Assessment of gamma emitting radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystem of Kakrapar Atomic Power Station and evaluation of radiological doses to aquatic plants

During operation and maintenance of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS), low level radioactive liquid waste is generated and released to the aquatic ecosystem (Moticher lake). The silt and aquatic weed (Hydrilla verticillata) samples collected from different locations in Moticher lake were analysed for ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ⁶⁵Zn, ⁶⁰Co, ⁵⁴Mn and ⁴⁰K during 2007–2008. A wide variation in activity levels of ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ⁶⁵Zn, ⁶⁰Co, ⁵⁴Mn and ⁴⁰K in silt and weed samples were observed in aquatic system of KAPS. The activity buildup in the silt is confined to a small area in the Moticher lake. The activity levels were found to be insignificant at 1 km away from discharge point (upstream and downstream). An attempt was made to evaluate the radiological dose to aquatic weed (Hydrilla verticillata), which was found to be well within the dose limit prescribed by US DOE. The total radiological dose due to the naturally occurring radionuclide (⁴⁰K) is comparatively higher than that of other reactor released gamma emitting radionuclides.     

Assessment of natural and fallout radioactivity in soil samples of Visakhapatnam

Environmental gamma radiation levels around the new Bhabha Atomic Research Centre site at Visakhapatnam have been assessed. Natural and anthropogenic radionuclide activity concentrations in soil samples collected were determined using high-resolution gamma spectroscopy. Average activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found to be 38, 38, 230 and 520 Bq kg^?1, respectively. No anthropogenic radionuclide except fallout ¹³⁷Cs having mean concentration range ≤ 0.2–2.2 Bq kg^?1 was detected in the soil samples. The observed values are compared with the values reported for different areas in India and other parts of the world. The annual total external gamma radiation dose to the members of public estimated using the above observations ranged from 0.13 to 0.38 mSv y^?1 with an average of 0.25 mSv y^?1.     

Assessment of ingestion dose due to radioactivity in selected food matrices and water near Vizag,India

Activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs were measured in milk, egg, fruit and fish samples collected around a proposed site for setting up nuclear facilities, near Vishakhapatanam. The activity concentrations of the radionuclides ranged from 0.002 to 10.6, 0.002 to 2.8, 0.1 to 7.2, 3 to 110.8, 0.03 to 3 mBq g^?1 for ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs considering analysed food matrices. Natural uranium was measured in drinking water samples and the values were below 15 ppb. The average ingestion dose was 2.07 ± 2.01, 2.81 ± 4.38, 7.66 ± 8.24, 1.28 ± 0.84 and 0.04 ± 0.05 μSv year^?1 for ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs in milk, egg, fruit, fish and water. The ingestion dose received was the highest for milk, due to its high ingestion rate. It was observed that ²²⁶Ra is the largest contributor of measured radionuclides in this study for the different food matrices analysed due to its high dose conversion factor. The study was carried out as a part of baseline data generation for this region with which future changes in the radiological scenario can be compared.     

Measurement of natural radioactivity and radiation hazard assessment in the soil samples of Visakhapatnam,Andhra Pradesh,India

The present work aims to measure and estimate radioactivity and hazardous radiation indices of the soil. Soil samples were collected from various locations in the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. The measurement of specific activity of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K radionuclides is carried out with the help of HP-Ge based gamma spectrometer system. Activity concentration of radionuclides in the samples ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K ranged from 20 ± 2 to 91 ± 2 Bq.kg^-1, 45 ± 3 to 365 ± 3 Bq.kg^-1, and 400 ± 9 to 607 ± 8 Bq.kg^-1, and the respective mean values are 53.36 Bq.kg^-1, 203.74 Bq.kg^-1 and 479.19 Bq.kg^-1. The measured mean value of the absorbed dose rate is 171.41 nGy.h^-1, which was beyond the worldwide mean outdoor value of 60 nGy.h^-1. Thus, the annual effective dose estimated from the above value is 1.04 mSv.y^-1. The correlation was done among the measured ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K activity concentrations. The estimated radium equivalent dose is 381.60Bq.kg^-1. The estimated health hazard index and annual effective dose rates of dwellers of Visakhapatnam were studied and compared to Indian average values. The study will help to generate the baseline data for assessing hazard indices to the public and geological mapping of natural radiation in India.     

Determination of plutonium-239,240 in environmental samples from surroundings of the Atomic Power Station Jaslovské Bohunice

Specific activity of^239,240Pu in contaminated soils from the bank of Manivier channel was determined to be in the range of 5–40 Bq·kg^?1 and for soils from the bank of Dudvah river 0.6–8 Bq·kg^?1. The ratio of^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs found in the samples is about 1·10^?4, which is very close to the ratio found in the pulp of high activity concentrate in the collecting tank of nuclear power plants (NPP).     

Assessment of natural radioactivity in soil samples and comparison of direct and indirect measurement of environmental air kerma rate

This study presents the high purity germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometric measurement of natural radioactivity mainly due to ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in soil samples collected in Ferozepur and Faridkot district of Punjab, India. ²²⁶Ra activity varied from 28.6 to 51.1 Bq kg⁻¹ with the mean of 39.7 Bq kg⁻¹. The range and mean activity of ²³²Th were 42.9–73.2 and 58.2 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. ⁴⁰K activity was in the range of 470.9–754.9 Bq kg⁻¹ with the mean of 595.2 Bq kg⁻¹. The air kerma rate (AKR) at 1 m height from the ground was also measured using gamma survey meter in all the sampling locations, which was ranging from 92.1 to 122.8 nGy h⁻¹ with the mean of 110.6 nGy h⁻¹. The radiological parameters such as Ra_eq and activity index of the soil samples were also evaluated, which are the tools to assess the external radiation hazard due to building materials. The mean and range of the Ra_eq values were 168.7 and 132.9–210.4 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively, whereas the activity index varied from 0.5 to 0.8 with the mean value of 0.62. These indices show that the indoor external dose due to natural radioactivity in the soil used for the construction will not exceed the dose criteria. The AKR was also evaluated from soil activity concentration and altitude correction of cosmic radiation contribution. The statistical tests such as Pearson correlation, spearman rank correlation, box and whisker plot, the Wilcoxon/Mann–Whitney test and chi-square test, were used to compare the measured AKR with evaluated AKR, which indicates good correlation.     

Assessment of annual effective dose from natural radioactivity intake through wheat grain produced in Faisalabad,Pakistan

Wheat is staple food of the people of Pakistan. Phosphate fertilizers, used to increase the yield of wheat, enhance the natural radioactivity in the agricultural fields from where radionuclides are transferred to wheat grain. A study was, therefore, carried out to investigate the uptake of radioactivity by wheat grain and to determine radiation doses received by human beings from the intake of foodstuffs made of wheat grain. Wheat was grown in a highly fertilized agricultural research farm at the Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan. The activity concentration of ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th was measured in soil, single superphosphate (SSP) fertilizer, and wheat grain using an HPGe-based gamma-ray spectrometer. Soil to wheat grain transfer factors determined for ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th were 0.118 ± 0.021, 0.022 ± 0.004 and 0.036 ± 0.007, respectively, and the annual effective dose received by an adult person from the intake of wheat products was estimated to be 217 μSv.     

Organically bound and tissue free tritium in rice plant grown around Tarapur Atomic Power Station,west coast of India

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Tritium concentration in different parts of the rice plants, grown in villages around Tarapur Atomic Power Station, west coast of India, exposed...     

Radiation hazards and natural radioactivity levels in surface soil samples from dwelling areas of North Cyprus

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Due to increasing concern about environmental radiological protection, radioactivity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in surface soil...     

Natural radioactivity in soil samples of Yelagiri Hills,Tamil Nadu,India and the associated radiation hazards

The natural radioactivity of soils at Yelagiri hills has been studied in this paper. The radioactivities of 25 samples have been measured with a NaI(Tl) detector. The radioactivity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K ranged from ≤2.17 to 53.23, 13.54 to 89.89 and from 625.09 to 2207.3 Bq kg^?1, respectively. The measured activity concentrations for these radionuclides were compared with world average activity of soil. The average activity concentration of ²³²Th in the present study is 1.19 times higher than world median value while the activity of ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K is found to be lower. In order to evaluate the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity Ra_eq, the absorbed dose rate D_R, the annual effective dose rate and the external hazard index (H_ex) have been calculated and compared with the internationally approved values. The study provides background radioactivity concentrations in Yelagiri hills.     

Assessment of radioactivity contribution and transfer characteristics of natural radionuclides in agroecosystem

Taking into account the importance of distribution and transfer of radionuclides in the soil–plant system, especially in agricultural fields, the aim of this research was assessment of radioactivity contribution and transfer characteristics of natural radionuclides in agroecosystem. The measurement of the natural radioactivity distribution was conducted in organic and sustainable farming management systems. Statistical evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of soils subjected to different farming systems, revealed the existence of differences in some parameters. Balanced distribution of natural radionuclides in soil-crop system was observed. Radionuclide ⁴⁰K was the most accessible to the investigated crops via uptake from the soil, then ²³²Th and ²²⁶Ra. The obtained results are useful for understanding the behavior of the radionuclides and provide an insight into the cumulative deposition of radioactivity in the agroecosystem.

     

Assessment of radiation doses from natural radioactivity measurements in the spa centres of Kütahya Province,Turkey

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Kütahya is one of the provinces with many well-known spas in Turkey. Radionuclide levels in the thermal waters of these spas have not been...     

Investigation of radioactivity in selected drinking water samples from Maryland

The comparator instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) method was used for certification of arsenic in Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) reference materials 108-04-001 (Oyster Tissue). The certified value was determined by analyzing one sample of approximately 0.15 g from ten bottles selected by random sampling. Potentially significant sources of uncertainty were taken into consideration using the guideline given by ISO. A complete evaluation of all sources of uncertainty yielded an expanded uncertainty for the mean value of this reference material of 4.7% at approximately 95% level of confidence.     

Natural radioactivity in surface marine sediments near the shore of Vizag, South East India and associated radiological risk

Naturally occurring radioactive materials were determined in surface sediments from the marine environment near the shore of Vizag in the South eastern part of India using gamma spectrometry technique. The mean activity concentration was found to be 36 ± 11, 34 ± 15, 75 ± 38 and 782 ± 223 Bq/kg and ranged from 19 to 48 Bq/kg, 11 to 57 Bq/kg, 31 to 145 Bq/kg and 363 to 1,024 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, respectively. The mean radium equivalent activity, external hazard index, air absorbed gamma dose rate and annual effective dose equivalent are 203 ± 62 Bq/kg, 0.6 ± 0.2, 94 ± 27 nGy/h and 0.12 ± 0.03 mSv/year respectively. This data will serve as the baseline level for naturally occurring radionuclides in the study area and will be useful for tracking and assessing any pollution inventory in the environment of this region.