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.

Catholic Church, Fishers and Negotiating Development: A Study on the Vizhinjam Port Project

We examine the mobilisation and negotiation of a local community against the construction of a trans-shipment container terminal in Vizhinjam village in southern India. Initiated by the state and executed by the private capital, the project represents the wider pattern of developmental regimes characterised by accumulation by dispossession. Like several other fishing villages in southern Kerala, Vizhinjam has active associational forms of civil society, largely mediated as well as shaped by the Latin Catholic church. The common religious identity of these associational forms, however, failed to generate a consensus among the local community regarding the port project. Diverse positions emerged in the village due to different class formations and mobility aspirations of the population. The political atmosphere constrained the church from strongly opposing the project due to the fear of it being labelled ‘anti-national’, since the port project was projected as essential for the nation’s development and progress.

Evaluation of Miticides and Predatory Mites for Managing Twospotted Spider Mites on A Herba-Ceous Perennial Goutweed, 1997

A test was conducted in Cheshire, CT, to determine the efficacy of five miticides and two predatory mite species for control of TSSM. There was also an untreated check. Treatments were arranged in a RCBD with four replications. Plots consisted of 12 container-grown plants in a 1.7 ft2 plastic flat. The trial cultivar ‘Variegate’ was planted on 1 Apr. Miticides were applied to the foliage from the top and sides with a Solo backpack sprayer at 60 psi with 35.3 gpa. Predatory mites were placed into the treatment plots by gently brushing them off of the lip of the shipment container. All treatments were applied on 18 Jul. Five leaves were removed from each treatment plot on 17, 25 Jul and 1, 8 and 15 Aug to count the eggs and motile TSSM. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and LSD.