.15
161 CAT_2018-06-12	1.14
162 CAT_2018-12-28	1.14
163 CAT_2020-02-11	1.11
164 CAT_2021-03-04	1.10
165 CAT_2017-06-02	1.09
166 CAT_2017-07-09	1.06
167 CAT_2020-07-23	0.94
168 CAT_2018-09-27	0.93
169 CAT_2020-04-16	0.93
170 CAT_2018-09-09	0.91
171 CAT_2017-03-07	0.90
172 CAT_2018-03-31	0.89
173 CAT_2018-10-23	0.87
174 CAT_2020-07-14	0.84
175 CAT_2021-04-04	0.79
176 CAT_2021-05-01	0.78
177 CAT_2018-10-06	0.77
178 CAT_2017-06-23	0.76
179 CAT_2017-09-18	0.76
180 CAT_2021-01-30	0.64
181 CAT_2018-08-19	0.61
182 CAT_2021-08-26	0.58
183 CAT_2017-08-19	0.57
184 CAT_2020-09-02	0.56
185 CAT_2017-12-22	0.53
186 CAT_2018-06-20	0.52
187 CAT_2020-07-29	0.50
188 CAT_2017-07-04	0.45
189 CAT_2020-06-18	0.45
190 CAT_2018-04-05	0.44
191 CAT_2017-12-28	0.41
192 CAT_2018-07-17	0.40
193 CAT_2017-03-19	0.39
194 CAT_2017-07-28	0.38
195 CAT_2020-07-07	0.33
196 CAT_2018-07-16	0.32
197 CAT_2020-08-14	0.31
198 CAT_2018-06-18	0.29
199 CAT_2017-04-28	0.24
200 CAT_2020-04-25	0.23
201 CAT_2020-04-18	0.21
202 CAT_2020-08-30	0.21
203 CAT_2017-03-06	0.20
204 CAT_2017-09-19	0.16
205 CAT_2017-04-10	0.15
206 CAT_2018-06-16	0.15
207 CAT_2018-10-28	0.10
208 CAT_2017-01-01	0.00
209 CAT_2017-01-03	0.00
210 CAT_2017-01-04	0.00
211 CAT_2017-01-05	0.00

Rank, NPP code, date

mSv

1 CAT_2017-02-24

85.10

78.98

45.28

31.10

28.85

26.49

23.35

23.07

21.52

21.12

20.39

20.07

19.73

19.69

19.26

19.21

18.98

18.42

17.58

17.48

17.25

16.60

16.40

16.35

16.06

15.99

15.93

14.74

13.70

13.33

13.04

12.89

12.83

12.10

12.03

11.86

11.60

11.16

10.98

10.68

9.69

9.38

9.23

9.20

9.20

9.10

8.84

8.69

8.67

8.54

8.41

8.08

7.95

7.95

7.74

7.64

6.99

6.81

6.54

6.44

6.37

6.26

6.23

5.94

5.80

5.62

5.60

5.29

5.28

5.24

5.22

5.10

5.03

4.95

4.92

4.92

4.78

4.76

4.68

4.24

4.18

4.15

4.15

4.06

4.05

4.05

3.81

3.81

3.78

3.77

3.72

3.63

3.60

3.60

3.58

3.57

3.55

3.54

3.53

3.49

3.39

3.36

3.28

3.25

3.16

3.16

3.14

3.11

3.11

2.99

2.70

2.64

2.57

2.51

2.49

2.47

2.46

2.40

2.36

2.21

2.19

2.13

2.12

2.11

2.00

1.99

1.97

1.95

1.93

1.90

1.88

1.87

1.87

1.80

1.68

1.67

1.67

1.64

1.64

1.62

1.61

1.57

1.57

1.54

1.52

1.48

1.48

1.38

1.37

1.36

1.34

1.28

1.26

1.26

1.24

1.22

1.17

1.16

1.15

1.15

1.14

1.14

1.11

1.10

1.09

1.06

0.94

0.93

0.93

0.91

0.90

0.89

0.87

0.84

0.79

0.78

0.77

0.76

0.76

0.64

0.61

0.58

0.57

0.56

0.53

0.52

0.50

0.45

0.45

0.44

0.41

0.40

0.39

0.38

0.33

0.32

0.31

0.29

0.24

0.23

0.21

0.21

0.20

0.16

0.15

0.15

0.10

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION ON THE TABLE

1° The radioactivity comes from the passage of the cloud in the hours following an accident;
2° The above individual doses do not include soil irradiation or ingestion of contaminated food after the passage of the cloud;
3° These figures are estimates;
4° SEE COMMENTARY ON LOW AND HIGH DOSES.
5° The calculations are not derived using the map in the illustration, but from another map – of the same format as the one for download on our website to study deposition – which explains some discrepancies between the figure and its illustration.
6° The analysis of the 11 situations producing the maximum fallout allows us to establish the highest risk for a given city, i.e., the consequences of weather situations occurring in 1% of the cases.
7° The above data allow for the identification of the meteorological conditions that would have the worst impact on the area in question, as well as those that would keep radioactivity away. In the event of a major accident at the nuclear power plant concerned, a quick comparison of this analysis with the then prevailing meteorological conditions could be very useful to act as decentralized as possible; local authorities could keep these analyses as ready references to better and more rapidly deploy population protection strategies.

Major accident in one of the four reactors of Cattenom NPP (4 × 3817 MWth)

Possible impact on the inhabitants of :

Graz (731 km) AUT

Potential impact of the cloud (inhalation) on the following areas: Europe (51 countries) France Germany & Austria Luxembourg Belgium & Netherlands Italy Switzerland Spain

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION ON THE TABLE

Wikimedia map with modifications

Towns in the vicinity of Cattenom

Wikimedia map with modifications

The geographical location of Cattenom

Photo cropped from the work of Stefan Kühn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cattenom, France, pressurized water reactor (PWR), 4 × 3817 megawatts thermal (MWth)