Study of indoor radon and thoron progeny levels in surrounding areas of Nalbari, Assam, India

With the growing understanding of the role of radon and its daughter products as major sources of radiation exposure, the importance of large number of estimation of radon concentration in various parts of the country is realized. Inhalation of radon, thoron and their decay products is the major source of the total radioactive dose received by the human population from natural radiation. The indoor radon and thoron progeny levels in Nalbari area of Assam are studied by using the LR-115 (type II) Solid State Nuclear Track Detector in Plastic Twin Chamber dosimeter. Radon and thoron progeny levels in different types of dwellings for one full calendar year are presented in this paper. For Assam Type (A.T.) houses, indoor radon progeny concentrations vary from 0.17 to 0.64 mWL with an annual geometric mean of 0.27 mWL and that for Reinforced Cement Concrete (R.C.C.) houses vary from 0.22 mWL to 0.60 mWL with the annual geometric mean of 0.37 mWL. The thoron progeny levels in A.T. houses also vary from 0.01 to of 0.05 mWL with an annual geometric mean of 0.02 mWL and that for R.C.C. houses vary from 0.02 to 0.08 mWL with the annual geometric mean of 0.04 mWL.      

The use of track registration detectors to reconstruct contemporary and historical airborne radon (RN) and radon progeny concentrations for radon-lung cancer epidemiologic study

Epidemiologic studies that investigate the relationship between radon and lung cancer require accurate estimates for the long-term average concentrations of radon progeny in dwellings. Year-to-year and home-to-home variations of radon in domestic environments pose serious difficulties for reconstructing an individual's long-term radon-related exposure. The use of contemporary radon gas concentrations as a surrogate for radon-related dose introduces additional uncertainty in dose assessment. Studies of glass exposed in radon chambers and in a home show that radon progeny deposited on, and implanted in, glass hold promise for reconstructing past radon concentrations in a variety of atmospheres. We developed an inexpensive track registration detector for the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study (IRLCS) that simultaneously measures contemporary airborne radon concentrations, surface deposited alpha activity density, and implanted ²¹⁰Po activity density. The implanted activity is used to reconstruct the cumulative radon and radon progeny exposure from the age of the glass and the ratios of the contemporary deposited activiteis to airborne radon gas activity. We placed over 2500 of these detectors in more than 1000 homes and retrieved 97% of them after a one-year exposure period. A preliminary analysis of the 1280 detectors that have undergone quality assurance review shows that the modules are meeting their accuracy and precision goals (10%). There is good correlation (r²0.5) between the total radon exposure estimated from contemporary radon gas measurements and historical average reconstructed from the implanted ²¹⁰Po surface activity. The linear regression slope of the airborne radon exposure to implanted activity is the same as the room model slope based on typical room parameters. This correlation improves (r²0.7) when the deposited surface activity measurements are added to the linear regression. Thus, track-registration detectors can contribute to accurate radon-related dose assessment in epidemiologic studies. Additional work is planned to incorporate the deposited activities in a more sophisticated reconstruction model.     

Thoron (220Rn) in the indoor environment and work places

Ever since studies on uranium miners established the presence of a positive risk coefficient for the occurrence of lung cancer in miners exposed to elevated levels of ²²²Rn and its progeny, there was a great upsurge of interest in the measurement of ²²²Rn in the environment. Subsequently, considerable data is being generated on the levels of ²²²Rn in the environment across the worlds and is being periodically reported by UNSCEAR reports. In contrast to this, data pertaining to ²²⁰Rn in indoors and workplace environment is scaree due to the genral perception that its levels are negligible due to its shorter half life, and subsequently its contribution to the total inhalation dose is ignored, in the presence of other significant sources of natural radiation. This may not be true. Globally many locations have higher levels of natural background radiation due to elevated levels of primordial radio nuclides in the soil and their decay products like radon (²²²Rn), and thoron (²²⁰Rn) in the environment. Of late, technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material has also contributed to the burden of background radiation. It is estimated that inhalation of ²²²Rn, ²²⁰Rn and their short lived progenies contribute more than 54% of the total natural background radiation dose received by the general population. ²²⁰Rn problem exists in industries which use thorium nitrate. Including India, lamps using thoriated gas mantles are still being used for indoor and outdoor lighting and by hawkers in rural as well as urban areas. Considering the fact that large amount of thorium nitrate is being handled by these industries, contribution to the inhalation dose of workers from ²²⁰Rn gas emanated and build up of the progeny in ambient air may also be quite significant. In this paper current status of ²²⁰Rn levels in the indoor environment and workplaces as well as in other industries where large amount of ²³²Th is being handled is being summarized. Methods of measurement and reported levels are also summarized.     

Application of SSNTD for maintenance of radiation and nuclear safety of the Sarcophagus

Object “Shelter” (known world-wide as the Sarcophagus) is a source of very high radiological and nuclear hazard. Transfer of the Sarcophagus into an ecologically safe site is a task not only for Ukraine but also for the world community. A composite approach to maintenance of radiation and nuclear safety of the Sarcophagus applying spectrometric methods using solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) is suggested in this paper. The aspects are: (1) monitoring of transuranium element inhalation intake to a human body of nuclear workers; (2) neutron flux evaluation in some premises of the Sarcophagus; (3) fuel hot particle detection in air of working zones; (4) radon and thoron simultaneous measurements.     

Measurement of indoor radon levels in Erbil capital by using solid state nuclear track detectors

Radon alpha activity concentration has been measured in 28 homes in the Erbil Capital-Iraqi Kurdistan region during the autumn season by using time-integrated passive radon dosimeters containing CR-39 solid state nuclear track detectors “SSNTDs”. The radon activity concentrations in these homes range from (10.33–90.34) with an average of . The average absorption effective dose equivalent for a person living in homes for which the investigation were done was found to be , obtained by using an equilibrium factor of 0.5 and an occupancy factor of 0.8. The average lung cancer cases per year per 10⁶ person was found to be 23±12.     

Indoor radon and lung cancer: a case-control study

Lung-cancer risk to the general population from indoor radon remains controversial, although studies of radon exposure have established that radon decay products have been a cause of lung cancer among miners.

For the case group of patients, suffering from lung cancer, and the control group distributions of the number of homes with high indoor levels of radon were compared with the log-normal distribution, the empirical frequency distribution of the control group obeyed the theoretical log-normal distribution.

Using the ratio of frequencies of the case group to the control groups, or the relative frequencies, an association between the relative frequencies and indoor radon concentrations was found, and a positive correlation coefficient was obtained, thus enabling the rate of lung cancer to be estimated for certain indoor radon concentrations.

The significant difference between the mean radon levels for the case sample and the control led to the conclusion that patients with lung cancer lived in homes with radon concentrations which were significantly higher than those of Osijek’s inhabitants for the control sample.     

Stable Isotope Ratios and Uric Acid Preservation in Termites Belonging to Three Feeding Habits in Thailand

Abstract

Nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios and uric acid concentrations in termites sampled from a dry evergreen forest in Thailand, were determined across three kinds of feeding habits. Feeding habits of Microcerotermes crassus, which is an abundant woodfeeder, and Dicuspiditermes makhamensis, a common soil-feeding termite, were confirmed by isotopic signatures. Lichen feeding termites (Hospitalitermes birmanicus, H. bicolor and H. ataramensis) were characterized by low δ¹⁵N values, suggesting that they assimilated nitrogen deposited from the atmosphere. There was also a significant difference in uric acid concentrations between termites representing different feeding habits. No significant relationships were found between uric acid concentrations and δ¹⁵N or δ¹³C in Hospitalitermes. However, δ¹⁵N values were correlated with C/N ratios in H. birmanicus, except in one colony of H. ataramensis. δ¹³C values in both species were negatively correlated with C/N ratios.     

New radon and gamma device using TLD and SSNTD to carry out monitoring in the environment

The research program, that we are leading, concerns and takes into consideration the potential risk of the natural and artificial radio-elements in the environment and particularly to consider their migration from environment to the people and with special respect to radon effects. To begin these investigations, we developed a new passive detectors using two solid nuclear track detector techniques: thermo-luminescent detectors (TLDs) (gamma measuring) and solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) (alpha measuring). The characteristics of the cell provide for alpha (SSNTD - LR115) and gamma-radioactivity (TLD-CaSO₄:Dy) measuring in different soil depths. The used technologies are with a low priced. The instrumentation has been first validated in laboratory to quality precisely its response and then, we have performed the survey for one site in Bulgaria.     

Simultaneous measurements of indoor radon and thoron and inhalation dose assessment in Douala City,Cameroon

ABSTRACT

Radon, thoron and associated progeny measurements have been carried out in 71 dwellings of Douala city, Cameroon. The radon–thoron discriminative detectors (RADUET) were used to estimate the radon and thoron concentration, while thoron progeny monitors measured equilibrium equivalent thoron concentration (EETC). Radon, thoron and thoron progeny concentrations vary from 31?±?1 to 436?±?12 Bq?m^–3, 4?±?7 to 246?±?5 Bq?m^–3, and 1.5?±?0.9 to 13.1?±?9.4 Bq?m^–3. The mean value of the equilibrium factor for thoron is estimated at 0.11?±?0.16. The annual effective dose due to exposure to indoor radon and progeny ranges from 0.6 to 9?mSv?a^–1 with an average value of 2.6?±?0.1?mSv?a^–1. The effective dose due to the exposure to thoron and progeny vary from 0.3 to 2.9?mSv?a^–1 with an average value of 1.0?±?0.4?mSv?a^–1. The contribution of thoron and its progeny to the total inhalation dose ranges from 7 to 60?% with an average value of 26?%; thus their contributions should not be neglected in the inhalation dose assessment.     

氧化锌纳米材料及其在能源与环境中的应用

能源与环境问题是人类当前面临的主要问题之一,借助ZnO纳米材料的光电性能,探索其在能源与环境中的应用,对实现能源与环境的可持续协调发展具有重要意义.ZnO纳米材料的光电性能与其自身结构密切相关,因此,文章首先对ZnO的结构与制备进行了简单介绍,并讨论了ZnO纳米材料中存在的各种缺陷和掺杂的影响,然后在此基础上重点讨论了ZnO纳米材料在能源与环境中的应用,特别是其发光性质和在太阳能电池中的应用等.     

氧化锌纳米材料及其在能源与环境中的应用

能源与环境问题是人类当前面临的主要问题之一,借助ZnO纳米材料的光电性能,探索其在能源与环境中的应用,对实现能源与环境的可持续协调发展具有重要意义.ZnO纳米材料的光电性能与其自身结构密切相关,因此,文章首先对ZnO的结构与制备进行了简单介绍,并讨论了ZnO纳米材料中存在的各种缺陷和掺杂的影响,然后在此基础上重点讨论了...     

Rationale and principle of an instrument measuring lung deposited nanoparticle surface area

The risk of nanoparticles by inhalation for human health is still being debated but some evidences of risk on specific properties of particles <100 nm diameter exist. One of the nanoparticle parameters discussed by toxicologists is their surface area concentration as a relevant property for e.g. causing inflammation. Concentrations of these small particles (~ <100 nm) are currently not measured, since the mass concentrations of these small particles are normally low despite large surface area concentrations. Airborne particles will always be polydisperse and show a size distribution. Size is normally described by an equivalent diameter to include deviations in properties from ideal spherical particles. Here only nanoparticles below a certain size to be defined are of interest. Total concentration measures are determined by integration over the size range of interest. The ideal instrument should measure the particles according to the size weighting of the wanted quantity. Besides for the geometric surface area the wanted response function can be derived for the lung deposited surface area in the alveolar region. This can be obtained by weighting the geometric surface area as a function of particle size with the deposition efficiency for the alveolar region for e.g. a reference worker for work place exposure determination. The investigation of the performance of an Electrical Aerosol Detector (EAD) for nearly spherical particles showed that its response function is close to the lung deposited surface areas in different regions of the human respiratory system. By changing the ion trap voltage an even better agreement has been achieved. By determining the size dependent response of the instrument as a function of ion trap voltage the operating parameters can be optimized to give the smallest error possible. Since the concept of the instrument is based on spherical particles and idealized lung deposition curves have been used, in all other cases errors will occur, which still have to be defined. A method is now available which allows in principle the determination of the total deposited surface area in different regions of the lung in real time. It can easily be changed from one deposited region to another by varying the ion trap voltage. It has the potential to become a routine measurement technique for area measurements and personal control in e.g. work place environments.     

Radon and its short-lived progeny: variations near the ground

In the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth the concentrations of radon and its progeny are measured, along with the meteorological parameters from December 1997 to December 2000 for a continental location, Pune (18°N,74°E), India. The concentrations show maxima in the early morning hours when the turbulence mixing is minimum; whereas in the afternoon the turbulence mixing is maximum and concentrations exhibit minima. The median values of concentration are 9.70 and 2.84 Bqm⁻³, respectively, for radon and its progeny, during the observation period. Ionization rates in the atmosphere are derived for the same period. It is found that the ionization rate exhibits a median value of 5.48 ionpairscm⁻³ s⁻¹. The diurnal and seasonal variations in the concentrations of radon and its progeny, and the ionization rate due to radioactivity are found to exhibit correlation with the relative humidity, and anti-correlation with the temperature.     

Emanation power of radon and its concentration in soil and rocks

Experiments were carried out to determine emanation power and radon levels in different kinds of soil and bedrocks. Seven stations were selected in the investigated district, which covers an area of about 2300 km² in the northern and western part of Jordan. Five holes were dug in each station at different depths. Two to three passive dosimeters using plastic detectors (CR-39) were put in each hole. Two weeks later, the dosimeters were collected and chemically etched. Some soil and rock samples from the study area were collected and analyzed for radioactive nuclides using γ-ray spectroscopy. The correspondence between radon levels in the soil gas and its precursor concentrations is not clear. However, the study confirms the exponential increase in radon level with depth. In general, Al-Hisa phosphate limestone showed the highest radon concentration while Amman silicified limestone showed the lowest concentration.     

Two-dimensional mesoscopic Wigner crystallization and related issues

The quantum-classical crossover from the Fermi liquid towards the Wigner solid is numerically revisited using small square lattice models where electrons interact via a Coulomb U/r potential. From exact numerical diagonalizations, one finds that the mesoscopic electron solid is formed in two stages, giving rise to an intriguing solid-liquid regime at intermediate couplings. The roles of a random substrate and of the spin degrees of freedom are investigated. Possible relations with the 2d metal-insulator transition observed in various field effect devices are suggested.     

束流轨道与相关环境参数的同步诊断技术

粒子加速器由于受地基振动、环境温度、热效应等因素的影响,导致束流位置探头(BPM)所在真空盒的机械中心相对四极铁磁中心的漂移较大,因此很难提高束流轨道的绝对测量精度。探索利用电容式探头实时检测该漂移量的方法。首先分析了电容式探头的测量原理,并设计了轨道振动同步诊断方案,然后设计了专用探头,并利用数据采集设备对探头的线性度、精度和频率响应进行实验室测试。结果显示电容式探头能检测到2μm的相对位移,且可有效检测300Hz以下的振动频率,可用于束流轨道与相关环境参数的同步诊断。     

束流轨道与相关环境参数的同步诊断技术

粒子加速器由于受地基振动、环境温度、热效应等因素的影响,导致束流位置探头（BPM）所在真空盒的机械中心相对四极铁磁中心的漂移较大,因此很难提高束流轨道的绝对测量精度。探索利用电容式探头实时检测该漂移量的方法。首先分析了电容式探头的测量原理,并设计了轨道振动同步诊断方案,然后设计了专用探头,并利用数据采集设备对探头的线性度、精度和频率响应进行实验室测试。结果显示电容式探头能检测到2 m的相对位移,且可有效检测300 Hz以下的振动频率,可用于束流轨道与相关环境参数的同步诊断。     

Improving the teleportation of quantum Fisher information under non-Markovian environment

Quantum teleportation is designed to send an unknown quantum state between two parties. In the perspective of remote quantum metrology, one may be interested in teleporting the information that is encoded by physical parameters synthesized by quantum Fisher information (QFI). However, the teleported QFI is often destroyed by the unavoidable interaction between the system and the environment. Here, we propose two schemes to improve the teleportation of QFI in the non-Markovian environment. One is to control the quantum system through the operations of weak measurement (WM) and corresponding quantum measurement reversal (QMR). The other is to modify the quantum system based on the monitoring result of the environment (i.e., environment-assisted measurement, EAM). It is found that, in the non-Markovian environment, these two schemes can improve the teleportation of QFI. By selecting the appropriate strengths of WM and QMR, the environment noise can be completely eliminated and the initial QFI is perfectly teleported. A comprehensive comparison shows that the second scheme not only has a higher probability of success than the first one, but also has a significant improvement of the teleported QFI.     

Rn concentrations and the radiation exposure levels in the Nerja Cave

²²²Rn concentrations in the air in one sampling point located in Nerja Cave (Spain) () have been measured over one year, since July 2003–June 2004. ²²²Rn levels were continuously monitored using Alpha-Guard (Genitron instruments) equipment, model PQ2000PRO. Firstly, the aim of this study was to perceive the daily, monthly and seasonal variations patterns of ²²²Rn concentrations. Diurnal cycles are presented by season showing that the ²²²Rn concentrations in spring–summer are higher than autumn–winter. The hourly variations are discussed in relation to various meteorological factors measured in the Cave and also on the outdoor. We have evaluated the radiation exposure levels for workers and tourists; those represent only a low percentage of the exposure guides for the general population ICRP, 1994. Protection against Radon-222 at home and at work. Pergamon Press, Oxford (publication 65).