scholarly journals RADIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF IONIZING RADIATION IMPACT ON THE TERRESTRIAL NON-HUMAN BIOTA IN LITHUANIA

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina KONSTANTINOVA ◽  
Nina PROKOPČIUK ◽  
Arūnas GUDELIS ◽  
Donatas BUTKUS
Keyword(s):  
Ionizing Radiation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Software Application ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Top Soil

The quantitative assessment of radionuclides transfer to non-human biota using their activity concentration ratios is required for models of predictive doses of ionizing radiation. Based on long-term data regarding activity concentration of radionuclides in the top soil layer of the entire territory of Lithuania, and with the help of ERICA Assessment Tool – a software application that calculates dose rates to selected biota, we estimated the radiological impact on the terrestrial non-human biota with special emphasis on the protected areas located in the vicinity of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP). Estimated total dose rates of artificial radionuclides – after-Chernobyl 137Cs and 90Sr as well as discharged by INPP – and natural radionuclides, such as 238U and 232Th, were found to be less than ERICA screening value of 10 μGy h–1.

scholarly journals Artificial Radionuclides in Squid from northwestern Pacific in 2011 following the Fukushima accident

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Yu ◽  
Mathew P. Johansen ◽  
Jianhua He ◽  
Wu Men ◽  
Longshan Lin
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
High Water ◽  
Northwestern Pacific ◽  
Fukushima Accident ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Radiological Dose ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. In order to better understand the impact of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Accident on commercial marine species, squid (Ommastrephe bartrami) samples, obtained from the northwestern Pacific in November 2011, were analyzed for a range of artificial and natural radionuclides (Cs-134, Cs-137, Ag-110m, U-238, Ra-226 and K-40). Short-lived radionuclides Cs-134 and Ag-110m released from Fukushima NPP Accident were found in the samples, with an extremely high water-to-organism concentration ratio for Ag-110m (> 2.9E + 04). The radiological dose rates for the squid from the radionuclides measured were far lower than the relevant benchmark of 10 µGy h−1. For human consumers ingesting these squid, the dose contribution from natural radionuclides (> 99.9 %) including Po-210, was far greater than that of Fukushima-accident radionuclides (

scholarly journals MEASUREMENT OF RADON ACTIVITY CONCENTRATION IN BUILDING MATERIALS USED IN BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ema Sinanović ◽  
Feriz Adrović ◽  
Amira Kasumović ◽  
Amela Kasić
Keyword(s):  
Ionizing Radiation ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Indoor Radon ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Indoor Exposure ◽  
Radon Activity ◽  
Materials Used

Man is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation because of the presence of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the environment. Various technological processes of processing and using of materials that contain natural radionuclides generate materials of enhanced natural radioactivity (TENORM). The largest contribution to irradiance with natural sources of ionizing radiation is the exposure of the population to indoor radon. This gas originates from the radioactive decay of 226Ra and 224Ra that are present in the soil under houses and building materials. Depending on the type of building materials, indoor exposure to radon at dwellings and workplaces can be over a thousand times greater than in outdoor space. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, no valid and comprehensive radiological studies on the building materials have been performed that would guarantee for their dosimetric safety use for installation in residential and industrial buildings, highways, as well as their application for other purposes. The quantification of the radon levels that comes from building materials is a necessary and very important part of the global protection of the population from ionizing radiation. This paper presents the first results of a study on the radon activity concentrations in building materials used in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Measurements were performedwith a professional Alpha GUARD system. The mean values of the activity concentration of the exhaled radon of investigated building materials varied from 10 Bqm-3 to 101 Bqm-3, radon exhalation rate values ranged from 77.0 mBqm-2h-1 to 777.7 mBqm-2h-1. Gamma dose rate was in the range 57–112 nSv h−1.

scholarly journals Optimizing long-term monitoring of radiation air-dose rates after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

2020 ◽  
Vol 220-221 ◽  
pp. 106281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dajie Sun ◽  
Haruko M. Wainwright ◽  
Carlos A. Oroza ◽  
Akiyuki Seki ◽  
Satoshi Mikami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
Term Monitoring

scholarly journals Determination of Activity Concentration of Natural Radionuclides and Radiation Hazards’ Assessment of Building Materials in High Background Radiation Areas of Homa and Ruri, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Willis Otieno Gor Odongo ◽  
Margaret Chege ◽  
Nadir Hashim ◽  
Shinji Tokonami ◽  
Kranrod Chutima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Background Radiation ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
High Background ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Radium Equivalent ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
The One

The areas around Homa and Ruri hills in Homa Bay County in Kenya are associated with high background radiation levels. The activity concentration of the natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) in earthen building materials used in the areas of Homa and Ruri hills has been measured using a NaI (Tl) detector in this work. The measured values of radioactivity concentrations are used to estimate the associated radiological risk. The earthen building material samples from Ruri registered relatively high 232Th concentration values averaging 1094 ± 55 Bq/kg, nearly three times those of the samples from Homa. 226Ra level was not significantly different in both regions with Homa reporting 129 ± 10 Bq/kg and Ruri 111 ± 6 Bq/kg. 40K was however higher in the samples from Homa by an approximate factor of 2 relative to those from Ruri where the activity concentration was 489 ± 24 Bq/kg. The radium equivalents for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the samples from Ruri were 111 ± 9, 1564 ± 125, and 38 ± 3 Bq/kg, while in Homa, the values were 129 ± 10, 570 ± 46, and 69 ± 5 Bq/kg, respectively. The calculated value of total radium equivalent in Ruri was 1713 ± 137 Bq/kg which was two times higher than that of Homa. 232Th contributed about 74% and 91% to the total radium equivalent in Homa and Ruri, respectively; thus, it was the one with the largest contribution to radiation exposure in both regions. The average indoor annual effective dose rates were 1.74 ± 0.14 and 3.78 ± 0.30 mSv/y in Homa and Ruri, respectively, both of which were above the recommended safety limit of 1 mSv/y.

In-House Developed Methodologies and Tools for Decommissioning Projects

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Detilleux ◽  
Baudouin Centner
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Nuclear Research ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Primary System ◽  
Time Schedule ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
User Friendly

The paper describes different methodologies and tools developed in-house by Tractebel Engineering to facilitate the engineering works to be carried out especially in the frame of decommissioning projects. Three examples of tools with their corresponding results are presented: - The LLWAA-DECOM code, a software developed for the radiological characterization of contaminated systems and equipment. The code constitutes a specific module of more general software that was originally developed to characterize radioactive waste streams in order to be able to declare the radiological inventory of critical nuclides, in particular difficult-to-measure radionuclides, to the Authorities. In the case of LLWAA-DECOM, deposited activities inside contaminated equipment (piping, tanks, heat exchangers ...) and scaling factors between nuclides, at any given time of the decommissioning time schedule, are calculated on the basis of physical characteristics of the systems and of operational parameters of the nuclear power plant. This methodology was applied to assess decommissioning costs of Belgian NPPs, to characterize the primary system of Trino NPP in Italy, to characterize the equipment of miscellaneous circuits of Ignalina NPP and of Kozloduy unit 1 and, to calculate remaining dose rates around equipment in the frame of the preparation of decommissioning activities; - The VISIMODELLER tool, a user friendly CAD interface developed to ease the introduction of lay-out areas in a software named VISIPLAN. VISIPLAN is a 3D dose rate assessment tool for ALARA work planning, developed by the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK·CEN. Both softwares were used for projects such as the steam generators replacements in Belgian NPPs or the preparation of the decommissioning of units 1&2 of Kozloduy NPP; - The DBS software, a software developed to manage the different kinds of activities that are part of the general time schedule of a decommissioning project. For each activity, when relevant, algorithms allow to estimate, on the basis of local inputs, radiological exposures of the operators (collective and individual doses), production of primary, secondary and tertiary waste and their characterization, production of conditioned waste, release of effluents, ... and enable the calculation and the presentation (histograms) of the global results for all activities together. An example of application in the frame of the Ignalina decommissioning project is given.

scholarly journals Radiation Effects on Materials Used in Geological Repositories for Spent Nuclear Fuel

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Jonsson
Keyword(s):  
Ionizing Radiation ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Safety Analysis ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Barrier Materials ◽  
Materials Used

Safe long-term storage of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants is one of the main concerns for the nuclear industry as well as for governments in countries relying on electricity produced by nuclear power. A repository for spent nuclear fuel must be safe for extremely long time periods (at least 100 000 years). In order to ascertain the long-term safety of a repository, extensive safety analysis must be performed. One of the critical issues in a safety analysis is the long-term integrity of the barrier materials used in the repository. Ionizing radiation from the spent nuclear constitutes one of the many parameters that need to be accounted for. In this paper, the effects of ionizing radiation on the integrity of different materials used in a granitic deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel designed according to the Swedish KBS-3 model are discussed. The discussion is primarily focused on radiation-induced processes at the interface between groundwater and solid materials. The materials that are discussed are the spent nuclear fuel (based on UO2), the copper-covered iron canister, and bentonite clay. The latter two constitute the engineered barriers of the repository.

scholarly journals Unusual evolution of tree frog populations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Car ◽  
André Gilles ◽  
Olivier Armant ◽  
Pablo Burraco ◽  
Karine Beaugelin-Seiller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Ionizing Radiation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Haplotype Network ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
Exclusion Zone ◽  
Tree Frogs ◽  
European Populations

AbstractDespite the ubiquity of pollutants in the environment, their long-term ecological consequences are not always clear and still poorly studied. This is the case concerning the radioactive contamination of the environment following the major nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Notwithstanding the implications of evolutionary processes on the population status, few studies concern the evolution of organisms chronically exposed to ionizing radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Here, we examined genetic markers for 19 populations of Eastern tree frog (Hyla orientalis) sampled in the Chernobyl region about thirty years after the nuclear power plant accident to investigate microevolutionary processes ongoing in local populations. Genetic diversity estimated from nuclear and mitochondrial markers showed an absence of genetic erosion and higher mitochondrial diversity in tree frogs from the Chernobyl exclusion zone compared to other European populations. Moreover, the study of haplotype network permitted us to decipher the presence of an independent recent evolutionary history of Chernobyl exclusion zone’s Eastern tree frogs caused by an elevated mutation rate compared to other European populations. By fitting to our data a model of haplotype network evolution, we suspected that Eastern tree frog populations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone have a high mitochondrial mutation rate and small effective population sizes. These data suggest that Eastern tree frogs populations might offset the impact of deleterious mutations because of their large clutch size, but also question the long term impact of ionizing radiation on the status of other species living in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

scholarly journals Background Radiation from 238U, 232Th, and 40K in Bells Area and Canaan City, Ota, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (E) ◽  
pp. 678-684
Author(s):  
M. R. Usikalu ◽  
C. A. Enemuwe ◽  
R. O. Morakinyo ◽  
M. M. Orosun ◽  
T. A. Adagunodo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Risk ◽  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Background Radiation ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Radiation Risk ◽  
Absorbed Dose ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Absorbed Dose Rates

Natural radionuclides are present in every constituent of the environment. Monitoring of environmental radionuclides is very vital to avoid exposure above the threshold limit. Due to this, the background radiation from 238U, 232Th, and 40K of Bell University of Technology and Canaan Land City was determined from 20 sample points each in the two areas using RS230 Gamma Spectrometer. The mean activity concentration of 40K, 238U, and 232Th for Bells University of Technology was 442.66 Bq/kg, 41.98 Bq/kg, and 48.35 Bq/Kg, respectively. In Canaan City, mean activity concentration of 40K, 238U, and 232Th was 373.65 Bq/kg, 18.85 Bq/kg, and 67.22 Bq/kg, respectively. The mean absorbed dose rates recorded by the spectrometer directly were 70.03 nGy/h and 66.65 nGy/h, while that estimated from the activity concentration were 67.06 and 64.89 nGy/h for Bells University and Canaan City, respectively. The measured and estimated absorbed dose rates were higher than the safe limit of 57 nGy/h. The mean values of other radiological parameters estimated, except that of the gamma index and excess lifetime cancer risk were lower when compared to the recommended limit. It could be concluded that the possibility of suffering any radiation risk is low in these two areas, but there is possibility of cancer risk for someone that has stayed in the area for 70 years and above.

Miscellaneous Burns and Related Conditions

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole S. Gibran ◽  
David A Brown
Keyword(s):  
Ionizing Radiation ◽  
High Voltage ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Nuclear Explosion ◽  
Mustard Gas ◽  
Accidental Exposure ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Chemical Burns

This review covers the recognition and management of electrical injury, chemical burns, injury from chemicals of mass destruction, cold injury, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and ionizing radiation burns. Electrical injuries can be divided into low-voltage burns, high-voltage burns, and super-high-voltage burns. Chemical burns are commonly caused by strong alkalis or acids and less commonly by anhydrous ammonia. Chemicals used in war include napalm, white phosphorus, and vesicants such as mustard gas, lewisite, and phosgene. Cold injuries result either from direct freezing (frostbite) or from more long-term exposure to an environment just above freezing (chilblain, pernio, trench foot). TEN, though not a burn, can cause similar tissue damage and is managed similarly in a number of respects. Ionizing radiation burns may be encountered in three settings: (1) deliberate or accidental exposure to radiation in a hospital, laboratory, or industrial environment (by far the most common setting); (2) failure of a nuclear power plant (as at Chernobyl); and (3) nuclear explosion. This review contains 12 figures, 5 tables, and 122 references.

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