Radiological Risk Assessment of Vehicle Transport Accidents Associated with Consumer Products Containing NaturallyOccurring Radioactive Materials

Natural and artificial ionizing radiation can be harmful to human health when they come into contact with people and the environment. Transport of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) and consumer products containing NORM in the public domain is inevitable owing to their potential applications. This study evaluates the dose and risk to the public from transport accidents of NORM and consumer products. Radiological and physical data were obtained from previous literature. The median and maximum values of radioactivity concentration were applied to consumer products and NORM data, which serve as an input. An external dose rate at 1 m from a transported shipment was calculated using MicroShield® Pro version 12.11 code, which serves as input to RADTRAN 6 code. Based on developed transport accident scenarios, a RADTRAN 6 code was used to estimate collective dose and risk. The sensitivity analysis was conducted by considering the variation of release, aerosol, and respirable fractions of radionuclides at 0.1%, 1%, 10%, and 100% from the transported shipment during an accident, respectively. The results of dose and risk to the general public because of the damage of the shipment container following a fire accident are below the annual regulatory limits of 1 man-Sv recommended by IAEA transport regulation of 2018. The sensitivity results of all NORMs and associated consumer products are also below the regulatory limits. Therefore, radiological safety can be ensured in the event of a transport accident involving the transit of NORM and consumer products containing NORM.

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Radiological Dose Assessment to Members of the Public Using Consumer Products Containing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Korea

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147337 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7337

Author(s):

Soja Reuben Joseph ◽

Juyoul Kim

Keyword(s):

Activity Concentration ◽

Exposure Dose ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Dose Assessment ◽

Internal Exposure ◽

Dose Limit ◽

Radioactive Materials ◽

The Public ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials

Various products containing a small number of added radionuclides are commonly available for use worldwide. However, frequent use of such products puts the public at risk of radiation exposure. In this study, dose assessments to members of the public using consumer products containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) were conducted for various usage scenarios to evaluate the external and internal exposure dose. Data for this study were obtained from previous literature and were statistically analyzed using Boxplot to determine the input data for assessment. A normalized value of activity concentration was used for dose evaluation. In addition to other external and internal dose calculation codes, analytical calculations were used to perform age-dependent. Based on analytical calculations, the highest total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) received from necklace products at the upper whiskers with an activity concentration of 4.21 Bq/g for 238U, 24.4 Bq/g for 232Th, and 0.55 Bq/g for 40K for various age groups is 2.03 mSv/y for 1 year old, 1.24 mSv/y for 10 years old and 1.11 mSv/y for adult, which are above the international commission for radiation protection (ICRP) recommended public dose limit of 1 mSv/y. Results of external and internal exposure dose obtained using Microshield code, IMBA code and Visual Monte Carlo (VMC) code are all below the recommended public dose limit of 1 mSv/y.

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A case study of management and disposal of TENORMs: radiological risk estimation by TSD Dose and RESRAD-ONSITE

AIMS Environmental Science ◽

10.3934/environsci.2021030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 465-480

Author(s):

Francesca Giacobbo ◽

◽

Mirko Da Ros ◽

Elena Macerata ◽

Eros Mossini

Keyword(s):

Risk Estimation ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Disposal Site ◽

Radiological Risk ◽

Radioactive Materials ◽

The Public ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Operational Activities ◽

The Impact

<abstract> <p>Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs) and Technologically Enhanced NORMs (TENORMs) are among the principal sources of radiation exposure for humans and for the environment. Therefore, the assessment of the impact of NORMs and TENORMs waste on human health is a key issue for their management and for acceptance of disposal sites. The radiological doses to workers and public due to TENORMs disposal depend on the waste inventory, on the usage of the site during operational activities and post closure phase and on the presence of dwelling areas in the vicinity of the disposal site. In the present study it is presented a methodology to preliminary assess the feasibility of a disposal of TENORMs, mainly constituted by phosphate sludges, originated from phosphoric acid industry activities. The hypothetical case study here presented is inspired by a real case study. Different possible scenarios have been considered. The potential doses to workers and to the public on-site have been estimated by the use of the TSD Dose and the RESRAD on-site codes both during the production life cycle of the site and once it ended. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of some key parameters, such the coverage thickness and wind velocity, on potential risk for workers and public.</p> </abstract>

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Radiological Dose Assessment of the Landfill Disposal of Consumer Products Containing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in South Korea

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11157172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 7172

Author(s):

Mercy Nandutu ◽

Juyoul Kim

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Competent Authority ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Dose Assessment ◽

Radioactive Materials ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials ◽

Landfill Sites ◽

Radiological Dose

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) are long-lived radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium, and potassium, and theirdecay products. They are abundant in natural rocks and minerals. In this study, we conducted a radiological dose assessment of the disposal of consumer products (CPs) containing NORMs at landfills and incinerators in South Korea. Household wastes were categorized as combustible and noncombustible on the basis of activity concentrations (ACs) ranging below and above 1 Bq/g, respectively. Analysis data were obtained from previous literature and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea, and statistical analysis was performed using an interval plot and 95% confidence interval of mean for each category as an input. Using RESRAD computer codes for noncombustible CPs with AC below and above 1 Bq/g, we found out that the dose rate was below and above 1 mSv/y, respectively. The RESRAD-OFFSITE results showed that the dose incurred during the study period for both ranges of AC was all below the public dose limit of 1 mSv/y. NORM and LegacY Site Assessment (NORMALYSA) code was used to validate the result of the RESRAD-ONSITE code, and the results showed that the dose was equal to and above 1 mSv/y for ACs below and above 1 Bq/g, respectively. HotSpot code was used for dose evaluation to offsite residents from incineration of combustible CPs, and the resulting dose was below 1 mSv/y. These findings can be used as a guideline for managing public exposure from landfill sites with varying ACs ranges. Therefore, the competent authority should ensure that criteria and protection measures are established for people who live within a distance of 10 km from incinerators and landfill sites that are contaminated with consumer products containing NORMs.

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Impact assessment of naturally occurring radioactive materials on the public from gold mining and processing at Newmont Golden Ridge Limited, Akyem, Eastern Region of Ghana

Radiation Protection and Environment ◽

10.4103/0972-0464.194962 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 155 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lordford Tettey-Larbi ◽

Augustine Faanu ◽

OscarKwaku Adukpo ◽

Charles Kansaana ◽

Henry Lawluvi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Impact Assessment ◽

Gold Mining ◽

Eastern Region ◽

Radioactive Materials ◽

The Public ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials

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Radiological Issues Associated With the Recent Boom in Oil and Gas Hydraulic Fracturing

Volume 1: Low/Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Management; Spent Fuel, Fissile Material, Transuranic and High-Level Radioactive Waste Management ◽

10.1115/icem2013-96119 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alejandro Lopez

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Fracturing ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Petroleum Products ◽

Worker Safety ◽

Radioactive Materials ◽

The Public ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Safety And Health ◽

The Media ◽

Public Environment

As the worldwide hydraulic fracturing ‘fracking’ market continued to grow to an estimated $37 Billion in 2012, the need to understand and manage radiological issues associated with fracking is becoming imperative. Fracking is a technique that injects pressurized fluid into rock layer to propagate fractures that allows natural gas and other petroleum products to be more easily extracted. Radioactivity is associated with fracking in two ways. Radioactive tracers are frequently a component of the injection fluid used to determine the injection profile and locations of fractures. Second, because there are naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the media surrounding and containing oil and gas deposits, the process of fracking can dislodge radioactive materials and transport them to the surface in the wastewater and gases. Treatment of the wastewater to remove heavy metals and other contaminates can concentrate the NORM into technologically-enhanced NORM (TENORM). Regulations to classify, transport, and dispose of the TENORM and other radioactive waste can be complicated and cumbersome and vary widely in the international community and even between states/provinces. In many cases, regulations on NORM and TENORM do not even exist. Public scrutiny and regulator pressure will only continue to increase as the world demands on oil and gas continue to rise and greater quantities of TENORM materials are produced. Industry experts, health physicists, regulators, and public communities must work together to understand and manage radiological issues to ensure reasonable and effective regulations protective of the public, environment, and worker safety and health are implemented.

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The naturally occurring radioactivity of ‘scalar energy’ pendants and concomitant radiation risk

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0250528 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0250528

Author(s):

Halmat Jalal Hassan ◽

Suhairul Hashim ◽

Mohamad Syazwan Mohd Sanusi ◽

Mohamad Hidayat Jamal ◽

Sitti Asmah Hassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gamma Ray ◽

Radiation Risk ◽

Organ Dose ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Radioactive Material ◽

Gamma Ray Spectrometry ◽

The Public ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material ◽

K Activity

Forming part of a study of radiological risk arising from use of radioactive consumer products, investigation is made of pendants containing naturally occurring radioactive material. Based on use of gamma-ray spectrometry and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, the study investigates commercially available ‘scalar energy pendants’. The doses from these have been simulated using MIRD5 mathematical phantoms, evaluation being made of dose conversion factors (DCFs) and organ dose. Metallic pendants code MP15 were found to contain the greatest activity, at 7043 ± 471 Bq from 232Th, while glass pendants code GP11 were presented the greatest 238U and 40K activity, at 1001 ± 172 and 687 ± 130 Bq respectively. MP15 pendants offered the greatest percentage concentrations of Th, Ce, U and Zr, with means of 25.6 ± 0.06, 5.6 ± 0.005, 1.03 ± 0.04 and 28.5 ± 0.08 respectively, giving rise to an effective dose of 2.8 mSv for a nominal wearing period of 2000 h. Accordingly, these products can give rise to annual doses in excess of the public limit of 1 mSv.

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Radiological safety and assessment of the performance of X-ray systems in veterinary facilities

Radioprotection ◽

10.1051/radiopro/2020074 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

S. Economides ◽

C.J. Hourdakis ◽

C. Pafilis ◽

G. Simantirakis ◽

P. Tritakis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Radiation Protection ◽

Atomic Energy Commission ◽

Atomic Energy ◽

Regulatory Control ◽

Continuous Training ◽

X Ray ◽

The Public ◽

Radiological Safety ◽

High Level

This paper concerns an analysis regarding the performance of X-ray equipment as well as the radiological safety in veterinary facilities. Data were collected from 380 X-ray veterinary facilities countrywide during the on-site regulatory inspections carried out by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission. The analysis of the results shows that the majority of the veterinary radiographic systems perform within the acceptable limits; moreover, the design and shielding of X-ray rooms as well as the applied procedures ensure a high level of radiological safety for the practitioners, operators and the members of the public. An issue that requires specific attention in the optimization process for the proper implementation of veterinary radiology practices in terms of radiological safety is the continuous training of the personnel. The above findings and the regulatory experience gained were valuable decision-making elements regarding the type of the regulatory control of veterinary radiology practices in the new radiation protection framework.

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User knowledge factors that hinder the design of new home healthcare devices: investigating thirty-eight devices and their manufacturers

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making ◽

10.1186/s12911-021-01464-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fan Yang ◽

Abdullah Al Mahmud ◽

Tao Wang

Keyword(s):

End Users ◽

Home Healthcare ◽

Success Factor ◽

User Research ◽

The Public ◽

Root Cause ◽

Potential Applications ◽

User Knowledge ◽

Key Success Factor ◽

Innovation Processes

Abstract Background The demand for home healthcare devices arises; however, many home healthcare devices on the market are not designed to reflect the needs and features of the end-users. This study explored the user knowledge factors that hindered the design of new home healthcare devices and the interrelationships between the factors. Methods The abovementioned factors were identified from analysing the project documents of thirty-eight carefully selected home healthcare devices produced by five manufacturers; followed by interviewing the thirty stakeholders playing key roles in developing the devices. Results The design of the home healthcare devices was influenced by (1) the user insights utilised in formulating project strategies; (2) the sources of user information; (3) the execution of user research; and (4) the formulation of the manufacturers’ principal innovation processes. Conclusions The users’ characteristics and needs were not sufficiently reflected in developing new home healthcare devices. One root cause was that the end-users were not perceived by the manufacturers as a key success factor in most cases, given that most of the devices were initiated following the public sector’s requests. Actual or potential applications of this study include the facilitation of the appropriate application of human factors methods in developing new home healthcare devices and the improvement of the user performance of the end-devices.

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Evaluating the impact of exposure to environmental contaminants on human health

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1093/clinchem/42.8.1345 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 42 (8) ◽

pp. 1345-1349 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

J B Silkworth ◽

J F Brown

Keyword(s):

Chemical Substances ◽

The Public ◽

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Synthetic Chemicals ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Polycyclic Aromatic ◽

Coplanar Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽

Proportional Contribution ◽

The Impact

Abstract Humans are exposed daily to low concentrations of many different chemical substances, natural and some man-made. Although many of these substances can be toxic at high levels, typical exposures are far below the effect levels. The responses produced by man-made aromatic hydrocarbon receptor agonists, such as dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are also produced, often to greater extents [corrected], by naturally occurring constituents of fried meat, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cocoa, and curry. Our society seems to be concerned about the health risks associated only with the synthetic chemicals, regardless of their proportional contribution to the total agonist activity, and regulates on the basis of such concerns. It would be more protective of the public health to determine acceptable concentrations for each type of response, regardless of the origin of the inducing agent, and issue advisories or regulations accordingly.

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