Evaluation of Guidelines for Exposures to Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
Evaluation of Guidelines for Exposures to Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1999-02-25

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 0309062977

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Naturally occurring radionuclides are found throughout the earth's crust, and they form part of the natural background of radiation to which all humans are exposed. Many human activities-such as mining and milling of ores, extraction of petroleum products, use of groundwater for domestic purposes, and living in houses-alter the natural background of radiation either by moving naturally occurring radionuclides from inaccessible locations to locations where humans are present or by concentrating the radionuclides in the exposure environment. Such alterations of the natural environment can increase, sometimes substantially, radiation exposures of the public. Exposures of the public to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) that result from human activities that alter the natural environment can be subjected to regulatory control, at least to some degree. The regulation of public exposures to such technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory and advisory organizations is the subject of this study by the National Research Council's Committee on the Evaluation of EPA Guidelines for Exposures to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials.

Environmental Radioactivity from Natural, Industrial and Military Sources
Environmental Radioactivity from Natural, Industrial and Military Sources

Author: Merrill Eisenbud

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 1997-03-26

Total Pages: 683

ISBN-13: 0080505805

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Environmental Radioactivity from Natural, Industrial, and Military Sources is the comprehensive source of information on radiation in the environment and human exposure to radioactivity. This Fourth Edition isa complete revision and extension of the classic work, reflecting major new developments and concerns as the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons began to be dismantled, and cleanup of the nuclear weapons facilities assumed center stage. Contamination from accidents involving weapons, reactors, and radionuclide sources are discussed in an updated chapter, including the latest information about the effects of the Chernobyl accident. Important revisions are also made to the chapters on natural radioactivity, nuclear fuels and power reactors, radioactive waste management, and various other sources of exposure. Several chapters provide primers for readers who may not be familiar with the fundamentals of radiation biology, protection standards, and pathways for the environmental transport of radionuclides. An Appendix lists the properties of the more important radionuclides found in the environment. The book concludes with a commentary on contemporary social aspects of radiation exposure and risks that offers analternative view to current, often excessive concerns over radiation, nuclear technology, and waste. - Describes every important source of environmental radioactivity - Reviews the vexing problems of radioactive waste management and clean-up of contaminated sites - Contains measured or projected radiation dose estimates for the major sources - Features 126 figures, 80 tables, and more than 1200 references - Discusses current problems in historical context - The two authors bring more than 75 years of combined experience with environmental radioactivity - Provides an understanding of the sources of environmental radioactivity and human exposure from the mining of ores to final disposal of wastes - Thoroughly reviews important contamination accidents

The Natural Radiation Environment VII
The Natural Radiation Environment VII

Author: J.P. McLaughlin

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2005-03-30

Total Pages: 1216

ISBN-13: 0080457916

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The Natural Radiation Environment Symposium (NRE VII), the Seventh in the NRE series, which commenced forty years ago in 1963 at Rice University Texas, was held in Rhodes (Greece) in May 2002. During the intervening four decades the research work presented at these NRE Symposia has contributed to a deeper understanding of natural radiation and in particular of its contribution to human radiation exposures.It is clear from the quality and diversity of the 143 papers in this volume of Radioactivity in the Environment series that the study of the natural radiation environment is an active and continually expanding field of research. The papers in this volume fall into a number of main and topical research areas namely: - the measurement and behaviour of natural radionuclides in the environment - cosmic radiation measurement and dosimetry - the external penetrating radiation field at ground level - TENR (Technologically Enhanced Natural Radiation) and NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) studies - assessment of the health effects of radon - regulatory aspects of natural radiation exposuresIn these papers the results of many new surveys of natural radionuclide levels in the environment and of improved methods of detection are described. While some of the natural radiation sources investigated are unmodified by human activity, many accounts are given here of exposures to natural sources which have been enhanced by technology. Such TENR and NORM exposures are shown to range from activities such as mining, oil and gas exploitation, the use of industrial by-products as building materials, to space travel to name but a few. In several cases quite high doses to some individuals are shown to occur. Accounts are given here of methods to prevent and reduce exposures to such sources.

Radionuclides in the Environment
Radionuclides in the Environment

Author: Clemens Walther

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-10-30

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 331922171X

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This book provides extensive and comprehensive information to researchers and academicians who are interested in radionuclide contamination, its sources and environmental impact. It is also useful for graduate and undergraduate students specializing in radioactive-waste disposal and its impact on natural as well as manmade environments. A number of sites are affected by large legacies of waste from the mining and processing of radioactive minerals. Over recent decades, several hundred radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes) of natural elements have been produced artificially, including 90Sr, 137Cs and 131I. Several other anthropogenic radioactive elements have also been produced in large quantities, for example technetium, neptunium, plutonium and americium, although plutonium does occur naturally in trace amounts in uranium ores. The deposition of radionuclides on vegetation and soil, as well as the uptake from polluted aquifers (root uptake or irrigation) are the initial point for their transfer into the terrestrial environment and into food chains. There are two principal deposition processes for the removal of pollutants from the atmosphere: dry deposition is the direct transfer through absorption of gases and particles by natural surfaces, such as vegetation, whereas showery or wet deposition is the transport of a substance from the atmosphere to the ground by snow, hail or rain. Once deposited on any vegetation, radionuclides are removed from plants by the airstre am and rain, either through percolation or by cuticular scratch. The increase in biomass during plant growth does not cause a loss of activity, but it does lead to a decrease in activity concentration due to effective dilution. There is also systemic transport (translocation) of radionuclides within the plant subsequent to foliar uptake, leading the transfer of chemical components to other parts of the plant that have not been contaminated directly.

Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionizing Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2016 Report
Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionizing Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2016 Report

Author: United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR)

Publisher: United Nations

Published: 2017-04-25

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 9210600029

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This report assesses the levels and effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. Scientific findings underpin radiation risk evaluation and international protection standards. This report comprises a report with two underpinning scientific annexes. The first annex recapitulates and clarifies the philosophy of science as well as the scientific knowledge for attributing observed health effects in individuals and populations to radiation exposure, and distinguishes between that and inferring risk to individuals and populations from an exposure. The second annex reviews the latest thinking and approaches to quantifying the uncertainties in assessments of risk from radiation exposure, and illustrates these approaches with application to examples that are highly pertinent to radiation protection.

Health Risks of Radon and Other Internally Deposited Alpha-Emitters
Health Risks of Radon and Other Internally Deposited Alpha-Emitters

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1988-02-01

Total Pages: 623

ISBN-13: 0309037891

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This book describes hazards from radon progeny and other alpha-emitters that humans may inhale or ingest from their environment. In their analysis, the authors summarize in one document clinical and epidemiological evidence, the results of animal studies, research on alpha-particle damage at the cellular level, metabolic pathways for internal alpha-emitters, dosimetry and microdosimetry of radionuclides deposited in specific tissues, and the chemical toxicity of some low-specific-activity alpha-emitters. Techniques for estimating the risks to humans posed by radon and other internally deposited alpha-emitters are offered, along with a discussion of formulas, models, methods, and the level of uncertainty inherent in the risk estimates.

Radioecology
Radioecology

Author: R. J. Pentreath

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-08-12

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 1107096022

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An overview of the sources, uses and effects of ionising radiation in the environment and their consequences for life.

Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources
Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources

Author: International Atomic Energy Agency

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789201353108

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This publication is the new edition of the International Basic Safety Standards. The edition is co-sponsored by seven other international organizations European Commission (EC/Euratom), FAO, ILO, OECD/NEA, PAHO, UNEP and WHO. It replaces the interim edition that was published in November 2011 and the previous edition of the International Basic Safety Standards which was published in 1996. It has been extensively revised and updated to take account of the latest finding of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and the latest recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The publication details the requirements for the protection of people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources. All circumstances of radiation exposure are considered.

Protection of the Public Against Exposure Indoors Due to Radon and Other Natural Sources of Radiation
Protection of the Public Against Exposure Indoors Due to Radon and Other Natural Sources of Radiation

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: IAEA Safety Standards

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789201025142

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This Safety Guide provides recommendations on meeting the requirements established in the IAEA International Basic Safety Standards, for protection of the public against exposure indoors due to natural sources of radiation. Guidance is provided on the application of the requirements for justification and optimization of protection by national authorities in considering control of natural sources of radiation indoors such as radon and radionuclides of natural origin in materials used for the construction of dwellings, offices, industrial premises and other buildings. The Safety Guide provides recommendations and guidance to be followed by the regulatory body and by other authorities and organizations with responsibilities in relation to exposure to radiation from natural sources.

The Environmental Behaviour of Polonium
The Environmental Behaviour of Polonium

Author: International Atomic Energy Agency

Publisher:

Published: 2018-01-31

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 9789201121165

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Polonium-210 is an alpha emitting radionuclide with no radioactive progeny and produces only very-low-intensity gamma rays at very low abundance. This means doses largely arise from internal exposure. In addition to the relatively high ingestion does coefficient of 210Po, radionuclide transfer in the environment results in high activity concentrations in certain foods. This publication focuses on radionuclide transfers in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments, and provides information on key transfer processes, concepts and models--back cover.