The term “commercial granite” comprises different natural stones with different mineralogical components. In Extremadura, western Spain, “commercial granites” can be classified in three types: ...granite s.s. (sensus stricti), granodiorite, and diorite. The content of naturally occurring radionuclides depended of the mineralogy. Thus, the 40K content increased as the relative content of alkaline feldspar increased but decreased as the plagioclase content increased. The radioactive content decreased in the following order: granite s.s. > granodiorite > diorite. In this work, the radiological hazard of these granites as building material was analyzed in terms of external irradiation and radon exposure. External irradiation was estimated based on the “I” index, ranged between 0.073 and 1.36. Therefore, these granites can be use as superficial building materials with no restriction. Radon exposure was estimated using the surface exhalation rates in polished granites. The exhalation rate in granites depends of their superficial finishes (different roughness). For distinct mechanical finishes of granite (polish, diamond sawed, bush-hammered and flamed), the surface exhalation rate increased with the roughness of the finishes. Thermal finish presented the highest exhalation rate, because the high temperatures applied to the granite may increase the number of fissures within it. The exhalation rates in polished granites varied from 0.013 to 10.4 Bq m−2 h−1.
•40K content in granite increased with alkaline feldspar and decreased with plagioclase.•Radioactive content was higher in granite s.s., followed by granodiorite and diorite.•The surface exhalation rate increased with roughness of granite with mechanical finishes.•Thermal finish of granite presented the highest exhalation rate due to high temperature applied.
•High values for radium removal, 65–100% in an actual DWTP.•Removed radium was mainly associated with easily reducible fraction in greensand, 86%.•Radium extraction procedure from greensand was ...developed to ease waste management.•Filtration system can be regenerated and reused.•Dose rate for DWTP workers was below reference level for this case study.
Occurrence of radium in drinking water may pose a radiological hazard. It is one of the most radiotoxic radionuclides and a major contributor to the Indicative Dose (ID), regulated parameter in UE. Its removal at Drinking Water Treatment Plants (DWTPs) can be considered a preventive action, as it cannot reach the final consumer nor be accumulated in distribution pipes. A filtration system based on greensand designed for radium removal was tested in an actual DWTP. Removal effectiveness depended on the spatial velocity water passed through the filter, range 65–100%. The lower the spatial velocity, the greater contact time, and the longer high removal percentages were achieved. The radium removed from the water was mainly associated to easily reducible fraction in greensand. So radium accumulation in the filter may pose a radiological hazard for the workers in the DWTP. Dose rate was assessed in the worst case scenario for this case study, being about 0.22 mSv/y, significantly lower than reference value 1 mSv/y. Radium accumulated in the greensand filter can be extracted in order to ease waste management, and subsequently, the filtration system can be regenerated showing similar capacity to extract radium as a new one.
The i
technique for measuring radionuclides in the soil using a portable Ge detector is a highly versatile tool for both the radiological characterisation and for the monitoring of operating nuclear ...power plants. The main disadvantage of this technique is related to the lack of knowledge of the geometry of the source whose activity concentration is to be determined. However, its greatest advantage is the high spatial representability of the samples and the reduced time and resource consumption compared to gamma spectrometry laboratory measurements. In this study, the possibilities and limits offered by
gamma spectrometry with a high-resolution gamma portable detector in two common uses are shown. First, the radiological background characterisation and its relationship with the geology of an area of 2700 km
are assessed. Second, its potential for monitoring man-made activity concentration in soils located around an operating nuclear power plant in Spain for surveillance purposes is evaluated. Finally, high-accuracy radiation maps were prepared from the measurements that were carried out. These radiation maps are essential tools to know the radioactive background of an area, especially useful to assess artificial radioactive deposits produced after a nuclear accident or incident.
Introduction
Long-acting injectable antipsychotics have demonstrated advantages over therapeutic adherence and can reduce the rates of relapses and due to treatment discontinuation. The novel ...presentation of paliperidone palmitate six-month (PP6M) can simplify the treatment to two injections per year.
Objectives
The purpose of the present research is to describe the profile of patients receiving this novel treatment in our area. For this, a descriptive study has been carried out.
Methods
We have collected and analyzed data from a total of 8 patients from the global long-acting injectable nursing registry in our area. The data collection was from May 2022 to October 2022.
Results
ID Patient
Age
Gender
Medical comorbidities
Social support
Adherence to previous LAI
EP001AGC
52
M
No
-
Yes
EP002EGA
53
M
No
Low
No
EP003ESL
45
F
Yes
HIV, HCV, dyslipidemia,
Enough
Yes
EP004ACG
60
M
Yes
Hypertension, dyslipidemia
Good
Yes
EP005DCP
52
M
Yes
COPD
Enough
Yes
EP006ATT
47
M
No
Enough / Low
Yes
EP007AH
40
F
Yes
Tension headache
Enough
Yes
EP008IAR
66
F
Yes
Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperuricemia
Enough
Yes
ID Patient
Diagnosis
Refractory positive symptoms
Last H.
Polypharmacy
Previous injection
Injection date / Dose
H. / Side Effects
EP001AGC
Paranoid schizophrenia
-
08/03/2014
No
PP3M
525mg
17/05/22
1.000 mg
No
EP002EGA
Schizoaffective disorder
Yes
19/08/2022
Yes
Valproic acid 1.000mg
PP1M
150mg
(once)
13/09/22
1.000mg
No
EP003ESL
Paranoid schizophrenia
No
17/04/2019
Yes
Olanzapine 10mg
BZD
PP3M
525mg
10/08/22
1.000mg
Sedation (low)
EP004ACG
Paranoid schizophrenia
No
-
Yes
Quetiapine 50mg
PP3M
525mg
16/09/22
1.000mg
No
EP005DCP
Paranoid schizophrenia
No
16/01/2004
Yes
Olanzapine 20mg
BZD
PP3M
525mg
11/10/22
1.000mg
No
EP006ATT
Persistent delusional disorder
Yes
-
No
PP3M
525mg
19/09/22
1.000mg
No
EP007AH
Paranoid schizophrenia
No
2017
No
PP3M
525mg
03/08/22
1.000mg
No
EP008IAR
Persistent delusional disorder
Yes
-
Yes
BZD
Paliperidone oral 9mg and later
PP3M
350mg
(twice)
18/10/22
1.000mg
No
Fig. 1: Sociodemographic characteristics and Fig. 2: Clinical characteristics.
Conclusions
None of the patients required hospitalization at the time of the study, although this work team considers that it is early to make conclusions in this regard. No serious or minor adverse effects were reported in any of the cases during the time of the investigation, apart from one case of mild sedation.
The clinical characteristics of most patients were psychopathological stability and good adherence to previous treatment. Although this study shows that the drug was also used in patients who did not meet these characteristics, specially one case of poor social support. The data collected show that the profile of the patient in whom the drug has been prescribed can be varied and broad.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared
In the TRITIUM project, an on-site monitoring system is being developed to measure tritium (3H) levels in water near nuclear power plants. The quite low-energy betas emitted by 3H have a very short ...average path in water (5 μm as shown by simulations for 18 keV electrons). This path would be further reduced by impurities present in the water, resulting in a significant reduction of the detection efficiency. Therefore, one of the essential requirements of the project is the elimination of these impurities through a filtration process and the removal of salts in solution. This paper describes a water treatment system developed for the project that meets the following requirements: the water produced should be of near-pure water quality according to ISO 3696 grade 3 standard (conductivity < 10 μS/cm); the system should operate autonomously and be remotely monitored.
Adequate radiological protection requires the quantification of radionuclide transfer to the human food chain, which is essential for the estimation of ingestion doses. Transfer parameters are key ...inputs for the development of radioecological models and decision support systems. There are many literature compilations of these parameters, however, most of values were calculated in temperate climates, and data for Mediterranean ecosystems are scarce. In this study, transfer factors to foodstuffs collected in Mediterranean ecosystems, in Spain, were compared to reported values for temperate climate. Foodstuff included cereals, meat (beef, lamb and pork), dairy products (milk, cheese yogurt, and kefir), and also typical products of Mediterranean diet, such as olives, olive oil, grapes and wine. Radioactive (137Cs, 226,228Ra and 40 K) and stable elements (Cs, Sr, K, Na, Ca, Mg, P, Pb, U and Th) were measured to enable the calculation of transfer factors. As a consequence, data for transfer factors in Mediterranean systems were increased by about 120 and 200 values for plant and animal products, respectively. Due to the low level radiocaesium concentration in Spanish ecosystems, transfer factors for this radioisotope were largely ‘less than’ values. Therefore, stable Cs and Sr transfer factors were used as proxy for comparison with temperate values.
•Transfer parameters for radionuclides and stable elements in Mediterranean foodstuffs were determined.•Radionuclide transfer usually below detection limit. Stable elements used as proxies.•Transfer for regionally important food products (olive, olive oil, grape and wine) were determined.•No consistent difference between the transfer parameter for temperate environments and Mediterranean production systems.
Abstract
The evaluation of the radiological impact in soils due to the fly-ash ponds using both in situ techniques and laboratory based measurements is presented. In order to check the in situ ...techniques capabilities for monitoring this type of industries, a comparison between both techniques was performed. A characterization of external radiation exposure in the fly-ash pond and in its surrounding soils was made. The associated external radiological hazard due to the fly-ash pond has been evaluated. In situ techniques could be used to determine the radiological impact on soils due to fly-ash deposition, but its use could be limited due to the associated uncertainties.
In situ gamma spectrometry (ISGS) is a technique mainly focused on the determination of man-made radionuclides deposited on soils. It is widely used for the radioactive characterization of soils in ...which there has been an incorporation of such radionuclides, especially 137Cs. Its use for the activity determination of naturally occurring radionuclides in soils has been more limited, and the accuracy associated with those measurements has yet to be treated extensively. There are numerous factors affecting the accuracy of the activity determination of naturally occurring radionuclides, such as the assumed soil geometry, the soil’s geological and mineral composition, its moisture content, etc. The present work studies the accuracy associated with the ISGS determination of the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in soils using a portable HPGe detector. For 40K and 232Th activity determinations, the uncertainties associated with ISGS are generally of the order of 15%. However, 226Ra activity determined from its daughters 214Pb and 214Bi can be significantly overestimated when there is a major presence of 222Rn in the air around the detector. Finally, absorbed dose rate in air values were calculated from the naturally occurring radionuclide concentration in soils. The results showed good correspondence between the values obtained from ISGS and those obtained from laboratory determinations with the same soils.
•Factors affecting accuracy in natural radionuclides determination by ISGS are analysed.•Uncertainties associated to 40K and 232Th determinations are about 15%.•226Ra determination from 214Pb and 214Bi can be overestimated due to radon in air.•Good correlation between absorbed dose rate calculated in lab and by ISGS.
► An increase of uranium and radium in the water used by a Coal-Fired Power Plant was observed. ► There was an unexpected source of uranium downstream due to fertilizers used in surrounding areas. ► ...The increase of uranium in the water was correlated with their physico-chemical parameters.
The present work studied the radioacitivity impact of a coal-fired power plant (CFPP), a NORM industry, on the water of the Regallo river which the plant uses for cooling. Downstream, this river passes through an important irrigated farming area, and it is a tributary of the Ebro, one of Spain’s largest rivers. Although no alteration of the
210Po or
232Th content was detected, the
234,238U and
226Ra contents of the water were significantly greater immediately below CFPP’s discharge point. The
226Ra concentration decreased progressively downstream from the discharge point, but the uranium content increased significantly again at two sampling points 8
km downstream from the CFPP’s effluent. This suggested the presence of another, unexpected uranium source term different from the CFPP. The input from this second uranium source term was even greater than that from the CFPP. Different hypotheses were tested (a reservoir used for irrigation, remobilization from sediments, and the effect of fertilizers used in the area), with it finally being demonstrated that the source was the fertilizers used in the adjacent farming areas.
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