Anthropogenic and naturally occurring radionuclide content in near surface air in Cáceres (Spain)

Concentration of 7Be, 210Pb, 40K, 137Cs, 134Cs radionuclides in the ground layer of the atmosphere in the polar (Hornsund, Spitsbergen) and mid-latitudes (Otwock-Świder, Poland) regions

This paper presents results of measurements of selected gamma-radioactive radionuclide concentrations (⁷Be, ²¹⁰Pb, ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs) in atmospheric aerosols registered in 2002-2017 at the Polish Polar Station of the Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Science in Hornsund and in the S. Kalinowski's Geophysical Observatory Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Science in Świder. The above measurements and tests are used to control and track long-term concentrations of radionuclides depending on the geometeorological conditions prevailing in the vicinity of the station. Collecting radiological data from polar regions and comparing them with data from medium latitudes leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms of creation and propagation of radionuclides in the air. Hornsund station is one of the northernmost measuring site for continuous airborne radionuclide monitoring in the Spitsbergen archipelago. It also allows the analysis of the relationship of radionuclides to the Earth's magnetic field.

Determinations of 210Pb contents in food, diet, environmental samples and estimations of internal dose due to daily intakes

²¹⁰Pb in food, diet and environmental samples collected in China during the period of 2015-2017 was analyzed and discussed in this study. The activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb were measured by gamma spectrometry, the average of which in sea food, cereal, mushroom, duplicate diet, soil, sediment, biomass ash and aerosol samples were 1.22 ± 0.69 Bq kg^-1 fresh weight, 2.77 ± 0.33 Bq kg^-1 fresh weight, 8.2 Bq kg^-1 dry weight, 1.21 Bq kg^-1 dry weight, 172 ± 44 Bq kg^-1 dry weight, 87.2 ± 39.2 Bq kg^-1 dry weight, 140 ± 185 Bq kg^-1 and 813 ± 520 μBq m^-3, respectively. The results were higher than those observed in various countries except for seafood. The annual effective dose due to mushroom, duplicate diet and aerosol were estimated. Furthermore, the transfer factor (TF) of ²¹⁰Pb from soil to some species of mushroom were also considered. This study provided useful data for radiation protection of the public.

Chemometric methods for source apportionment of 210Pb, 210Bi and 210Po for 10 years of urban air radioactivity monitoring in Lodz city, Poland

The radionuclide activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb and its decay products ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po were measured in 271 total suspended particulate samples collected from 2008 to 2017 in the center of Lodz city, Poland. Natural and anthropogenic contributions to the observed activities of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po radionuclides were estimated. Corrected aerosol residence times were determined for this purpose. After the closure of one of the coal-fired power plants located in the center of the city, a substantial reduction in emission of these radionuclides was observed. For proper identification of the origins of these radionuclides, the concentrations of ⁴ K and ⁷Be as well as sulfur dioxide (SO_2), and total air particulate matter were measured. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were conducted for source apportionment of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Po in urban air.

A review of measurement methodologies and their applications to environmental 90Sr

The high fission yield product ⁹⁰Sr has been released into the environment in large amounts due to nuclear weapon tests, nuclear power plant accidents, and nuclear fuel reprocessing industries. It is a long half-life radionuclide (28.9 y), with serious consequences to human health; hence, it is desirable to perform routine monitoring of ⁹⁰Sr in environmental samples. Many ⁹⁰Sr radiometric methods have been developed in the past decades, which generally require complicated separation and purification steps with a relatively long analytical time. Moreover, some nominally rapid methods usually have high method detection limits, making them unsuitable for the environmental samples with ultra-low ⁹⁰Sr levels. In this review, some rapid and practical methods for ⁹⁰Sr routine monitoring are summarized. Different sample pretreatments and major purification procedures for ⁹⁰Sr developed in recent years, such as variable digestion methods and extraction chromatography using Sr resin or DGA resin, are especially described. Additionally, four conventional and widely used β spectrometric and mass spectrometric methods are demonstrated. Finally, ⁹⁰Sr evaluations focusing on contaminated soil and seawater samples collected after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and ⁹⁰Sr application as tracers for environmental behavior are also reviewed.