Radon, a radioactive inert gas that comes from the decay of naturally occurring radioactive species, poses a substantial health risk due to its involvement in lung cancer carcinogenesis. This work ...proposes a metrological approach for determining radon exhalation rates from diverse building materials. This methodology employs an electrostatic collection chamber for alpha spectrometry of radon isotopic decay products. Experimental evaluations were conducted particularly focusing on volcanic gray tuff from Sant’Agata de’ Goti (Campania region, Italy), a material commonly utilized in construction, to assess radon exhalation rates. The study aligns with Legislative Decree 101/2020, a transposition of European Directive 59/2013/Euratom, highlighting the need to identify materials with a high risk of radon exhalation. Moreover, this work supports the goals of the Italian National Radon Action Plan related to the aforementioned decree, aiming to develop methodologies for estimating radon exhalation rates from building materials and improving radioprotection practices.
The present study aims to measure the activity concentrations of radionuclides
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K,
137
Cs in samples of fly ashes collected from two thermal power plant in Iraq, by gamma ...spectroscopy using a NaI (Tl) detector. The radiological hazard related to these activities is also assessed through several worldwide commonly used indexes established by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The results are statistically presented, discussed and compared with literature and with worldwide reference averages: no significant radiation hazard comes from the analyzed fly ashes, although ~ 25% of the samples exceed the activity concentration limits.
In this study it is developed a model for the detailed and automatic study of the alpha-particle spectra coming from detection systems. The fitting of a typical shape of the alpha peak is performed ...by a Gaussian function for the right side of the peak and a sum of two Gaussian functions for its left tail. The model takes into account the entire spectrum background and, particular attention is posed to the analysis of overlapped peaks, background noise and peaks with low statistic counting. The effectiveness of the proposed model is supported by several tests.
•A model for the complete analysis of the alpha-particle spectra is presented.•The peak shape fitting model is based on the convolution of Gaussian functions.•The model provides adequate discrimination of overlapped peaks.•Spectra with background noise and low statistic counts are correctly handled.•Several tests prove the model effectiveness compared to an empirical method.
Outreach projects are often used to a limited extent for dissemination purposes and rarely have a significant impact on the student’s teaching and technical skills. The RadioLab project requires a ...proactive interaction between researchers and students by experimental activities for measuring environmental radioactivity, in particular radon gas. Buildings considered to be of radiological interest, such as schools, have been selected to carry out radon gas activity concentration measurements using solid-state nuclear track passive detectors LR-115. The results of annual measurements, made over 6 years and involving a total of 952 rooms, distributed in 67 schools throughout the Campania region, were collected. These data, deemed scientifically reliable (i) can be overlapped over geological characterization data enhancing the relationship between lithology and radon, (ii) confirmed data from the radon potential map of the Campania region about the distribution of indoor radon, and finally (iii) contributed to the collection of radon indoor data of the Campania region. The results obtained highlighted the need and effectiveness of increasing the network of schools involved in the outreach activity and in the implementation of experimental activities with applicative effects in the scientific and research sectors.
Introduction: Risk assessment of exposure to indoor pollutants plays an increasingly important role in human protection, and one of the main sources of indoor pollutants is building materials (BMs). ...In addition, production processes, including those related to BMs, are also involved in economic transition: the use of by-products from other industrial sectors as raw materials for the production processes in compliance with environmental sustainability is evaluated. Methods: In this work, we evaluate not only the radiation protection of BMs but also the possibility of adopting the circular economy principles. The two main objectives of this study were 1) radiometric characterization and calculation of Index I of pozzolan from Altavilla Irpina (Avellino) in Italy, used as a natural igneous additive for concrete, using gamma spectroscopy, and 2) comparison of different methodologies for calculating the annual effective dose of BMs (CEN/TR 17113:2017, RESRAD-BUILD software, and a previously developed experimental method). The same approach was extended to the possibility of reusing fly ash—a naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) by-product of coal combustion in thermal power plants—for the production of concrete. Results and Discussion: The study aligns with the principles linked to the circular economy to extend the life cycle of materials by reducing the need for natural resources, suggesting a possible positive compromise between radioprotection and preservation of environmental heritage.
Neutrons constitute a significant component of the secondary cosmic rays and are one of the most important contributors to natural cosmic ray radiation background dose. The study of the cosmic ray ...neutrons’ contribution to the dose equivalent received by humans is an interesting and challenging task for the scientific community. In addition, international regulations demand assessing the biological risk due to radiation exposure for both workers and the general population. Because the dose rate due to cosmic radiation increases significantly with altitude, the objective of this work was to characterize the thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLDs) from the perspective of exposing them at high altitudes for longtime neutron dose monitoring. The pair of TLD-700 and TLD-600 is amply used to obtain the information on gamma and neutron dose in mixed neutron-gamma fields due to the present difference in 6Li isotope concentration. A thermoluminescence dosimeter system based on pair of TLD-600/700 was characterized to enable it for neutron dosimetry in the thermal energy range. The system was calibrated in terms of neutron ambient dose equivalent in an experimental setup using a 241Am-B radionuclide neutron source coated by a moderator material, polyethylene, creating a thermalized neutron field. Afterward, the pair of TLD-600/700 was exposed at the CERN-EU High-Energy Reference Field (CERF) facility in Geneva, which delivers a neutron field with a spectrum similar to that of secondary cosmic rays. The dosimetric system provided a dose value comparable with the calculated one demonstrating a good performance for neutron dosimetry.
The analysis of the Earth's rotation rate time series, from January 1,2012 till December 31,2017, is performed using two different time series analysis methods, both based on signal decomposition ...joined with forecasting approach. Anomalies in the time series are detected making the comparison between the raw signal and the forecasting one at the 95% confidence interval. The two methods show consistent results and the best is selected according to the evaluation of the prediction uncertainty. Both methods highlight correlations between detected anomalies in the Earth's rotation rate time series and the world's earthquakes occurrence with magnitude ≥7 and/or number of events ≥150 per day, within a time interval of ±10 days from each earthquake event. This study brings an innovation in the analysis of such time series and helps to better understand the extent of this relationship.
Radon gas is one of the chemical pollutants with one of the most significant physical effects due to its impact on human health: it is a radioactive noble gas which, if inhaled, can stochastically ...induce lung cancer. For this reason, it is classified as a category A substance and is the second cause of cancer after tobacco smoking. The monitoring and management of indoor radon is based on international recommendations but also national regulations, which, in recent years, have been updated by lowering the reference levels. In this work, some radon activity concentration data were evaluated by comparing the criteria of old and new legislation to highlight how the radiation protection approach has completely changed. Specifically, this study focuses on measurements in Campania, which, due to its originally volcanic geological structure, requires crucial attention in the context of radon risk assessment, given the considerable number of dwellings built in tuff. This initial data processing enabled the identification of potential high-priority radon risk areas, serving as an important reference point for the extension of the monitoring activities in Campania.
Drinking water, in addition to the best-known chemical and biological agents, contains radionuclides of both natural and artificial origin, which can contribute significantly to the overall effective ...dose received by the population. The Italian Decree Law 28/2016, implementing the 2013/51/EURATOM Directive, establishes the activities for risk management and the parameter values for different radionuclide activity concentrations. In addition to the institutions involved, the National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ISIN) annually publishes monitoring reports of environmental radioactivity in Italy, including radioactivity in drinking water. The purpose of the study was to integrate ISIN reports with 2018–2020 data by collecting measurements performed by institutional laboratories to obtain more complete information and adding, for the Campania region, some data not yet published. This new updated report was not significantly different from ISIN’s one, meaning that those publications are nevertheless extremely representative of the radioactivity in Italian drinking water. However, the study allowed us to obtain more detailed data, including measurements not considered in ISIN reports, for instance, radon-222 activity concentrations. This may be of great usefulness for all radiation protection stakeholders in order to ensure environmental protection, pollution prevention, and population safety.
Using Monte Carlo (with Geant4) and COMSOL simulations, the authors have defined a useful tool to reproduce the alpha spectroscopy of 222Rn, 220Rn and their ionized daughters by measurement systems ...based on electrostatic collection on a silicon detector, inside a metallic chamber. Several applications have been performed: (i) simulating commercial devices worldwide used, and comparing them with experimental theoretical results; (ii) studying of realization of new measurement systems through investigation of the detection efficiency versus different chamber geometries. New considerations and steps forward have been drawn. The present work is a novelty in the literature concerning this research framework.
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