A method for field measurements using alpha-spectrometry

Alpha-ray spectrometry in combination with sample preparation methods are commonly performed within a laboratory. These procedures are both technically demanding and time consuming. The current work describes what information alpha spectrometry will give if it is performed in the field with a limited amount of equipment. The aim was to find a mobile method usable in the field or mounted inside a vehicle. Experiments were made on four electrodeposited samples with different nuclide mixes, measured during normal and reduced air pressure conditions. A prototype of an instrument made for mobile use is also briefly described.     

Natural radioactivity and indoor radiation measurements in buildings and building materials in Gobichettipalayam town

Samples of natural and manufactured building materials used by the people of Gobichettipalayam town have been analyzed for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K using gamma-ray spectrometry. Radium equivalent activity of the materials has been measured using the formula given by OECD and the geometric mean value of sand, clay and cements are found to be 53.53 Bq·kg⁻¹, 89.09 Bq·kg⁻¹ and 72.25 Bq·kg⁻¹, respectively. The radium equivalent activities obtained in the building materials are all well below the acceptable limit. The indoor gamma-dose has been measured using thermoluminescence dosimeters and it was found in the range of 1051.2–3946.0 μGy/year. The annual effective indoor gamma radiation dose to the people of Gobichettipalayam town has been found to be 0.8 mSv/y.     

Natural radioactivity measurements in the granite rock of quarry sites,Johor, Malaysia

This study was conducted to determine the concentration of natural radionuclides in the granite rocks of selected quarry sites in Johor state, Malaysia and their possible radiological effects. The activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the areas of study indicated varying values of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K. The highest values of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th concentrations (67±1 and 85±2 Bq kg^?1, respectively) were observed at Kamad Quarry (IJM), whereas the highest value of ⁴⁰K concentration (722±18 Bq kg^?1) was detected in Kim Seng Quarry, while the values of activity concentration are lower in Hanson Quarry Products (Kulai) (25±0.5 for ²³⁸U, 24±0.5 for ²³²Th and 429±11 for ⁴⁰K). Overall, ⁴⁰K has the highest concentration in the granite rocks of the quarry sites, followed by ²³²Th and the least for ²³⁸U. The radium equivalent activity concentration was found in the range between 94 and 239 Bq kg^?1, the absorbed dose rate was found to be in the range between 47 and 112 nGy h^?1, and effective dose ranged from 58 to 137 μSv h^?1. Moreover, the internal and external hazard index values were given in results lower than unity.     

Method for multi-element alpha-spectrometry of actinides and its application to environmental radioactivity studies

A method is proposed for measuring simultaneously several actinide elements by alpha-spectrometry. The actinides in sample solutions are sorbed together on an anion-exchange column from a nitric acid-methanol mixture. After simultaneous elution and electroplating on a disc, the actinides are determined by alpha-spectrometry. Radiochemical yields of the procedure for Th, U, Np, Pu, Am and Cm are better than 50%, all falling within a range of +/- 5%. Examples of the application of this method to various marine environmental samples such as sea-water, seaweed and marine sediment are presented.     

Natural radioactivity traces in South-Brazilian cereal flours by gamma-ray spectrometry

Summary Cereal flours are the major component of the Brazilian diet and are also important exportation products. Radioactivity concentrations of ²³² Th, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs were determined in commercial samples of South-Brazilian cereal flours (soy, wheat, corn, manioc, rye and oat flour) to verify the radiological security of these foodstuffs. The measurements were carried out by gamma-ray spectrometry using a 66% relative efficiency HPGe detector. The ⁴⁰K flour activities, at 95% of confidence level were in: soy 474±3 Bq ^. kg^-1; corn 30.0±0.3 Bq ^. kg^-1; rye 94±1 Bq ^. kg^-1; manioc 67±1 Bq ^. kg^-1; oat 76±1 Bq ^. kg^-1 and wheat 36.2±0.4 Bq ^. kg^-1. The lower limit of detection for ⁴⁰K ranged from 0.54 to 1.43 Bq ^. kg^-1. The ¹³⁷Cs activities in flour samples were: soy ￡0.07 Bq ^. kg^-1, corn ￡0.01 Bq ^. kg^-1, oat ￡0.03 Bq ^. kg^-1 and in wheat, manioc and rye ￡0.02 Bq ^. kg^-1. The highest concentrations levels of ²³² Th and ²²⁶Ra were 0.69±0.04 Bq ^. kg^-1 and 0.44±0.03 Bq ^. kg^-1, respectively, in soy flour.     

Determination of boron in glass by alpha-spectrometry

Alpha-spectrometric method has been used for the determination of boron in borosilicate glasses. For irradiation thermal neutrons with a flux of about 10⁵ n·cm^–2·s^–1, produced in a paraffin moderator surrounding a deuteron target of a small neutron generator, were used. Alpha-particles from the reaction¹⁰B(n, ) were detected by a Si solid state detector with a resolution of about 50 keV. The sensitivity of the method is 0.05 wt % boron in glass samples.This work was supported by the Hungarian Research Foundation (Contract No. 1734/91.).     

Natural radioactivity of building materials

Experiments were designed to measure trace uranium concentration and the rate of radon exhalation from masonry structural materials, both bare and surface finished and coated. LR115 cellulose nitrate track detectors were used to record the alpha emission from structural material surface. Fission track, neutron activation and fluorometric analysis methods were used to determine the uranium content. Most types of paints studied will reduce alpha contribution and radon emanation from building materials.     

Natural radioactivity in Algerian bottled mineral waters

The activity concentrations of some radionuclides in Algerian bottled mineral waters were determined using CR-39 nuclear track detectors for ²²²Rn, and a high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K. The mean specific activities of ²²²Rn , ²²⁶Ra, ²³¹Th and ⁴⁰K in the drinking mineral waters were 7±4 Bq^.l^-1, 26±11 mBq^.l^-1, 30±13 mBq^.l^-1 and 1±0.5 Bq^.l^-1, respectively. These values are comparable with concentrations reported for other countries. The effective doses due to intake of these radionuclides as a consequence of direct consumption of drinking mineral waters have been determined. The estimated effective doses were 56.8 mSv^.y^-1 for ²²²Rn, 3.94 mSv^.y^-1 for ²²⁶Ra, 4.45 mSv^.y^-1 for ²³²Th and 3.33 mSv^.y^-1 for ⁴⁰K. Contribution of these radionuclides to the effective dose due to ingestion and inhalation of all terrestrial radionuclides is estimated to be only 0.012%.     

NIST MQA for environmental radioactivity measurements

The Ionizing Radiation Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has implemented several quality assurance programs to provide a consistent basis for environmental-level national and international ionizing radiation measurement credibility and comparability. These programs cut across a variety of sectors that include: (1) personnel protection; (2) survey-instrument calibration; (3) environmental radiochemistry and (4) radiobioassay. The four basic elements of the MQA programs are: (1) conformance to promulgated consensus criteria; (2) documented inhouse quality assurance and control practice; (3) periodic performance evaluations using appropriate testing materials and instruments; and (4) periodic on-site assessments by technical experts. The periodic performance evaluations are important for the demonstration of measurement traceability to the national and international physical standards. Traceability testing, however, must be augmented by the other elements to provide the strongest rationale for measurement assurance. This paper will describe the NIST programs and future directions for new programs.     

Proficiency test for radioactivity measurements in nuclear medicine

The hormone melatonin acts at several G protein-linked receptors to cause a myriad of significant physiological effects. The tritiation of melatonin at high specific activity and characterization of it with tritium NMR for biological testing is reported.     

Natural and fallout radioactivity measurement in Indian soils

The paper presents the results of high resolution gamma-spectrometric measurements of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th and ²³⁸U in Indian soils collected from 24 different places from normal natural radiation background areas. The depth profile of ¹³⁷Cs was studied at sampling sites. The paper also presents ¹³⁷Cs levels in top soil at Mumbai during 1986 to 2000. The results in Mumbai soil indicate clearly the accumulation from fallout only on the top soil and seasonal peaking during the beginning of the monsoon season.     

Airborne radioactivity measurements from the chernobyl plume

Airborne gamma-ray measurements were made aboard the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) DC-3 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) King Air research aircraft before and during the first passage of the Chernobyl radioactive cloud over the west coast of the North American continent. Measurements were made from Anchorage, Alaska south to Reno, Nevada. Calculated trajectories were used to estimate the location of the Chernobyl plume. The in-situ gamma-ray analysis systems first detected the cloud on May 8, 1986. Subsequent analysis of concurrently collected air filters indicated that the leading edge of the plume was just reaching the west coast of the United States on May 6, 1986. The ratios of the observed volatile radionuclides (¹³¹I and¹³⁴Cs normalized to¹³⁷Cs) agreed with the reported discharge ratio.Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by Battelle Memorial Institute under Contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830.     

Natural radioactivity measurements and age-dependent dose assessment in groundwater from Al-Zulfi,Al-Qassim and Al-Majmaah regions,Saudi Arabia

In this study, the levels of natural radioactivity in the groundwater samples collected from 26 different locations in Al-Zulfi, Al-Qassim and Al-Majmaah regions were determined. The estimated average values of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, ⁴⁰K, gross α and gross β activities in the samples were 0.87 Bq L^?1, 1.33 Bq L^?1, 4.22 Bq L^?1, 36.82 mBq L^?1 and 831.91 mBq L^?1, respectively. We found that age-dependent effective ingestion dose from radionuclides in all samples were higher than WHO recommended levels of 0.1 µSv y^?1 for adults 0.2 µSv y^?1 for children and 0.26 µSv y^?1 for infants while 20 sampling locations have age-dependent effective dose equivalent from β contributors were higher than WHO recommended level of 0.1 mSv y^?1.     

Natural radioactivity enhancement by human activities in rivers of the southwest of Spain

The occurrence of anomalous enhancements of U-isotope activities in the surrounding environment of a phosphate fertilizer factory complex at the southwest of Spain has been established. It seems that significant amounts of U, released by such industries, are being accumulated in the environment, which may substantially contribute to the collective radiation dose received by the local population.     

Natural radioactivity in Zambian building materials collected from Lusaka

Samples of natural and manufactures building materials collected around Lusaka have been analyzed for natural radionuclides using -spectrometry. A simple comparison of the specific radioactivities of primordial radionuclides in these materials to the world averages for soil (25 Bq kg^{–1 238}U, 25 Bg kg^{–1 232}Th, 370 Bq kg^{–1 40}K and 89 Bq kg^–1 Ra_eq) shows that, of the nine types of samples analyzed, only burnt clay bricks (for²³⁸U,²³²Th and⁴⁰K), cement roofing tiles (for²³⁸U), building and river sands (for²³²Th and⁴⁰K) have greater activities than does soil. Radiological evaluation of specific radioactivities in these materials indicates that all materials meet the external -ray dose limitation of 1.5 mSv y^–1, that is, all samples have a radium equivalent activity of less than 370 Bq kg^–1.     

Natural radioactivity distribution in geological matrices around Kaiga environment

Summary The activity and absorbed dose rate of the naturally occurring radionuclides, viz. ²³⁸U, ²³² Th and ⁴⁰K were determined in soil and rock samples collected around Kaiga site. The mean activity levels (Kaiga soil) of naturally occurring ²³² Th are comparable with that in worldwide soil, while concentrations of ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K are lower than those in worldwide soil. The absorbed dose rate in outdoor air ranged 20-58 nGy ^. h^-1 with a mean of 33.3 nGy ^. h^-1, which is below the world average of 60 nGy ^. h^-1. The total effective dose rate in outdoor air for soils ranged 25.6-74.4 mSv ^. y^-1 with a mean of 43.0 mSv ^. y^-1. The estimated dose rate at Kaiga is comparable with that estimated at Kakrapar and Rawatbhata and much less than that estimated at coastal sites of India.