Assessment of the radiological hazards due to naturally occurring radionuclides in soil samples collected from the north western areas of Pakistan

2007 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Rahman ◽  
Matiullah ◽  
S. A. Mujahid ◽  
S. Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Soil Samples ◽  
The North ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Radiological Hazards ◽  
Naturally Occurring Radionuclides ◽  
North Western

Waterborne Naturally Occurring Asbestos: a case study from Piedmont (NW Italy)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Avataneo ◽  
Elena Belluso ◽  
Massimo Bergamini ◽  
Silvana Capella ◽  
Domenico Antonio De Luca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Precipitation Pattern ◽  
The North ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Hydrogeological Characteristics ◽  
Naturally Occurring Asbestos ◽  
North Western

<p>Water pollution by asbestos may result from anthropogenic sources, such as water passing in cement-asbestos aqueduct pipes, or natural sources. Referring to this second case, pollution could be due to the flow of superficial water or groundwater into naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) in rock formations like green stones and serpentinites.</p><p>Asbestos-bearing rocks weathering is the principal natural cause of fibres water-dispersion. Despite the abundant occurrence of NOA rocks where water can flow (underground and superficially) in the North-Western part of the Alps, a few is known about the mechanism of fibres release in water and the correlation with the geolithological and hydrogeological characteristics of the area.</p><p>Moreover, the knowledge on the eventual noxiousness of waterborne fibres have still to be deepened: in fact, they can come into contact with human being as airborne fibres after water vaporization, or by ingestion, especially if fibres are present in drinking water. While a lot is known about disease caused by airborne asbestos fibres high-dose respiration, not enough has been yet comprehended about potential noxiousness of fibre ingestion. Following some in vivo studies, US-EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) defined a maximum contaminant level of 7x10<sup>6</sup> ff/l in drinking water, but this limit is not fully shared by the whole scientific community.</p><p>Against this background, it has become fundamental to clarify the main aspects related to waterborne fibres, in particular their natural occurrence in water and their transportation due to water flowing into NOA. Consequently, decision has been made to conduct a study on the former chrysotile mine of Balangero, in Piedmont (Italy), which was selected as a reference case study for its great significance in the North-Western Alps context. The case study was developed in collaboration with R.S.A. s.r.l., the company that is in charge of the site remediation.</p><p>A sampling and analysis campaign regarding the superficial hydrographic network of the area was settled: 5 different sampling points were selected, 2 of them inside the principal site perimeter and 3 in the villages situated downstream of the site. They have been monitored for about one year, to evaluate the seasonal variability.</p><p>The main aims of the research are:</p><ul><li>the evaluation of asbestos concentration in term of number of fibres per liter (ff/l);</li> <li>the correlation between the concentration variability and the precipitation pattern over the four seasons;</li> <li>the evaluation of asbestos concentration defined as mass per liter (pg/l), depending on fibres dimension;</li> <li>the study of fibres characteristics, such as their dimension, morphology and chemical composition;</li> <li>the study of a possible correlation between asbestos concentration in pg/l and ff/l;</li> <li>the potential presence of fibres bundles or aggregates which can constitute a problem in the evaluation of the asbestos concentration, in particular for the correlation between ff/l and pg/l.</li> </ul><p>Finally, an attempt to relate the number of waterborne fibres to those that can eventually be released in air is still ongoing.</p>

Naturally Occurring Radionuclides in Soil Samples of Bureti Sub-County of Kericho County Kenya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
C K Rotich ◽  
N O Hashim ◽  
M W Chege ◽  
C Nyambura
Keyword(s):  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Radiation Hazard ◽  
Average Dose ◽  
The Public ◽  
Dose Rates ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Naturally Occurring Radionuclides ◽  
Average Activity

Abstract The activity concentration of soil samples of Bureti sub-county was measured using thallium-activated sodium iodide detector. To ascertain the level of radiation hazard to the public, gamma radiation dose rates were also estimated. The average activity concentration due to 40K, 226Ra and 232Th for soil samples are 1164 ± 70, 106 ± 8 and 79 ± 5 Bqkg−1, respectively. An average dose rate of 145 ± 10 nGyh−1 was recorded, which is about 2.5 times higher than the world average value of 60 nGyh−1(UNSCEAR). On the other hand, an average outdoor effective dose of 0.35 ± 0.02 mSvy−1 was measured, which is lower than the ICRP safety limit of 1 mSvy−1. This shows that the radiation hazards from naturally occurring terrestrial radionuclides in Bureti is low and therefore human radiation exposure is within the accepted limits.

Radionuclides in deep-sea fish and other organisms from the North Atlantic Ocean

2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando P. Carvalho ◽  
João M. Oliveira ◽  
Margarida Malta
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Radiation Doses ◽  
Anthropogenic Radionuclides ◽  
The North ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Naturally Occurring Radionuclides ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Sea Fish

Abstract Carvalho, F. P., Oliveira, J. M., and Malta, M. 2011. Radionuclides in deep-sea fish and other organisms from the North Atlantic Ocean – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 333–340. The naturally occurring radionuclides potassium-40 (40K), radium-226 (226Ra), polonium-210 (210Po), and lead-210 (210Pb) were measured in commercial fish species such as cod, halibut, redfish, and shark from several fishing grounds in the North Atlantic, as well as the anthropogenic radionuclides caesium-137 (137Cs) and plutonium isotopes (238Pu and 239+240Pu). The concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides were compared with those of anthropogenic origin. The main contributors to the radiation dose were 210Po and 40K, with anthropogenic radionuclides accounting for just a small contribution. We provide the first measurements of naturally occurring radionuclides in abyssal organisms, including fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain. In these organisms, radionuclide concentrations and the absorbed radiation doses were dominated by 210Po and were comparable with those determined in related coastal species, confirming that the deep-sea fauna do not live in an environment protected from ionizing radiation. Absorbed radiation doses from naturally occurring radionuclides still exceed radiation doses caused by anthropogenic radionuclides introduced into the Northeast Atlantic.

Groundwater flow in Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) rich settings: new findings on the relation among concentration, types and mobility of mineral fibres, and geological characteristics of aquifer formations.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Avataneo ◽  
Elena Belluso ◽  
Silvana Capella ◽  
Manuela Lasagna ◽  
Domenico Antonio De Luca
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The North ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Hydrogeological Characteristics ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Naturally Occurring Asbestos ◽  
North Western

<p>Weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks, such as meta-ophiolites (e.g. serpentinite rocks and metabasites), is the principal natural cause of asbestos water dispersion in Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) rich settings. Water pollution by asbestos may occur as a consequence of superficial and groundwater flow through natural rock formations with NOA, depending on several characteristics of either the rocks (e.g. mineralogical composition, fracture grade) and hence the water (e.g. pH, speed).</p><p>Given the importance of groundwater resources for both drinking water and agricultural and industrial activities, groundwater asbestos pollution represents an environmental problem and could even constitute a risk for human health. In fact, waterborne asbestos can come into contact with human beings as airborne fibres after water vaporization, or by ingestion, especially if they are present in drinking water. While a lot is known about diseases caused by airborne asbestos respiration, not enough has been yet understood about potential noxiousness of its ingestion. For this reason, the necessity to set a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for asbestos in potentially usable water is still debated.</p><p>As the North-Western and Central Alps are rich in NOA and also in naturally occurring asbestiform minerals non-asbestos classified, it’s essential to understand if, how and which type of mineral fibres can eventually be released into water and to correlate them to the geolithological and hydrogeological characteristics of the area.</p><p>The results of a surface water and groundwater sampling and analysis campaign, settled in the North-Western Alps, will be presented. The main aim is to investigate the principal aspects related to asbestos and asbestiform fibres presence in water, in particular their natural occurrence in groundwater, linked to hydrological and geolithological characteristics of the reservoir. Furthermore, laboratory test to study the flow of polluted water through a packed column will be designed and observations on the methodology to evaluate waterborne mineral fibres behaviour into porous media will be presented.</p><p>These data are fundamental to monitor asbestos (and asbestiform) fibres transportation due to water flowing into NOA and to better understand the relationship among geology, hydrogeology and mineral fibres presence in water.</p>

scholarly journals Determination of naturally occurring radionuclides in soil samples of Ayranci, Turkey

2015 ◽  
Vol 590 ◽  
pp. 012042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osman Agar ◽  
Canel Eke ◽  
Ismail Boztosun ◽  
M. Emin Korkmaz
Keyword(s):  
Soil Samples ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Naturally Occurring Radionuclides
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document