Route measurements of natural surface radiation background in the Almaty region

Measurements of the spatial distribution of radon isotopes were carried out from April 2021 to August 2021 in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau of the Tien Shan in the Almaty region at various heights above sea level: from 500 to 2500 meters. They were carried out using electronic radiometric equipment: beta-dosimeter “RKS-01B-SOLO”; gamma dosimeter “RKS-01G-SOLO”; radiometer of radon and its daughter decay products “RAMON- 02” in the field. As a result, preliminary assessment schemes were built for route measurements of the 222Rn radon isotope, beta and gamma radiation fields from natural daughter products of decay of radon isotopes and radionuclides located in the surface atmospheric layer.

RADIATION PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY DURING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STATE PROGRAM FOR THE PROTECTION OF POPULATION OF ZHOVTI VODY TOWN

The town of Zhovti Vody is a ‘capital’ of uranium mining and processing industry of Ukraine. The mining and processing of uranium has been carried out in this area for more than 60 y. During this period, due to increasing production activities, the town has grown significantly. As a result of production activities and also due to the human factor, the territory of the town was contaminated by radioactive rocks. In addition, out of ignorance, radioactive rocks were used in the construction of houses and roads. To normalize the radiation situation in the town, a targeted State Programme was adopted in 2003 for a period of 10 y. In 2013, the Programme was subsequently extended until 2022. In accordance with this Programme, decontamination of the urban territory, measurements of radon isotopes in houses and anti-radon reconstructions of the premises have been performed. The results of these works are described in this article.

Importance of Discriminative Measurement for Radon Isotopes and Its Utilization in the Environment and Lessons Learned from Using the RADUET Monitor

Radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn), sources of natural background radiation, have been the subjects of long-standing studies, including research into radon and thoron as major causes of lung cancer at domestic and international levels. In this regard, radon and thoron measurement studies have been widely conducted all over the world. Generally, the techniques used relate to passive nuclear track detectors. Some surveys have shown that passive monitors for radon are sensitive to thoron, and hence some measured results have probably overestimated radon concentrations. This study investigated radon and thoron measurements in domestic and international surveys using the passive radon–thoron discriminative monitor, commercially named RADUET. This paper attempts to provide an understanding of discriminative measurements of radon isotopes and to present an evidence-based roadmap.

The Influence of Natural Sources on Radiation Exposure Levels in the Population of the Arkhangelsk Region

Introduction: The issue of radiation safety in terms of population exposure to natural sources of background radiation remains relevant since, according to the results of numerous studies, among all sources of ionizing radiation the natural ones contribute the most to the population exposure worldwide. Our purpose was to assess the contribution of natural sources of background radiation to the individual effective dose of the population of the Arkhangelsk Region. Materials and methods: We measured residential indoor and outdoor gamma dose rates and the residential indoor equivalent equilibrium volumetric activity of radon isotopes. We also analyzed data of statistical form No. 4-DOZ “Information about population exposure doses attributed to the natural and anthropogenically altered background radiation” and radiation hygiene passportization conducted in 2008–2017 by cities and districts of the Arkhangelsk Region and estimated long-term average indicators of the individual effective dose of radiation and chain indicators of the growth rate. Results: We established that the internal exposure to radon isotopes (46.8%) and external terrigenous exposure (23.6%) contributed the most to the individual effective dose due to natural sources in the population of the Arkhangelsk Region. In 2008–2017, the individual effective dose attributed to natural sources was 2.50 mSv/yr, to external exposure – 0.59 mSv/yr, and to internal exposure to radon isotopes – 1.17 mSv/yr. The analysis of average values of the equivalent equilibrium volumetric activity of radon isotopes and the gamma radiation dose rate in residential buildings of various type (wooden, single-story stone and multistory stone) in the Arkhangelsk Region supported the conclusion about the significant contribution of the former to the individual effective dose due to natural sources. Conclusions: We established the contribution of natural sources of ionizing radiation to the total doses of the population.

REVIEW OF RADON AND THORON RESEARCH IN KENYA: 1997–2017

Six research studies involving radon and thoron in Kenya were carried out between 1997 and 2007. The studies were mainly small scale and involved a few areas scattered across Nairobi, Rift Valley, Coast and Western regions. The results were captured in seven online journal articles. This paper relooks at the journal articles with the view of underscoring the high radon and thoron areas in Kenya, raising awareness on the sources and risks of radon isotopes in indoor environments and highlighting the need for more research on the isotopes in the country.