Activities of radionuclides were measured in five species of fish (grayling, dace, crucian carp, pike, cod) sampled in the Yenisei River (Siberia, Russia) in the vicinity of the Mining-and-Chemical Combine (ROSATOM) from 2007 to 2010, with a gamma-spectrometer (Canberra, USA). The analyses of samples of organs and tissues of fish species revealed artificial (46Sc, 51Cr, 54Mn, 58,60Co, 59Fe, 65Zn, 85Sr, 99Mo, 103,106Ru, 137Cs, 141,144Ce) and natural (7Be, 40K) radionuclides in fish organs and tissues, including edible ones. The major percent (up to 80%) of 137Cs and 40K activity occurred in muscles of fish species, which also contained considerable percentages of 60Co (up to 70%) and 65Zn (up to 20%). Seasonal changes in the intake of artificial radionuclides by zoobenthos-feeding fish species (grayling and dace) were recorded and they were followed by an activity concentration increase in internal organs. The dramatic increase in radionuclide intake by grayling coincided with the change of diet source. Hence, the feeding behavior of fish can change the fluxes of artificial radionuclides in the Yenisei River. The most effective diet transfer of a radionuclide from gammarus to grayling (muscles and total body) was recorded for 40K (1.3) and much less effective for artificial nuclides.

The IAEA is currently preparing a new Technical Reports Series (TRS) Handbook on the Transfer of Radionuclides to Wildlife. Key deficiencies have been identified and one is the lack of data for birds. In this study we measured the transfer of a range of elements measured by neutron activation analysis (NAA) and gamma analysis in four Barn owls (Tyto alba) and one Tawny owl (Strix aluco) from archived samples available from the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme, http://pbms.ceh.ac.uk. Transfer was quantified as the whole organism concentration ratio (CRwo-soil) and values for Co, Fe, Rb, Sc, Zn and 137Cs are presented. The work demonstrates the potential for existing sample archives to be exploited for radioecological purposes. They represent a cost effective means to derive CRwo-media values for organism-radionuclide combinations relevant to radiological assessments without the requirement of field sampling.

Data sets containing values below the limit of detection (LOD) are known as ‘censored data sets’. Such data sets are encountered regularly in most fields of environmental contaminant research. The current norm within environmental radioactivity research is to use substitution methods when analysing data sets that include values below the LOD, commonly replacing each LOD value with a value equal to half the LOD (LOD/2). However, this approach has no statistical basis and has implications when summarising or comparing data sets because it can lead to underestimates or overestimates of both the mean and the standard deviation. To remove the need to apply substitution methods, over the last four decades other fields of environmental science have been adopting statistical techniques developed for medical research applications. Despite the long history of applying these techniques in other fields and two recent environmental radioactivity publications that have used survival analysis techniques, there still seems to be reluctance within the environmental radioactivity research community to adopt these ‘new’ methods. This paper introduces the statistical techniques that can be used in place of LOD substitution, presents some guidance on the applicability of these techniques for different levels of data censoring and provides some examples of the use of these methods in various contexts. It is hoped the present paper will contribute to the evidence-base supporting the use of survival analysis within the field of environmental radioactivity research and go some way to changing the current norm of substitution using LOD/2.

On the basis of previous survey results of indoor radon for schools, detailed radon survey was conducted in one hundred three selected schools in Korea during the second semester in 2010. According to the results of effective dose assessment due to inhaled radon of during occupancy time, fourteen schools for requiring urgent mitigation action were selected, and recommended to the government.

Perna pernamussels and shrimp, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri,collected in August 2010 at Ilha Grande Bay, a tropical estuary in the state of Rio de Janeiro coast, were analyzed for 210Po contents. The method for the determination of 210Po consisted of spontaneous deposition on copper discs, followed by alpha counting. The average values found for the activity concentration of 210Po in Perna pernamussels were 105.1 Bq kg−1 (8 cm size) and 98.4 Bq kg−1 (4 cm size), wet basis. For the shrimp, the values varied from 26.17 Bq kg−1 to 29.56 Bq kg−1 (wet basis) for the tail muscle, and from 274.49 Bq kg−1 to 428.82 Bq kg−1 (wet basis) for the head.

NCRP report No.160 states medical exposures constituted nearly half of the total radiation exposure of the US population from all sources in 2006 [1]. Part of this increase in exposure is due to the rise in nuclear medicine procedures. With this observed growth in medical radionuclide usage there is an increase in the activity being released into wastewater after medical procedures. Often medical radionuclides are not 100% radionuclide pure, but meet a certain standard of purity. Of particular interest are the longer lived impurities associated with these medical radionuclides. The longer lived impurities have a higher chance of reaching the environment. The goal of this study is to identify radionuclide impurities associated with some of the more common radiopharmaceuticals Tc-99m and I-131, locate and quantify the levels of these impurities in municipal wastewater, and make a determination as to the potential long-term impact.

First comprehensive studies of the radionuclides’ concentration and its composition in Estonian ground water began in 1990s. It was quickly realized that the activity concentration of 226Ra and 228Ra in Cambrian-Vendian (Cm-V) aquifer are the highest contributors to the total indicative dose (TID). About 22% of the population in Estonia uses Cm-V ground water for drinking water supply. In recent study [1], it was concluded, that about 91% of Cm-V aquifer consumers (20% of the Estonian population) obtain higher TID doses (TID exceeding 0.1 mSv/y) than set by European Commission and national regulations. Over the years, a good representation level by the number of measured samples for 226Ra and 228Ra from Cm-V aquifer has been obtained. However, for other widely used aquifers – Ordovician-Cambrian, Silurian-Ordovician and Devonian – only poor data is available. In several southern counties, only few percent of the water supplies have been surveyed. Data for other natural radionuclides (234,238U, 210Po and 210Pb) is also poor. Scarce data has been partly due to the lack of analysis techniques available in Estonian nuclear analysis laboratories. This has been the motivation in the development of gamma spectrometric and liquid scintillation (LSC) counting techniques for ground and drinking water applications.

The phosphogypsum is produced as a by-product of the manufacturing phosphoric acid or phosphate fertilizer from the phosphate rock on the wet process. In general, it contains relatively high concentrations of uranium series radionuclides such as 226Ra. This study surveyed overall radioactivity of the naturally occurring radionuclides in a facility using phosphate rock and evaluated the impact on the vicinity environment by the phosphogypsum.

The 137Cs activity has been measured in organisms from the Faroese terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments in the years 2002, 2003 and 2004. The aim of the study was to point out organisms that can be useful indicator organisms for radioactive contamination of the environment. Measurements are available back to the early 1960’s for some organisms, and the variation with time is considered for these organisms.

Gross alpha and beta measurements are common procedures for screening water samples in order to estimate the level of total indicative dose (TID) from the radionuclides in water. However, it has been pointed out that gross alpha and beta measurements are not suitable for waters containing high concentrations of natural radionuclides, especially Ra-226 and Ra-228. Cambrian-Vendian aquifer system is the major source of public water supply in northern and north-eastern Estonia. The aquifer is known for its high radionuclide concentrations. The main sources of TID are Ra-226 and Ra-228, but the water also contains K-40. Other nuclides from uranium and thorium series may be present as well. A set of Ra-226, Ra-228 and K-40 activity concentrations measured by gammaspectrometry are studied to analyze the applicability of gross alpha and beta measurements in case of Cambrian-Vendian ground water. The calculations indicate that the levels suggested by WHO guidelines are not suitable for the Cambrian-Vendian ground water. Results on the applicability analysis are given.

Seasonal indoor radon concentration was surveyed, and the annual effective dose was estimated for the residents in some dwellings near the registered uranium mining lot areas, considered as one of the potential radon-prone area. The range of indoor radon concentration in each dwelling was from 17.7 to 1,610 Bq⋅m−3. The range of annual effective dose due to inhaled radon of the resident in each dwelling was from 0.93 to 20.5 mSv.

Over the past few decades there has been some discussion concerning the increase of the natural background radiation originated by coal-fired power plants, due to the uranium and thorium content present in combustion ashes. The radioactive decay products of uranium and thorium, such as radium, radon, polonium, bismuth and lead, are also released in addition to a significant amount of 40K.

Since the measurement of radioactive elements released by the gaseous emissions of coal power plants is not compulsory, there is a gap of information concerning this situation. Consequently, the prediction of dispersion and mobility of these elements in the environment, after their release, is based on limited data and the radiological impact from the exposure to these radioactive elements is unknown. This paper describes the methodology that is being developed to assess the radiological impact due to the raise in the natural background radiation level originated by the release and dispersion of the emitted radionuclides. The current investigation is part of a research project that is undergoing in the vicinity of Sines coal-fired power plant (south of Portugal) until 2013. Data from preliminary stages are already available and possible of interpretation.

Assessments of natural gamma radiation were done for urban sites in the city of Ribeirão Preto – SP – Brazil, allowing to infer the average annual effective dose value for the population in these areas. The measurements were done using a vehicle with a mobile radioactivity measurement system, Eberline, with a plastic scintillation detector and a Global Position System (GPS), to collect measurements of gamma dose rate and its spatial distribution. Using the national census information, the stored data allowed mapping the radiometric measurements through the ArcGIS software, correlating the geographical coordinates with their respective dose rates. These maps illustrate how effective dose values are distributed within the selected areas and also correlate the collective dose values for these populations. Around 45,000 georeferenced effective dose values, ranging from 12.2 up to 59.8 nSv/h raised an average value of 0.034 ± 0.004 mSv/year, which is less than the worldwide average effective dose value of 0.07 mSv/year [12] (for outdoor exposures from terrestrial radiation sources) and less than the previous average values found in Brazil for the regions of Poços de Caldas, Guarapari, Andradas, Caldas and Meaípe [2,10].

Concentrations of natural radionuclides 238U, 208Tl (232Th), 226Ra, 210Po, 210Pb and 40K, and fallout 137Cs were determined in pelagic and demersal fishes which are of economic importance. Pelagic fishes concentrated more radionuclides in the muscle tissue when compared to benthic species. Similarly, teleosts registered more activity than elasmobranchs. Based on the activity levels in muscle, the intake, effective dose and lifetime risks to humans were estimated. The internal radiation doses received by fishes and human beings seem to be mainly due to 210Po and 40K. The fishes were found to be safe for consumption.

The environmental monitoring of waste heaps, sludge reservoirs is an important task. The Pb(Po) accumulation of tobacco has been known for long. Knowing familiar with the accumulation capability can be suitable for bio-monitoring the tailing ponds of the remedied uranium mine, as isotopes may be bound on the skin surfaces or may be absorbed via the roots.

Our research investigates the Pb(Po)-210 concentration values of tobacco plants grown for experimental purposes in the remedied uranium-mine area. During the work the Pb(Po)-210 concentration values of 73 tobacco and soil samples, grown between 2002-2009 were determined using a semi-conductor (PIPS) detector alpha-spectrometer. The source for measurement was prepared using spontaneous deposition process following the combined acidic leaching using Po-209 tracers. Based on the results it can be stated that the Pb(Po)-210 activity concentration values of tobacco and soil samples altered between 2.12 ± 0.8 – 1866 ± 98 mBq/g. Processing the measurement data of the previous years it was apparent that with the changes of the Pb(Po) concentration values of the soil samples the activity concentration values of the tobacco samples also changed proportionally. Therefore, later the migration of radioisotopes disengaged from the tailings dump can also be traced.