In selecting a proper site for a nuclear power station, the consideration of radioactivity released in effluents can be handled in a straightforward manner using the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission’s proposed Appendix I to 10 CFR 50, which gives numerical guidelines for design objectives for meeting the criterion “as low as practicable” for radioactive material in light-water-cooled nuclear power reactor effluents. By relating the release of radioactive material, the site meteorological conditions, and site boundary distance through appropriate dose models, the suitability of a given site can be determined. “Rules of thumb” for comparing anticipated releases to design objectives can be constructed for rapid assessment using the maximum permissible concentration values of 10 CFR 20 as dose factors. These rules of thumb tend to underpredict the allowed releases except in the case of radiocesium in liquids. For gaseous releases, these rules of thumb can be made up in convenient nomogram form for a quick assessment of allowed releases based on local site meteorological conditions.