Radon in Foods

This chapter show the natural of radioactivity as alpha particle which produce from decaying of radium to radon so in this chapter describe the radon in some types of household food (coffee, tea, powder milk, rice, flour, cornstarch, and powder coconut) and different types of salt by using Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTD), were analyzed by closed-can technique (CR-39). Many food items contain natural sources of salt. Salt analysis is very important due to its high consumption by the population and for its medicinal use. Analysis the concentrations of Radon-222 and Radium-226 for different types of household foods samples are very substantial for realizing the comparative contributions of specific substances to the whole radon content set within the human body. After study it is found that the average values of annual effective dose in mSv/y are within the recommended limit of ICRP values except its values for cornstarch and sugar are relatively high, and there are a wide range of variations in the values of transfer factor for Rn-222, and Ra-226 for all types.

Levels of radium-226 in the rainbow trout, macroinvertebrates-substrates and water adjacent to the mining concession Loma Larga, Azuay-Ecuador

Mineral processing has been identified among the twelve main industrial processes that must be under control due to the expose to natural radioactive sources. The modification and, generally, the increase in the concentration of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in the earth's crust cause an imbalance in the ecosystem. Imbalance that affects the fauna, which are able to bio accumulate these radioisotopes and introduce them into the trophic chain. The main purpose of this work was to establish a radio-ecological baseline. For this purpose, the concentration levels of 226Ra in rainbow trout, in macro invertebrate matrices-substrates and water from the Irquis and Portete rivers were evaluated. A study area adjacent to the Loma Larga mining concession was selected. The measurements were made using the Lucas cells coupled to a Pylon AB6A counter and the "Can Technique", using LR-115 passive detectors. The results indicated that rainbow trout bio accumulated in bones and organsa mean of 94.7% of the total 226Ra detected, which values varied from 4.69 to 2.46 Bq/kg, while macro invertebrate-substrate matrices showed a concentration that ranged between 0.7 and 1.3 Bq/kg in the Irquis River, while in the Portete River was between 1.1 and 19.3 Bq/kg. The water samples, in the sampling points of the Irquis River, showed concentrations that ranged between 37.3 and 119.1 mBq/l and in the Portete River between 43.5 to 146.4 mBq/l.

Determination of Uranium Contents in Soil Samples in AL-Hamdaniya Region Using Solid State Nuclear Track Detector CR-39

Uranium is a common radioactive element in Earth’s crust (soil, rock), so it is important there quantity to be under control. The concentration of uranium in soil varies widely, Depending on the geological location, its concentration in the surface soil vary from 0.1 mg.Kg-1 (ppm) to 20 mg.Kg-1 (ppm) with a world average of 2.8 ppm and the allowed limit that equals 11.7 ppm. The uranium concentration, radon activity, radon concentration, in twenty soil samples collected from AL-Hamdaniya region (East of Mosul city) were measured using the sealed-can technique based on the CR-39 SSNTDs. The estimated values for the uranium activity which equal to radon activity at secular equilibrium were found vary between (581.11-1453.5) mBq with mean value 905.89 mBq, the uranium concentration are between (0.313-0.784) ppm with mean value of 0.488 ppm. All values of the samples under the test are below of allowed limit and world average value.

Measurement of Radon Concentration Using SSNTD in Bartella Region

The alpha-radioactive inert gas Radon exhalation is associated with presence of Radium and its ultimate precursor uranium in the earth crust. Uranium decay deposits radon in soil, which is harmful on human and environment. The exposure of population to high concentration of alpha radioactivity mainly of Radon for a long period leads to lung cancer. The radon activity concentrations, radium contents, radon exhalation rates in twenty one soil samples collected from Bartella region, were measured using the sealed-can technique based on the CR-39 SSNTDs. In the present paper the estimated values for radon activity concentration in air space are in the range 323.2-2424 Bq/m3 with mean value of 1212.7 Bq/m3, the radon concentration in soil sample are 31.66-237.46 KBq/m3 with mean value of 118.83 KBq/m3, the radium contents were found vary between 1.36-10.24 Bq/Kg with mean value 5.11 Bq/Kg, the radon mass exhalation rate vary between 10.34-77.56 mBq/Kg/hr with mean 38.81 mBq/Kg/hr, the radon surface exhalation rate are between 234.2-1756.4 mBq/m2/hr with mean value of 878.6 mBq/m2/hr. All values of the samples under the test are below of permissible values 370 Bq/Kg of radium content and 57600 mBq/m2/hr radon exhalation, recommended by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Hence the area under investigation is safe as for as health hazards of radium and safe in radiological risks due to radon exposure from the soil.

Sustainable Water Resources Using Corner Pivot Lateral, A Novel Sprinkler Irrigation System Layout for Small Scale Farms

Sprinkler irrigation systems are widely used in medium and large scale farms in different forms. However less types are available to apply in small farms due to their high costs. The current study was done according to a novel cost effective design for a semi-permanent sprinkler irrigation system for small farm owners. The new layout known as Corner Pivot Lateral (CPL) was examined in irrigation test center at Lijian Scientific and Technological Demonstration Park, at Nanning city, China. CPL was implemented without a main/sub mainline pipe, by applying a single pivoting lateral at the corner of the plot that directly connected to the resource to convey water from the pump. The lateral moves around the corner using a rotating elbow in a quadrant pattern manually to cover the entire farm. A conventional semi-permanent system was applied for the same farm as reference. A cost analysis on the required components as well as annual operational costs was carried out for comparison and control. Results showed that a lower system component would be needed for the CPL method. Overall, more than a 15% capital cost reduction with 7% annual cost decrement was achieved for CPL in this experiment comparatively. The Catch can technique was applied to examine the CPL system’s efficiency and 79% water distribution uniformity around the sprinkler was obtained. This new method can encourage small estate holders to switch from traditional to pressurized systems which optimizes water application costs.

Assessment of the Annual Effective dose of Bottled Mineral Waters Using Closed Can Technique

Water is the most important substance for life. Mineral waters are widely used as drinking water, and so that, it is important to determine the radon levels, and its risk in drinking water for public health and radiation protection. Radon concentration has been measured in the bottled natural mineral water samples commercially available in the Egyptian local market, using closed can technique. Radon concentration in water samples ranged from 0.93 - 6.89 Bql-1 and total annual effective dose ranged from 3.49 - 25.93 µSvy-1. The results indicate that radon concentrations in water samples lower than the recommended limit 11.1BqL-1 by EPA, and the annual effective dose of the samples are lower than the permissible international limit by EPA and WHO. The obtained results indicate that there is no significant public radiological risk related to radon ingested with drinking water in the present study.

Assessment of Radon Concentrations in the Soil of South Baghdad Suburbs

Measurements of radon gas concentrations were carried out for 12 soil samples at 3 sampling depths (surface, 5 cm and 10 cm) collected from (4) locations in south Baghdad suburbs (Bu'aitha) using solid state nuclear track detector CR-39 and sealed can technique. Radon concentrations for surface samples were ranged from 402.2 to 1538.4 Bq.m-3 with an average 994.4 Bq.m-3. Whereas, radon concentration was ranged from 813.1to 2050.4 Bq.m-3 and from 1309.8 to 4626. 1Bq.m-3 with an average values of 1359.8 Bq.m-3 and 2338.3 Bq.m-3 for 5 cm and 10 cm depths respectively. Maximum radon level was found at the location near to the river (site S4) while the minimum radon level was found at residential area (site S2). Radium contents were ranged from 0.42 to 1.62 Bq.kg-1, from 0.85 to 2.15 Bq.kg-1 and from 1.38 to 4.86 Bq.kg-1 with average values of 1.04, 1.43 and 2.46 Bq.kg-1 for surface, 5 cm and 10 cm depths respectively. Radon exhalation rates as a function of area and mass were also obtained. Surface exhalation rate ranged from 0.05 to 0.18 Bq.m-2.h-1, from 0.09 to 0.24 Bq.m-2.h-1 and from 0.15 to 0.53 Bq.m-2.h-1 with average values 0.11, 0.16 and 0.27 Bq.m-2.h-1 for surface, 5 cm and 10 cm depths respectively. Mass exhalation rate ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 Bq.kg-1.h, from 0.03 to 0.08 Bq.kg-1.h and from 0.05 to 0.18 Bq.kg-1.h with average values 0.04, 0.05 and 0.09 Bq.kg-1.h for surface, 5 cm and 10 cm depths respectively. The results obtained from this study indicate that the region background radiation levels are within the natural limits.