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Exhaled NO in asthmatic children in unpolluted and urban environments.

BACKGROUND: NO production (NOex) in the airway epithelium is increased in asthmatic patients and is potently inhibited by anti-inflammatory treatments. The study was designed to compare the: (i) levels of NOex in two groups of asthmatic children residing in different environments (one in a national park in the mountains and the other in a large city) and (ii) the influence of glucocorticoids on levels of NOex between the children and those without treatment. METHODS: The measurements were performed during the same period in the two locations, 100 km apart. NOex was measured using a chemiluminescence analyzer in controls and two comparable groups of asthmatic children. The first group included 63 children (10+/-3 years) recruited from a specialized institution for asthmatic children, and the second group consisted of 46 asthmatic children (9+/-3 years) living in an urban area. A reference group of 17 healthy children residing in the same city was also studied. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The concentrations of NOex in children in the specialized institution were significantly lower (P<.001) than those in asthmatic children living in the city (5.1+/-2.4 vs. 13.8+/-9.3 ppb) and comparable to those in healthy controls (5.3+/-4.0 ppb). In the urban area, NOex levels increased when atmospheric pollution recorded on the previous day had increased. In contrast to that observed in the urban children, glucocorticoids had little influence on the levels of NOex in the children living in the specialized institution. CONCLUSIONS: Although these relationships need to be confirmed, our findings show that for the determination of NOex, specifying the quality of the environment, in particular, the purity of the air respired by asthmatic children, not only at the time of measurement but also over the previous days, is important.

Air Pollutants↗

Radon (222Rn) level variations on a regional scale: influence of the basement trace element (U, Th) geochemistry on radon exhalation rates.

The approach proposed in this study provides insight into the influence of the basement geochemistry on the spatial distribution of radon (222Rn) levels both at the soil/atmosphere interface and in the atmosphere. We combine different types of in situ radon measurements and a geochemical classification of the lithologies, based on 1/50,000 geological maps, and on their trace element (U, Th) contents. The advantages of this approach are validated by a survey of a stable basement area of Hercynian age, located in South Brittany (western France) and characterized by metamorphic rocks and granitoids displaying a wide range of uranium contents. The radon source-term of the lithologies, their uranium content, is most likely to be the primary parameter which controls the radon concentrations in the outdoor environment. Indeed, the highest radon levels (> or = 100 Bq m-3 in the atmosphere, > or = 100 mBq m-2 s-1 at the surface of the soil) are mostly observed on lithologies whose mean uranium content can exceed 8 ppm and which correspond to peraluminous leucogranites or metagranitoids derived from uraniferous granitoids.

France↗

Radon exhalation from uranium mill tailings: experimental validation of a 1-D model.

TRACI, a model based on the physical mechanisms governing the migration of radon in unsaturated soils, has been developed to evaluate the radon flux density at the surface of uranium mill tailings. To check the validity of the TRACI model and the effectiveness of cover layers, an in situ study was launched in 1997 with the French uranium mining company, COGEMA. The study consisted of continuous measurements of moisture content, suction, radon concentration at various depths inside a UMT cover, and flux density at its surface. An initial analysis has shown that radon concentration and flux density, as calculated with a steady-state diffusion model using monthly averaged moisture contents, are in good agreement with measured monthly averaged concentrations and flux densities.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

Evaluation of the effect of a cover layer on radon exhalation from uranium mill tailings: transient radon flux analysis.

An experimental study concerning the transport of 222Rn in uranium mill tailings (UMTs) and in the cover layer was launched in 1997 with the participation of the French uranium mining company (COGEMA). Evaluation of the cover layer's effectiveness in reducing 222Rn flux emanating from UMTs was one of its objectives. In the first phase, the 222Rn flux densities were measured regularly on a UMT layer. In the second phase, the UMT was covered with a one-meter layer of compacted material consisting of crushed waste rock derived from mining activities. Radon-222 flux was then measured at the surface of this cover layer. Observations were compared with radon flux calculated using TRACI, a model for vertical water and gas flow and radon transport. The results show that the calculations bear a fair resemblance to the observations in both cases. They also show that the effectiveness of the cover layer calculated with TRACI, using the thickness and textural properties of the cover material, is very close to the measured effectiveness.

France↗

Radon exhalation and radiometric prospecting on rocks associated with Cu-U mineralizations in the Singhbhum shear zone, Bihar.

The Singhbhum thrust belt is a 200 km long arcuate orogenic belt in Bihar, eastern India. The huge mineral resources, viz. copper, uranium, magnetite, apatite and molybdenite, etc., make it significant from an economic as well as a geological point of view. The belt hosts three types of mineralization: sulphides of copper and other metals, uranium oxides and apatite-magnetite. Several distinct geological episodes are responsible for the evolution of mineralization and the thrust zone itself. Extensive and reliable radiometric prospecting and assaying have been carried out by us for the past 5 years from Dhobani in the east to Turamdih in the west of the Singhbhum shear zone. The present work indicates uranium mineralization in the Pathargora-Rakha area presently being mined for copper and also within areas in the vicinity of Bhatin. Studies on radon emanation have also been undertaken in some parts of the shear zone which indicate reasonably high radon emanation of the soils and rocks studied. This suggests the need for regular monitoring and suitable controls on the mine environment (air quality) and its vicinity. Radon emanation studies coupled with gamma-ray spectrometry and the subsequent modelling of the radiometric and radon measurements will help in the application of radon as a geophysical tracer in exploration of radioactive ore bodies and in radon risk assessment as well as in delineating active and passive faults and even in petroleum exploration.

Journal Article↗