Radioactivity measurements and dose rate calculations using ERICA tool in the terrestrial environment of Greece

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 10872-10882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Sotiropoulou ◽  
Heleny Florou ◽  
Metaxia Manolopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Dose Rate ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Erica Tool ◽  
Radioactivity Measurements ◽  
Of Greece

Atmospheric radioactivity measurements at the SMEAR Estonia Station

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki Junninen ◽  
Jussi Paatero ◽  
Urmas Hõrrak ◽  
Xuemeng Chen
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Radiation ◽  
Dose Rate ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Chem Phys ◽  
Gamma Dose ◽  
Gamma Dose Rate ◽  
Air Ions ◽  
Atmospheric Radioactivity ◽  
Atmospheric Radon ◽  
Radioactivity Measurements

<p>The SMEAR Estonia is a Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR). It is built on the same concept as the Finnish SMEAR stations <sup>[1]</sup> and belongs to the same measurement network. It is located in a hemiboreal forest at Järvselja, South-Eastern Estonia (58.2714 N, 27.2703 E at 36 m a.s.l.) <sup>[2]</sup>. The Estonian University of Life Sciences runs long-term measurements on meteorological parameters, trace gases and fluxes at the station. Atmospheric aerosol and air ions measurements are deployed by the University of Tartu (UT). </p><p> </p><p>Our main interest at UT lies in characterising atmospheric ions and aerosols, studying their connections to atmospheric new particle formation and cloud processes, and understanding the impacts of these processes on air quality, local weather and climate. Air ions are known to participate in forming atmospheric new particles <sup>[3]</sup>. Newly formed aerosol particles have the potential to modify cloud properties, once they reach big enough sizes via condensational and coagulational growth<sup>[4]</sup>. Air ions are primarily produced by the ionisation of air molecules, with the ionisation energy provided by natural radioactivity present in the atmosphere. The initial ionisation produces are subject to different dynamic processes, including charge transfer, clustering, coagulation and condensational growth <sup>[5]</sup>. At UT, we are launching a five-year project, starting from Jan. 2020, to investigate how atmosphere transforms the new-born air ions to climatically relevant aerosol particles. In order to get insights into the transformation process, atmospheric radioactivity measurements are crucial together with air ion and aerosol measurements.</p><p> </p><p>In the lower troposphere, ionization of the atmospheric originates from the decay of radon and other radioactive nuclides in the air and the Earth's crust as well as cosmic radiation. In collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute, we initiated atmospheric radioactivity measurements at the SMEAR Estonia. The total gamma radiation (50 keV to 1.3 MeV) is measured with a gamma radiation meter (RADOS RD-02L) (since June 2019). The atmospheric radon is monitored using a filter-based Geiger-Müller counter (since Nov. 2019), which is a one-counter variation of an earlier design<sup>[6]</sup>. Atmospheric radon concentration is determined based on deposited beta activity. Preliminary results show that SMEAR Estonia (mean gamma dose rate = 0.03 uSv/h, mean radon conc. = 2.5 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>) has less ionization than SMEAR II station in Finland (mean gamma dose rate = 0.08 uSv/h, mean radon conc. = 2 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>). The linkage of this observation to air ion properties is under progress.</p><p>References:</p><p>[1]       Hari P., Kulmala M., Boreal Environ. Res. <strong>2005</strong>, 10, 315-322.</p><p>[2]       Noe S. M. et al., Forestry Studies <strong>2015</strong>, 63.</p><p>[3]       Tammet H. et al., Atmospheric Research <strong>2014</strong>, 135-136, 263-273.</p><p>[4]       Merikanto J. et al., Atmos. Chem. Phys. <strong>2009</strong>, 9, 8601-8616.</p><p>[5]       Chen X. et al. Atmos. Chem. Phys. <strong>2016</strong>, 16, 14297-14315.</p><p>[6]       Paatero J. et al., Radiat. Prot. Dosim. <strong>1994</strong>, 54, 33-39.</p>

scholarly journals Prediction of Long-Term Health Risk from Radiocesium Deposited on Ground with Consideration of Land-Surface Properties

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4424
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Yasuda
Keyword(s):  
Effective Dose ◽  
Dose Rate ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Radiation Dose Rate ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Chronic Radiation

After the Fukushima Daiichi accident, there have been long controversial discussions on “how safe is safe?” between the authorities and the residents in the affected area. This controversy was partly attributable to the way the authorities made a judgement based on the annual effective dose rate; meanwhile, many of the local residents have serious concerns about future consequences for their health caused by chronic radiation exposure, particularly of small children. To settle this controversy, the author presents an approach based on long-term cancer risk projections of female infants, i.e., the most radiosensitive group, following land contamination by radiocesium deposition into ground with different surface conditions; the land was classified into three categories on the basis of decaying patterns of radiation dose rate: “Fast”, “Middle”, and “Slow”. From the results of analyses with an initial dose rate of 20 mGy per year, it was predicted that the integrated lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of cancer mortality of a female person ranged by a factor of 2 from 1.8% (for the Fast area) to 3.6% (for the Slow area) that were clearly higher than the nominal risk values derived from effective dose estimates with median values of environmental model parameters. These findings suggest that accurate site-specific information on the behavioral characteristics of radionuclides in the terrestrial environment are critically important for adequate decision making for protecting people when there is an event accompanied by large-scale radioactive contamination.

scholarly journals Radiological impact assessment in the terrestrial environment of Greece using innovative tools – Adaptation of ERICA Tool to actual measurements

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
M. Sotiropoulou ◽  
H. Florou ◽  
G. Kitis
Keyword(s):  
Dose Rate ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Internal Exposure ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Measured Activity ◽  
Calculated Dose ◽  
Poaceae Family ◽  
Radiological Dose

In the present study, the radioactivity levels in terrestrial non-human biota and the transfer pathways in the ecosystem are examined. Grass of Poaceae family and herbivore mammals (ruminants) of Bovidae family and soil samples were collected during the period of 2010 to 2014, from grasslands of the Greek rural territory where sheep and goats were free-range grazing. Natural background radionuclides (226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th) and artificial radionuclides (137Cs, 134Cs, 131I) were detected in the collected samples using gamma spectrometry. The actual measured activity concentrations and site- specific data of the studied organisms were imported in ERICA Assessment Tool (Version 1.2.1, February 2016) in order to provide an insight of the radiological dose rates. Natural radionuclides exhibited significantly higher contribution to the total dose rate than the artificial ones. The radiological exposure to Fukushima-derived radionuclides was quite low and owed to internal exposure, mainly derived through the ingestion pathway. According to the screening levels, the calculated dose rate to the studied non-human biota was below the threshold levels. However, the obtained results may be proved useful in further research regarding the possible impact of protracted low level ionising radiation to non-human biota on the various levels of life’s organization.

A History of Greece

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Grote
Keyword(s):  
History Of ◽  
Of Greece
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