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PubMed1978

[The combined effect of ionizing radiation and smoking on the causation of bronchial carcinoma (author's transl)].

For the prevention of bronchial carcinoma the identification of its causes is of highest priority. Especial attention should be dedicated to the combined action of several factors. In this paper a review is given on the combination effect of simultaneous action of ionizing radiation and smoking observed by epidemiological studies in miners exposed to radon and its consecutive products. The amplifying action of both factors observed under working conditions brought about to refer to such combinations in smokers also outside their working life. This results from the natural loading by radiation of the respiratory tract, from radioactive material in the emmission of power stations on the base of fossil fuels, and from the contents of tobacco with 210Pb and 210Po. The combined action of radiation and smoking is regarded as another motivation to give up smoking strictly.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1983

[Radiation exposure of the respiratory tract to radionuclides in the environment].

Epidemiological investigations concerning lung cancer mortality of miners in radioactive underground climate have clearly resulted that the alpha-radiation of radon daughters emerging from the geological formations represent the causative factor for the accumulation of these lung cancers. The same radionuclides are also important as components of the natural radiation exposure, above all in houses built with radium containing material. Estimations of the risk referring to this form of natural radiation exposure allow rough calculation of its role for lung cancer incidence in GDR. Accordingly about 10%, in men 5% and 50% in females, of the cases of lung cancer may be caused by the natural inhalative radiation exposure. Natural radioactivity by coal and coal ashes as well by tobacco smoke are shortly outlined in their additional significance. The measures of radiation protection legal in GDR to limit inhalative exposure, above all in buildings, by supervision and selection of building material are described.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1992

Distribution of radionuclides in the environment in northern Italy after the Chernobyl accident.

Soon after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the air-pumping stations in Pavia (northern Italy) were alerted. In a few days, a rapid increase in radionuclide concentration in air particulates was observed. Consequently, an environmental radioactivity monitoring programme was started in which several matrices such as soil, grass, vegetables and cows' milk were subjected to direct gamma-ray spectrometry. The radioactivity distribution and its variation with time is presented, discussed and compared with other available data. Detection limits, precision and accuracy are also reported, and depth profiles in soils for 137Cs are presented and correlated with soil quality parameters. A survey of environmental radioactivity in soil, in a search for residual Chernobyl fallout, was carried out and a map of the 137Cs distribution over a large area in northern Italy is presented and discussed.

Accidents↗
PubMed1986

[Actual measurements following the Chernobyl reactor accident].

The principles of radiation protection for the population in Austria as applied in context with the catastrophic releases of radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear power reactor are presented. The main results of the first air filter analyses, which allowed an identification of the problem are discussed. The following measurements show, that after radioactive decay of Iodine-131, the main route for intake of Cäsium-137 will be ingestion with the foodstuffs over a longer period. Dose estimations give 80 to 100 mrem/year (0.8 to 1.0 mSv/a) effective committed dose equivalent caused by the nuclear accident.

Accidents↗
PubMed1981

The impact of natural radioactivity from a coal-fired power plant.

In a coal-fired power station burning coal which contained between 14--100 ppm U, 210Pb was detected in the urine of an exposed group of individuals. Chromosome aberrations (complex, numerical and the percentage of total aberrations) were also registered.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1975

Radioactive contamination of the environment and the possible consequences.

To find the optimum solution to the problem of how to protect the environment from pollution by industrial waste, it is necessary, first and foremost, to obtain information on the existing levels of various forms of pollution and the damage caused by them. In this review data are given on all the main sources of contamination of the environment by radioactive substances. The pathways by which these substances reach and affect the human body are discussed, the doses incurred are characterized and the possible consequences of existing levels of exposure are assessed in the light of the latest data on the dose-effect relationship. The wisdom of treating the evaluation of radiation hazards arising from the use of atomic energy not in isolation but as part of a whole complex of ecological factors - including the use of conventional fuels for power generation and transport - is duly noted.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Burning radionuclide question: what happens to iodine, cesium and chlorine in biomass fires?

Fires can mobilize radionuclides from contaminated biomass through suspension of gases and particles in the atmosphere or solubilization and enrichment of the ash. Field and laboratory burns were conducted to determine the fate of I, Cs and Cl in biomass fires. Straw, wood, peat, dulse (seaweed) and radish plants were combusted with temperatures varying from 160 to 1000 degrees C, representing the normal range of field fire temperatures. Loss to the atmosphere increased with fire temperature and during a typical field fire, 80-90% of the I and Cl, and 40-70% of the Cs was lost to the atmosphere. The remainder was left behind in the ash and was soluble. Typically, the ash was enriched in I by a factor of two to three, with higher enrichments of Cs and lower enrichments of Cl, when compared to the initial fuel concentration during field burns. Most of the I was lost to the atmosphere as a gas. If the elements were radioactive isotopes, such as 129I, 137Cs and 36Cl, fires could cause an increased radiological dose to people through inhalation, exposure to ash, or ingestion of plants because of increased uptake of ash leachate.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2006

Natural radionuclides in zircon and related radiological impacts in mineral separation plants.

The activity concentration of uranium and thorium present in zircon obtained from mineral sand industries are presented. External gamma radiation levels and inhalation of airborne dust are found to be the significant routes of radiation exposure to occupational workers. The annual average dose attributed to zircon processing is estimated to be 2.3 mSv in the plants under study. This paper presents the results of external gamma measurements, estimation of airborne radioactivity in zircon process locations and radon and thoron in the occupational environment of two mineral separation plants in India. Analyses of the solid wastes and liquid effluent generated and resultant environmental impacts are indicated.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1988

Atmospheric radon concentrations in dwellings in Slovenia, Yugoslavia.

About 120 homes in Slovenia, Yugoslavia, were selected in urban areas, in a uranium rain and mill region, around coal-fired plants and around a phosphate mill. Radon-222 in air was determined using alpha scintillation cells and the gamma dose rate measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters. The levels obtained were explained by differences in building materials and ventilation rates of homes, as well as by the influence of man-made radioactivity sources. The results show that in the same region radon concentration, expressed as geometric mean, can be up to eight times higher in winter than in the autumn (Pohorje) or nine times higher in one region relative to another (Zirovski vrh-Zasavje).

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2006

Estimation of the radiological risk related to the presence of radon 222 in a hydrotherapy centre in Tunisia.

The (222)Rn concentration in air was measured in a thermal water spa used as a hydrotherapy centre in Tunisia. The associated health risk for employees and patients due to the inhalation of (222)Rn and its progeny was estimated. A protection scheme for the employees of the spas has been designed. Results show that the (222)Rn concentration varies in the range 33-589 Bq m(-3). The (222)Rn concentrations measured in the present study show lower values in comparison to those reported for thermal spas in other countries. The (222)Rn concentration in different rooms of the spa depends mainly on the ventilation rate. A model based on a dosimetric approach was adopted to estimate the radon risk considering the (222)Rn concentration, the time spent in the spa, and the radioactive equilibrium factor F. The annual effective dose was found to vary between 0.2 and 1.7 mSv for workers while the range for patients was from 2.8 x 10(-4) to 1.1 x 10(-4) mSv. These values are within the ICRP recommended values.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed1985

Measurements of airborne 212Pb and 220Rn at varied indoor locations within the United States.

Measurements have been made at varied locations within the United States comparing the concentration of 212Pb in air with that of the progeny of 222Rn to see if 212Pb is typically a significant contributor to indoor radioactivity. Auxiliary measurements were made comparing 220Rn with 222Rn. In terms of potential alpha-particle energy, 212Pb is significant (the ratio of its contribution to the combined contribution of 218Po, 214Pb, and 214Bi averaged about 0.6) and may warrant greater consideration as a component of indoor radioactivity. Correlations were found between the concentration of 220Rn progeny and 222Rn progeny, and the concentration of 220Rn and 222Rn. Environmental factors such as transport pathways and ventilation rates which exert a common influence on the concentrations of airborne isotopes provide a possible explanation for these correlations.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2006

Effective dose scaling factors for use with uranium series cascade impactor data: a reassessment using the IMBA code.

Air sampling with a multi-stage cascade impactor enables one to assess airborne radioactivity as a function of particle size, significantly enhancing the accuracy of the dose assessment. The application of cascade sampling data to inhalation dose assessments can require more computational effort if something other than a mono-sized distribution per impactor stage is to be considered. To overcome this limitation, Kim et al. (Health Phys 89:359-374; 2005) introduced the concept of an effective dose scaling factor SF(E) enabling one to consider more realistic impactor stage radioactivity distributions (uniform, linearly decreasing, or linearly increasing variations with particle size). The SF(E) is the ratio of the effective dose given under a uniform or linearly changing radioactivity distribution across the particle size interval to that given for a mono-sized radioactivity distribution for the same impactor stage. The latter approach can initially be used (which requires less computational effort) followed by a rescaling of the effective dose either upward or downward by the SF(E) value. In this earlier study, the LUDEP code was employed which utilizes the ICRP 66 human respiratory tract model along the radionuclide biokinetic models given in ICRP Publication 30. In the present study, inhalation dose coefficients and effective dose scaling factors were reexamined for several radionuclides of the (238)U series using the IMBA program, which employs more recent and physiologically realistic biokinetic models published by the ICRP. An update of the effective dose scaling factors is thus the primary focus of this study rather than an extensive inter-comparison of the IMBA and LUDEP codes. Inhalation dose coefficients calculated by the two programs differ by up to a factor of 5 for Type F (238)U and (234)U, but are within only 2% of each other for Type S radionuclides. The ICRP 69 biokinetic model of uranium predicts retention in bone and kidneys that is slightly higher than predicted in ICRP Publication 30, but is significantly higher in the liver and other soft tissues by up to 1 or 2 orders of magnitude. Nevertheless, effective dose scaling factors generated using the IMBA program are nearly identical to those calculated by the LUDEP program as their magnitude is primarily dictated by the dependence of particle deposition and lung clearance with particle size, and less by the systemic biodistribution of the radionuclide following absorption to blood. For both codes, greater than 10% re-scaling of the effective dose is required for third-stage (4.5 to 12 microm) and filter-stage (0.03 to 0.35 microm) particles in the approximation of uniform or linearly decreasing radioactivity distributions per particle stage. For linearly increasing distributions, greater than 10% corrections in the effective dose are found irregularly across impactor stage, radionuclide, and solubility class, especially for rather steep (1:5) impactor stage activity ratios.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of radioactive signals from surveillance of an emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: Since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, concerns have been raised regarding the threat of a radiological terrorist weapon. Although the probability of the employment of a nuclear device is remote, the potential of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or "dirty bomb" is of concern. While it is unlikely that such a device would produce massive numbers of casualties, it is far more likely that it would result in public panic and perhaps even disable the local healthcare system. The utility of surveillance with radiation detectors in the healthcare setting has not been fully evaluated. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence of radioactive sources entering an urban emergency department (ED). METHODS: A retrospective review of data obtained from a radiation detector positioned to detect radioactive people entering an ED of an urban academic hospital that serves 45,000 patients/year was performed. Graphical outputs of radioactivity were recorded in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, WA, US) spreadsheets in microREM/hour. Data were collected continuously from 22 December 2003 to 22 January 2004. An event was defined as any elevation in radiation levels >95% confidence interval from the mean level of background radiation over 72 hours (h). RESULTS: A total of 215 events were observed over a 28-day period, with a mean value of 7.7 events/day, and a maximum of 15 events/day. During the 28-day period, the baseline mean level of background radiation was 2-4 microREM/h. Readings ranged from 2,148.28-17,292.25 microREM/h with a maximum sustained detector exposure of 684.37 microREM. Distinct signal patterns were seen at both detectors including tonic, phasic, dual, and short duration spikes. CONCLUSION: The number of radioactive signals detected from persons entering the ED was much higher than expected. While the vast majority of these signals pose no health threat, they may make routine screening for a radiological terrorist event difficult. Further study is needed to determine this correlation.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1997

[Improvement of a filter and the effect on the TECHNEGAS leakage].

We previously reported about the room air contamination during ventilation study using the TECHNEGAS system. Main cause of the contamination with radioactive gas were leakage through the filter and expiration of the patient after the inhalation. Then, a new type filter was developed to reduce the radioactive leakage. The efficacy and usefulness of the new type filter was examined. The radioactive leakage through the new filter was markedly reduced to 1/6 compared with the old type. But the air resistance of passage was increased over two times of the old type. This resistance is not able to disregard on respiratory physiology. Improvement to reduce the resistance is desirable.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed1985

Diffusion of a contaminant in fractured porous media.

A theoretical model is developed for diffusion from a finite source of buried contaminant through a porous medium containing a fracture that reaches to the atmosphere. Important quantities are shown to be the burial depth, source width and fracture width, the soil porosity, the diffusion coefficients in the soil and the (air-filled) fracture, and the decay constant of a radioactive contaminant. The flux across the soil-air interface is calculated and shown to be greatly increased by the presence of the fracture. The flux is found to increase with fracture width and source width, to decrease with increasing soil porosity and decay constant, and to decrease with increasing ratio of soil diffusion coefficient to air diffusion coefficient.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1985

On some properties of 222Rn short-lived decay products in air.

Simultaneous measurements were made of such properties as the fraction of charged and uncharged atoms, the balance of radioactive equilibrium between 222Rn and its daughters, and the concentration of aerosol particles and their mean radii in tunnel air. It became clear that the behavior of 222Rn decay products in tunnel air could be expressed well by equations based on a simple model, taking the following into account: the attachment of free atoms to aerosol particles, the deposition of radioactive particles on the tunnel wall, emission of alpha recoils from aerosol particles and the surface of the tunnel wall, and radioactive decay. In addition, the effective attachment coefficient of an observed RaA-atom was found to agree well with that calculated. The results obtained should facilitate in the future estimation of the relation between 222Rn daughters and the lung dose to the population.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1986

The reactor accident at Chernobyl: a nuclear medicine practitioner's perspective.

The radiation incident at Chernobyl, USSR, on April 26, 1986 was first detected in Sweden on April 29, when increased radioactivity was observed at a nuclear facility in that country. Subsequently, higher levels of radioactivity were observed in most of Eastern Europe and then in Western Europe. Increased radioactivity was eventually noted in the United States beginning about May 5. The three-day interval between the incident and its discovery outside the USSR caused great apprehension. This chain of events indicates the very important role for the nuclear medicine physician, the medical physicist and their colleagues. It is likely that this medical specialty area is staffed by personnel who are best qualified to interpret these findings and to determine the necessary course of action both for patients and the general public. The nuclear medicine specialist can provide valuable input in estimating the radiation dose impact resulting from such an incident. This estimate may be accomplished either by combining measured activity levels with the physiological and physical factors involved; or by actual in vivo counting and quantitation of radioactivity in individuals exposed to radionuclides. From the measured activities in air, water and food, and assumed intakes for various age groups, doses can be estimated both for inhalation and ingestion of radionuclides. In vivo measurements of radionuclides can be performed with conventional instrumentation used routinely in nuclear medicine laboratories.

Accidents↗
PubMed1991

[Influence of radioactive contamination and iodine prophylaxis after the Czernobyl disaster on thyroid morphology and function of the Poznan region].

The radioactive contamination of Poznań Region was recognized after Chernobyl accident as average. The predicted values of minimal (inhalation) and maximal (inhalation and ingestion) committed dose equivalent to the thyroid varied from 2.5 (min) to 24.7 (max) mSv in different groups of adults and children. To follow up the results of iodine prophylaxis and some aspects of possible thyroid gland morphological and functional changes 11086 persons were carefully investigated clinically and biochemically. Among these 11086 persons were 42.6% males and 57.4% females both adults from 17 till 40 year and children up do 16 years. The following parameters were reviewed: pregnancy, time of residence in the region, thyroid abnormalities, family history concerning thyroid diseases, iodine intake in April and May 1986 with possible side effects, changes in the thyroid size observed before and after 1986, degree and kind of thyroid enlargement, serum concentration of T3, T4, TSH, ATMA and ATG titre and finally the effectiveness of thyroid blockade at 24, 48 and 72 h after ingestion of Lugol's solution. Side effects of the ingestion of potassium iodide from 30-70 mg were observed in 153 cases, 36 of them consulted medical doctors but in no case the side effects (dominated by vomiting) threatened the life. In the investigated group were 144 pregnant women. Majority, because 88% of them delivered the baby on or after time and 6.9% before time, 4.9% of natural abortions were noted but non artificial. In the group of children thyroid gland abnormalities before 1986 were reported in 3 cases in 23 after 1986 it is after Chernobyl accident. This information is interesting but needs more precise analysis of different dependencies occurring. The data obtained indicated the existence in Poznań. Region the goiter endemy because 27.5% of investigated children and adults had goiter classified as grades O-B, I, II and III. The elevation or diminution of T3 values were noted in 1164 cases, for T4 in 418 cases and for TSH in 1412 cases. The presence of antimembrane and antithyroglobulin antibodies were observed in 303 cases. All persons with changes observed in thyroid morphology and function are periodically controlled and the results will be published separately. The investigations performed and results presented concern the early aspects of radioactive contamination and effects of iodine prophylaxis. The answer regarding late effects including thyroid cancer needs further multi year studies for which the clinical material investigated in different parts of Poland and well documented should be used as model group for further periodical studies.

Adolescent↗