Global nuclear weapon testing and the Chernobyl accident have released large amounts of radionuclides into the environment. However, to date, the spatial patterns of these fallout sources remain ...poorly constrained. Fallout radionuclides (
Cs,
Pu,
Pu) were measured in soil samples (n = 160) collected at flat, undisturbed grasslands in Western Europe in the framework of a harmonised European soil survey. We show that both fallout sources left a specific radionuclide imprint in European soils. Accordingly, we used plutonium to quantify contributions of global versus Chernobyl fallout to
Cs found in European soils. Spatial prediction models allowed for a first assessment of the global versus Chernobyl fallout pattern across national boundaries. Understanding the magnitude of these fallout sources is crucial not only to establish a baseline in case of future radionuclide fallout but also to define a baseline for geomorphological reconstructions of soil redistribution due to soil erosion processes.
Indoor radon is a major hazard to human health; it is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Therefore, radon research in Asia has intensified recently due to the growing awareness of the harm ...that radon poses. An analysis of the collected literature data showed that in Asia–Oceania, some regions have—or are believed to have—little indoor radon problems due to climate and low Rn ground. It can be concluded that countries have their own approaches, techniques, and protocols. Data were not harmonized within each region; however, measurement techniques were compared by regional intercomparison exercises. The situation differs regarding studies on the usability of radon as a tracer or potential predictor of tectonic phenomena, as some countries are in seismically active zones, such as India, Taiwan, China, Japan, etc. India and Taiwan are global leaders in this research, as well as Italy, which is another seismically affected country. We provide an overview of radon-related surveying and research activities conducted in the western, southern, and eastern Asian regions over the past few years. Additionally, we observed that the number of indoor radon measurements per million inhabitants increases as the human development index (HDI) increases.
Radon flux measurements provide information about how much radon rises from the ground toward the atmosphere, thus, they could serve as good predictors of indoor radon concentrations. Although there ...are many different mapping methods with many different input data, radon flux data are generally missing and are not included for the delineation of radon priority areas (RPA). The aim of this literature review is to investigate to what extent radon flux was used, or could be used, for the delineation of RPAs. Numerous factors influencing radon flux were identified, but quantifying their contribution to radon flux measurement still remains a challenge. Different methods and measuring devices were used for the determination of radon flux, thus it is necessary to identify possible inconsistencies in order to harmonise different radon flux measurements. Due to the complexity of radon flux measurements, only two countries were identified to have performed national surveys on outdoor radon, which were of much smaller scale compared to those on indoor radon. A positive correlation between radon flux and radon quantities, such as radon in soil gas and indoor radon, indicates that radon flux could be used as an input parameter for the estimation of RPA. By reviewing radon flux models, it was concluded that up-to-date modelled radon flux maps have reached excellent spatial resolution and will be further improved, hence, they could serve as an input for the estimation and delineation of RPA.
This study aims at analysing the latitudinal variability of both the yearly and seasonal pattern of
7
Be surface activity concentrations, at addressing the impact of tropopause height (TPH) on
7
Be ...distribution and at evaluating the time lag between TPH and
7
Be at European level. With this aim, weekly
7
Be and daily TPH data at 17 sampling stations during 10 yr (2001-2010) are analysed.
7
Be shows a clear increasing tendency in the period and generally tends to increase with decreasing latitude. The seasonal pattern generally shows maxima during the warm period and minima during the cold one. The seasonal variogram analysis points out a good spatial correlation for TPH data while a weaker one is observed for
7
Be, having TPH a larger influence on
7
Be during summer. The influence of TPH on
7
Be exhibits a large spatial variability, with a clear gap between south and north in the area of the polar front jet. The results identify the presence of two main groups, in particular separating between stations located in northern Europe (50 °N and higher) and stations in southern Europe (south of 50 °N). A similar behaviour for stations located in the same geographical area is also observed when looking at the day of maximum impact of TPH on
7
Be concentrations. The results suggest that
7
Be concentrations respond in different time ranges to changes in the TPH, observing seasonal differences in each group. These results represent the first European approach to the understanding of the TPH impact on
7
Be concentrations at surface levels.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The earth is continually bombarded by high-energy cosmic ray particles, and the worldwide average exposure to cosmic rays represents about 13% of the total annual effective dose received by the ...population. Therefore, assessment of cosmic ray exposure at the ground level is of great interest to better understand population exposure to ionizing radiation. This paper presents and describes the European Annual Cosmic-Ray Dose Map at 1 km resolution (
Main Map
). The
Main Map
displays the annual effective dose that a person may receive from cosmic rays at the ground level, which ranges from 301 to 3955 μSv. Moreover, thanks to the availability of population data, the annual cosmic-ray collective dose has been evaluated and population-weighted average annual effective dose (per capita) due to cosmic ray has been estimated for each European country considered in this study. The accuracy of the present study has been confirmed by comparing our results with those obtained using other models.
A computer code dedicated to indoor radon risk mapping is presented, based on
geology and on indoor radon measurements. Assuming a lognormal distribution
of the data at the local scale, it provides ...the estimation of the percentage
of houses above a chosen reference level, at the points of a grid specified
by the user, using the moving average of data belonging to the same
geological unit as the grid point.
nema
The European Atlas of Natural Radiation is a collection of maps displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It has been developed and is being maintained by the Joint ...Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, in line with its mission, based on the Euratom Treaty: to collect, validate and report information on radioactivity levels in the environment of the EU Member States.
This work describes the first version of the European Atlas of Natural Radiation, available in digital format through a web portal, as well as the methodology and results for the maps already developed. So far the digital Atlas contains: an annual cosmic-ray dose map; a map of indoor radon concentration; maps of uranium, thorium and potassium concentration in soil and in bedrock; a terrestrial gamma dose rate map; and a map of soil permeability.
Through these maps, the public will be able to: familiarize itself with natural environmental radioactivity; be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources; have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the European population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor; and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence, to better assess the latter.
Work will continue on the European Geogenic Radon Map and on estimating the annual dose that the public may receive from natural radioactivity, by combining all the information from the different maps. More maps could be added to the Atlas, such us radon in outdoor air and in water and concentration of radionuclides in water, even if these sources usually contribute less to the total exposure.
•Radioactive Environmental Monitoring web portal to provide radiological information.•European Atlas of Natural Radiation to inform about natural radioactivity in Europe.•11 maps displaying the levels of radioactivity caused by different natural sources.•Data collection, statistical analysis, and mapping.•Digital version of the European Atlas of Natural Radiation: map viewer and description.
In ceramic industry, zircon sand is widely used in different applications because zirconia plays a role as common opacifying constituent. In particular, it is used as a basic component of glazes ...applied to ceramic tiles and sanitary ware as well as an opacifier in unglazed bulk porcelain stoneware. Natural zircon sands are the major source of zirconium minerals for industrial applications. In this paper, long, medium, and short range studies were conducted on zirconium minerals originated from Australia, South Africa, and United States of America using conventional and less conventional techniques (i.e., X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS), and Perturbed Angular Correlations (PAC)) in order to reveal the type and the extension of the regions that constitute the metamict state of zircon sands and the modifications therein produced as a consequence of the industrial milling process and the thermal treatment in the production line. Additionally, HPGe gamma-ray spectroscopy confirms the occurrence of significant levels of natural radioactivity responsible for metamictization in the investigated zircon samples. Results from XRD, PALS, and PAC analysis confirm that the metamict state of zircon is a dispersion of submicron disordered domains in a crystalline matrix of zircon.
The European Atlas of Natural Radiation developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission includes maps of potassium K and thorium Th. With several different databases ...available, including data (albeit not calibrated) from an airborne survey, Belgium is a favourable case for exploring the methodology of mapping for these natural radionuclides. Harmonized databases of potassium and thorium in soil were built by radiological (not airborne) and geochemical data. Using this harmonized database it was possible to calibrate the data from the airborne survey. Several methods were used to perform spatial interpolation and to smooth the data: moving average (MA) without constraint, or constrained by soil class and by geological unit. Overall, there was a reasonable agreement between the maps on a 1 × 1 km2 grid obtained with the two datasets (airborne data and harmonized soil data) with all the methods. The agreement was better when the maps are reduced to a 10 km × 10 km grid used for the European Atlas of Natural Radiation. The best agreement was observed with the MA constrained by geological unit.
•Harmonization of soil K and Th radiological and geochemical data.•Calibration of airborne K and Th survey.•Analysis of variance of soil K and Th data.•Mapping: moving average without constraint, by soil class and by geological unit.•Influence of mapping method and resolution.
•Determination of radioprotection safety requirements for bricks reusing by-products.•An integrated approach based on radioactivity measurements, mineralogy and texture.•Texture evolution during ...firing determine changes radon mobility and exhalation.
Many industrial by-products contain Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) that normally represent a cost in terms of monitoring, risk management and storage. When included in new mix designs of bricks, these materials may become a valuable sustainable resource. Before marketing, companies involved in development and commercialization of these new building materials ensure safety related to radiation, usually by assessing radon-related risk. According to the Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom, both raw materials and final products used in building constructions need to be tested for activity concentration. The present work explores the radionuclide concentration and the radon exhalation of bricks obtained recycling different types of potentially radioactive wastes: i) trachyte as by-product resulting from quarrying operations, and ii) two different types of industrial sludge derived from ceramic tiles industry. Raw materials were studied to foresee any potential radioactive risk derived from their use as secondary raw materials, while bricks were investigated to assess the influence of mineralogy and texture on their radioactive properties and their effective radon-risk. The results obtained here show that, although radon emanation in bricks is primarily determined by radionuclide concentration in the raw materials, textural features significantly affect radon mobility and exhalation.
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