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PubMed1995

Residual Chernobyl fallout and Sellafield pollutants found on the Isle of Man.

The Isle of Man is particularly vulnerable to radioactive pollution being located in the middle of the Irish Sea, only 55 km from the Sellafield nuclear site. Paradoxically, radioactive fallout from the accident at Chernobyl is the only significant radioactive pollution on the Island and requires legal restrictions on sheep farming. This paper gives an overview of the occurrence and magnitude of radioactive pollution on the Isle of Man, using results of live-monitoring of the Island's hill flocks since August 1987, and data selected from the results of laboratory analysis of more than 1000 samples of foodstuffs and environmental materials between 1990 and 1993. Radioactive contamination is of no significance in local agricultural produce, however, about one sixth of the Island's hill grazing land is still subject to controls. Sellafield pollutants are found only in samples from the marine environment.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2001

Airborne surveys of Swiss nuclear facility sites.

Annually since 1989, biannually since 1994, the environs (approximately 50 km2) of the Swiss nuclear facilities are surveyed (by helicopters) flying the same survey lines. The equipment and the data processing software used for these surveys were built and developed at the Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich. For mapping of man-made radiation at or around nuclear facility sites a pixel representation and the MMGC (man-made gross count) ratio is used. So far no artificial radioactivity that could not be explained by the Chernobyl event (1986) or by earlier nuclear weapon tests was detected outside the fenced sites of the nuclear facilities.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1995

Distribution of toxic and radiation components in air particulates.

The concentrations of several toxic heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in various types of Hungarian fly-ash fine particulates were investigated by means of instrumental neutron activation analysis, X-ray fluorescence analysis and gas chromatography, coupled with mass spectrometry. Within a power station, particulate samples were taken from the boiler zone (BO), from the electrostatic dust filter chamber (FI) and from the flue-gas at the top of the stack (ST). Enrichment rates of the toxic metals both in FI and ST particulate fractions related to the BO concentrations were calculated to enable the temperature dependence on the adsorption of the toxic components to be studied. In addition, both the total amounts of the VOCs and their partial distributions in accordance with the number of carbon atoms were also studied in fly-ash particulates. From them, 31 organic species were identified and determined. Since Hungarian brown coals have high uranium and thorium contents, the specific radioactivities of the daughter isotopes of both the 232Th and 238U decay series were also measured and are discussed.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Characteristics of dioxins and metals emission from radwaste plasma arc melter system.

This study investigated the emission characteristics of PCDD/Fs and the partitioning of three heavy metals (Cd, Hg and Pb) and two radioactive metal surrogates (Co and Cs) in a radwaste plasma arc melter system. Typical mixtures of low-level radioactive wastes were simulated as the trial burn surrogate wastes. The emission of PCDD/Fs and the partitioning of the metals were strongly influenced by the feed waste stream and melter operating temperature, respectively. The emissions of PCDD/Fs, cadmium and lead were greatly enhanced when the polyvinyl chloride was included in the feed waste stream. Most of the nonvolatile cobalt partitioned into the glass. A significant quantity of cesium, cadmium and lead was vaporized during the highest melter temperature test. A lower melter temperature resulted in more cesium, cadmium and lead species remaining in the glass. The results of this study suggest that wet scrubbing as well as a low-temperature two-step fine filtration, or both of them together could not effectively capture the gas-phase or fine particle phase PCDD/Fs and mercury species. In order to effectively treat low-level radioactive waste streams, the tested high-temperature melter should include an adsorption system, which could collect the gas-phase PCDD/Fs and mercury species.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2001

Population dose due to building materials in Ibadan, Nigeria.

The natural radionuclide contents of some concrete building blocks randomly sampled in the city of Ibadan have been determined using NaI(Tl) gamma ray spectrometry. The radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were determined with city mean specific activities 47 +/- 21 Bq.kg-1, 52 +/- 21 Bq.kg-1, and 352 +/- 222 Bq.kg-1, respectively. These activities amount to a radium equivalent of about 150 Bq.kg-1, which is lower than the recommended maximum value of 370 Bq.kg-1. The mean value of the external hazard index was found to be 0.41 which implies that the building blocks used in the city of Ibadan are within the acceptable level of radioactivity. The mean indoor gamma dose equivalent to individuals due to the walls was calculated to be 412 microSv.y-1 and the collective dose equivalent 563 man.Sy.y-1.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2003

Production of radioactive particles for use in environmental studies.

This paper presents an aerosol generation technique developed to produce dry aerosol particles of various sizes from aqueous solutions of salt. The technique was tested with sodium chloride, lithium carbonate and uranyl acetate at various aqueous concentrations which produced particles in the size range of 0.13-1.37 microm Mass Median Diameter (MMD). The generated aerosols were acceptably monodisperse with a geometric standard deviation of 1.4-2. Both MMD and Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter (MMAD) increased significantly (p<0.001) with increased concentration of the salt in solution. The technique can also be used to generate aerosols of different chemical species. The results obtained indicate that the system is convenient for use with various aerosol-forming materials, with a stable particle size distribution being maintained for a long period of steady operation. The technique was successfully applied in wind tunnel studies to simulate the release of submicron radioactive particles and their interception by crops, grass and tree canopies. The relevance and application of the technique in other areas of environmental assessment studies is discussed.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1968

Atmospheric bismuth-212: measurement and some geophysical applications.

The concentrations of lead-212 and its short-lived daughter bismuth-212 in air near the ground were determined simultaneously by adaptation of the immersed-filter, delayed-coincidence technique of Assaf and Gat to measurement of the 3 x 10-(7)-second bismuth-212 and polonium-212 pair. The radioactive disequilibrium between lead-212 and bismuth-212 depends strongly on the efficiency of the ground in acting as a sink for these nuclides. This efficiency is low under dry conditions.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed2001

Consideration of potassium iodide in emergency plans. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Final rule.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its emergency planning regulations governing the domestic licensing of production and utilization facilities. The final rule requires that consideration be given to including potassium iodide (KI) as a protective measure for the general public that would supplement sheltering and evacuation. KI would help prevent thyroid cancers in the unlikely event of a major release of radioactivity from a nuclear power plant. The final rule responds to petitions for rulemaking (PRM 50-63 and PRM 50-63A) submitted by Mr. Peter G. Crane concerning the use of KI in emergency plans.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2001

[Children's health in zone of radioactive pollution caused by the Chernobyl accident].

The Chernobyl accident led to contamination of vast territories of Russia by man-made radionuclides. One of such regions is the Tula region. For realization of programs aimed at alleviation of the accident consequences, medical and sanitary measures were taken, including many-year monitoring of radiation pollution in the region and health status of various population groups, primarily children. Complex studies were carried out, making use of radiation, sociohygienic, epidemiological, psychophysiological, anthropometric, clinical laboratory, cytogenetic, immunological, and other methods. Dynamic examinations of children of different age demonstrated that radioactive precipitations at a density of 5-15 Ci/m2 did not directly affect children's health; however essential deviations in the health status, such as changes in morbidity, physical development, and incidence of immunodeficiencies have been revealed. The authors consider that realization of health protection programs should concern primarily children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Determination of program protection factors for half-mask respirators used at a mineral sands separation plant.

A study was conducted at a mineral sands separation plant to evaluate the workplace performance of half-mask filter cartridge respirators. Inhalation exposure was estimated by measuring the dust and radioactivity concentration inside the respirator while it was worn or hanging around the worker's neck. The program protection factor was determined by simultaneously measuring inside-mask and ambient (outside-mask) concentrations. A total of 27 tests were conducted, covering three brands of half-mask respirators; facial hair on test subjects ranged from clean-shaven to bearded. Program protection factors varied from 1.8 to 13 for dust exposure and 2.5 to 21 for radioactivity exposure. The geometric mean program protection factor over all tests was 5.1 (geometric standard deviation [GSD] = 1.7) for dust exposure and 7.5 (GSD = 1.7) for radioactivity exposure. A minimum program protection factor of 3.5 could be applied to ambient airborne concentration data to obtain a conservative, but more realistic, estimate of inhalation exposure on a worker category basis.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2000

The basic directions and results of activities of branch no. 1 of the state research center of the Russian Federation "Biophysics Institute" (FIB-1).

During the 1950's, in the early years at the Mayak Production Association (MAYAK) in the Southern Urals, there was a rapid expansion of plutonium output. This was carried out when nuclear technology was still being developed and knowledge of the effects of radiation exposure on humans was not well understood. As result of the discharge of liquid waste into the Techa River, there was large scale overexposure to both the workers at the facility and the population of riverside localities on the Techa River. There were also other environmental discharges, due to an accident and problems of waste storage, which contributed to exposure of other populations around MAYAK. Although all information on the MAYAK operation and its consequences for both workers and population was kept secret, studies on nuclear technology improvement, the handling of radioactive waste, of medical sequence of radiation exposure, radiation safety improvement, and prevention and treatment of radiation injuries were initiated virtually from the onset the of nuclear weapons production program.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Size distribution of artificial and natural radioactive aerosols in the 30-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl AES in 1986-1996].

During 10 years after the Chernobyl accident the systematical measurings of size distributions of radioactive aerosols were conducted near the block-IV. In the ground level the active median aerodynamic diameters (AMAD) of 137Cs aerosols were ranged from 0.4 up to 1.4 microns in May, 1986. In that time the aerosol carriers of radioactive Te, Ru and I had AMAD 0.3 ... 0.5 micron. During 1987-1996 AMAD of aerosol of fission products of the Chernobyl accident was stable in range 4 ... 7 microns. Simultaneously concentrations and size distributions of natural radioactive aerosols were determined. The cosmogenic 7Be aerosols had AMAD 0.5 ... 0.7 micron. AMAD of the aerosols of daughter products of radon and thoron was found 0.4 ... 0.6 micron.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1999

Air concentration of radiocaesium in Tsukuba, Japan following the release from the Tokai waste treatment plant: comparisons of observations with predictions.

On March 11, 1997 a fire and explosion accident occurred at the bituminization facility of the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development, Tokai, Japan. As a result of this accident, 134,137Cs was detected in an air filter sample collected at the Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba during March 10 to 12. The 134,137Cs air concentration was about 100 and 10 muBq m-3, respectively. This result suggests that there was little radiation exposure of the residents in the area. The average 137Cs air concentration during this period was about two orders of magnitude higher than "baseline" air (sub-muBq m-3) during February to April, 1997, measured by ultra-low background gamma-spectrometry. By a simple calculation using a Gaussian plume model with the measured data, we estimated the minimum emission of the radioactivity by the PNC accident to be in the range 60 MBq to around 600 MBq. The meteorological condition during the week of the accident are also described.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1986

A preliminary assessment of the consequences for inhabitants of the UK of the Chernobyl accident.

The accident with the nuclear power reactor at Chernobyl in the USSR resulted in the release of substantial quantities of radioactive material and subsequent increases in radioactivity in the environment in many countries. In this paper the situation in the UK is considered and, from the preliminary monitoring measurements, the major routes of exposure of the population are identified and quantified. For the most part exposures in the UK are within variations in levels of natural background radiation to be found in Europe. An exception is the dose likely to have been received by the thyroids of young people in the north of the UK. From reported measurements of I-131 in milk it is predicted that thyroid doses up to 10-20 times the annual doses received from 'normal' natural background radiation might have affected young children drinking fresh cows' milk. The ways in which this component of exposure could have been reduced and the criteria that govern decisions as to whether or not to implement counter-measures are discussed. The importance of I-131 in milk as a route of exposure of the population to radioactivity is a feature that the Chernobyl accident has in common with the Windscale accident in the UK in 1957, and underlines the importance of milk-producing regions in relation to reactor-sitting policy.

Accidents↗
PubMed2005

Width and center-axis location of the radioactive plume that passed over Dolon and nearby villages on the occasion of the first USSR A-bomb test in 1949.

In relation to the efforts to reconstruct the radiation dose in Dolon village, which was affected by the first USSR atomic bomb test in 1949 at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, the width and the center-axis location of the radioactive plume were investigated based on the soil contamination data around Dolon and the nearby villages. Assuming that the radioactive plume passed over along a straight line from the ground zero point to this area, the spatial distributions of soil contamination were plotted as a function of the perpendicular distance from the supposed center-axis of the plume. In total 83 and 52 soil contamination data were available for 137Cs and 239,240Pu, respectively. The plotted distribution formed a peak-like shape both for 137Cs and 239,240Pu. A Gaussian function drawn so as to envelop the points plotted for 239,240Pu indicated that the central part of the radioactive plume passed over the residential area of Dolon with a sigma value of 1.5 km. Additional soil contamination data around Dolon and other villages are necessary for more detailed discussion.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Environmental uranium and human health.

Uranium from the environment enters the human body by ingestion with food and drink and by inhalation of respirable airborne uranium-containing dust particles or aerosols. Daily intake of uranium in food and water varies from approximately 1 to approximately 5 micrograms U/d daily in uncontaminated regions to 13-18 micrograms/d or more in uranium mining areas. A 70 kg, non-occupationally exposed 'Reference Man' living in Europe or in the United States has an estimated total body uranium content of about 22 micrograms. Uranium is absorbed from the intestine or the lungs, enters the bloodstream, and is rapidly deposited in the tissues, predominantly kidney and bone, or excreted in the urine. In the bloodstream, uranium is associated with red cells, and its clearance is relatively rapid. Renal toxicity is a major adverse effect of uranium, but the metal has toxic effects on the cardiovascular system, liver, muscle, and nervous system as well. Any possible direct risk of cancer or other chemical- or radiation-induced health detriments from uranium deposited in the human body is probably less than 0.005% in contrast to an expected indirect risk of 0.2% to 3% through inhaling the radioactive inert gas radon, which is produced by the decay of environmental uranium-238 in rocks and soil and is present in materials that are used to build dwellings and buildings where people live and work.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗