Interventional cardiology procedures can involve potentiallyhigh doses of radiation to the patients. Stochastic effects of ionisingradiation – radiation-induced cancers in the long term – may occur.We analysed clinical characteristics and dosimetric data in a populationof patients undergoing interventional cardiology. In all, 1 591patients who had undergone coronarography and/or angioplasty inthe course of a year at the Saint-Gatien Clinic in Tours (France)were included. Information on patients’ individual clinical characteristicsand Dose-Area Product values were collected. Organ doses to thelung, oesophagus, bone marrow and breast were mathematically evaluated.The median age of patients was 70 years. Their median cumulativedose-area product value was 48.4 Gy.cm2 for the wholeyear and the median effective dose was 9.7 mSv. The median organdoses were 41 mGy for the lung, 31 mGy for the oesophagus, 10 mGyfor the bone marrow and 4 mGy for the breast. Levels of doses closeto the heart appear to be rather high in the case of repeated interventionalcardiology procedures. Clinical characteristics should be takeninto account when planning epidemiological studies on potential radiation-inducedcancers.

Radionuclides can occur in the environment either through chronic releases of nuclear facilities, or due to incidents or accidents. In order to study there behaviors in the environment (migration, retention, transfer, ...) and in human organisms (metabolism, retention, excretion), it is of prime importance to know their solution chemistry, and more particularly thermodynamic equilibrium constants, allowing to calculate their speciation. In fact, speciation governs the migration, the bioavailability and the toxicity of elements. Moreover, this knowledge is also of great interest for decorporation or decontamination purposes. In this framework, a CEA working group on speciation has been created in order to share data both on thermodynamic constants and on analytical speciation methods, interesting chemists, environmentalists and biologists. It has been focused, in a first time, on actinides and a choice of specific ligands considered to be most representative of environmental and biological media. The thermodynamic database used is BASSIST (developed by CEA) in interaction with the speciation model JCHESS. Different examples are then presented on the selection of data (thermodynamic constants, ligands of interest) through benchmark exercises to test our state of knowledge in this area. Also, analytical methods to determine thermodynamic constants or direct speciation are discussed.

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.

Une nouvelle réglementation concernant la radioprotection des travailleursdans les mines a été récemment introduite dans le code minier français. Elleprend en compte les recommandations de la Commission internationale deprotection radiologique (CIPR), publication 26, et les directives européennesde 1980 et 1984. Cette nouvelle réglementation est appliquée avec succèsdepuis 1983 par les exploitants d'uranium français.Pour la surveillance dosimétrique des mineurs d'uranium, on utilise un dosimètreindividuel permettant de mesurer les trois équivalents de dose mensuels(exposition externe, exposition interne due à l'énergie alpha potentielle desdescendants du radon 222, exposition interne due aux émetteurs alpha à vielongue). La prévention des risques radiologiques est basée sur la détectionrapide des défaillances de la ventilation primaire et secondaire par descontrôles réguliers des ambiances physiques.

Results of laboratory, “green-house" and long-term field experiments carried out on different plant species (spring barley, Scots pine, bulb onion and others) to study ecotoxical effects of low doses and concentrations of such common environmental factors as acute and chronic g-radiation, heavy metals, pesticides, artificial and heavy natural radionuclides, are presented. Special attention is paid to ecotoxic effects of chronic low dose exposures, synergistic and antagonistic effects of different factors' combined action. The results of long-term field experiments in the 30-km Chernobyl NPP zone and in the vicinity of a radioactive wastes storage facility are discussed. The data presented suggest that the further evolution of investigations in this field would issue in the development of a theoretical bases and practical procedures for environmental protection against radioactivity, taking into account the new experimentally confirmed facts about the presence of such essentially important singularities as the nonlinearity of a dose-effect relationship, radiation-induced genomic instability, phenomenon of radioadaptation, increased probability of synergetic and antagonistic effects of the combined action of different nature factors.

Le service de santé au travail du CEA/CADARACHE est un service médical de site chargé de la surveillance radiologique de l’exposition interne de l’ensemble du personnel travaillant sur le centre de Cadarache. Dans son activité spécifique de surveillance du risque radiologique prédomine la gestion des expositions aux transuraniens (plutonium et américium), avec environ 400 salariés concernés. Nous avons mis en place depuis 2002 une surveillance systématique de ce risque d’exposition par des analyses radiotoxicologiques des selles. Nous présentons ici notre retour d’expérience sur les trois premières années.

Cette étude a pour objectif principal de répondre à la question de savoir qui de l’approche de Smoluchowski (loi de diffusion et loi de probabilité) ou de l’équation de diffusion (∂Ci/∂t = Di∇2Ci + S) est plus appropriée, en termes de facilité de mise en œuvre et de réduction de temps de calcul machine, lorsqu’il s’agit de traiter la phase chimique de diffusion et de réaction des radicaux libres crées 10-12 seconde après l’irradiation d’un fragment d’ADN linéaire hydraté, par des électrons incidents d’énergie comprise entre 100 eV et 10 keV. Il est tout à fait clair, que cette comparaison repose sur les résultats de la simulation des étapes physique et physico-chimique par la méthode de Monte Carlo du type « au coup par coup ». En effet, deux logiciels relatifs à chaque approche sont mis au point, et nous permettent de déterminer les rendements des principales espèces radiolytiques (e-aq, H, OH), les rendements des cassures simple et double brin de la molécule d’ADN. Le temps étant la principale variable, l’énergie des électrons incidents, le degré d’hydratation µ des sous unités de la molécule d’ADN sont utilisés comme paramètres pour accentuer le degré de comparaison des deux méthodes.

The physicochemical state of radionuclides of Sr, U, REE and Th(IV) and their natural analogs in the river Techya (Chelyabinsk reg., RF) is analyzed in connection with seasonal variations of the chemical composition of water. It is shown that the chemical state of Sr(II) and U(VI) strongly depends on the level of CO2 in the river water. A high level of soluble carbonate leads to co-precipitation of to 10–15% Sr(II) and to 20% U(VI) on the surface of mineral (Ca - Si - Al - O + Fe - O phase mixture) and biological suspensions with the size of >3 micron. The rest of Sr(II) exists in the river water in the form of aqua-cations. Uranium (VI) is present in the water as a set of hydroxo- and carbonate complexes which do not interact with the cation-exchanger and in the form of Ca2UO2(CO3)3 which may be involved in the ion-exchange interaction. Th(IV) and La (III) are found to exist in the water as hydroxo-complexes (<80%) and in the form of suspension (<20%). When the concentration of CO2 in the river water decreases to the level typical of the autumn period, the suspended CaCO3 vanishes and the fraction of Ca2UO2(CO3)3 in the water changes.

Depuis 1990, plus de 400 cancers de la thyroïde ont été observés chez l'enfantdans le Sud de la Belarus et dans le Nord de l'Ukraine. L'importance de l'augmentationde l'incidence, l'agressivité de ces cancers et leur découverte fréquenteà un stade métastatique rendent mineur le rôle du dépistage. Plusieursarguments plaident en faveur de la responsabilité de l'accident de Tchernobyl :1) l'importance de la contamination initiale ; 2) la distribution géographique,l'augmentation de l'incidence étant observée au niveau des régions les pluscontaminées ; 3) la distribution temporelle, l'augmentation de l'incidence étantprogressive depuis 1990. L'iode 131 est vraisemblablement l'agent responsablede cette augmentation. Ces données renforcent l'importance de la prophylaxiepar l'iodure de potassium de l'irradiation de la thyroïde en cas d'accident decentrale nucléaire, notamment chez les enfants où elle est pratiquement sansdanger.

Since January 1959, Health Canada has monitored environmental levels of radioactive fallout, to ensure the health and well being of Canadians. This work has evolved to include explosion verification for the Comprehensive nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty by monitoring the concentration of radioxenon in the atmosphere. Detection of Xe at Yellowknife by the monitoring system of Health Canada combined with the atmospheric transport and dispersion models (ATDM) of Environment Canada and seismic timing data have shown that the source of this Xe was most likely from the North Korean nuclear test of October 9th, 2006. Historical and real time monitoring data on the distribution of Xe releases from Chalk River Labs, the major source of anthropogenic background to Yellowknife were studied. Careful review of other large Xe-133 measurements at Yellowknife with ATDM was used to understand the October 2006 measurements of Xe. This allowed us to conclude that the Xe-133 detected at Yellowknife could be attributed to a release from the October nuclear test in North Korea. Health Canada and Environment Canada have demonstrated that Xe detection combined with ATDM is a viable technology for treaty verification.

A recent review of radiation effects data highlighted that information on the effects of low-dose, chronic exposure was, at best, fragmentary. These data are required to define the dose effect relationships, which must underpin assessments of the impact of ionising radiation on biota. In response, four Good Practice Guides (GPGs) have been produced as part of a protocol development framework that aims to harmonise experimental approaches, with a view to ensuring that appropriate endpoint data are collected and reliable dose effect relationships determined. The GPGs cover test species selection, endpoint selection, radiation exposure and experimental design considerations. A key guides researchers through the GPGs and the decisions made are recorded on a pro-forma, which is the basis of the experimental protocol. This paper describes the first application of the framework to a radiation effects study. The framework has been adopted by the UK Environment Agency as a document upon which future Agency-funded experimental work in this field will be based. It is hoped that the framework will gain acceptance in the wider scientific community and enable knowledge gaps to be addressed, in order that successful protection of non-human biota can be demonstrated.


Des expérimentations de terrain ont été effectuées pour déterminer le facteur de lavage par la pluie de l'iode élémentaire à l'état de vapeur. Elles ont consisté à émettre une quantité connue d'iode stable et à recueillir le dépôt humide dans des collecteurs convenablement disposés pour évaluer la fraction du panache entraînée par la pluie. Il a été montré que des précautions particulières devaient être prises pour éviter une superposition du dépôt direct de la vapeur d'iode par réaction sur les surfaces collectrices (dépôt sec) et du dépôt indirect de l'iode entraîné par la pluie (dépôt humide). Les résultats obtenus en ce qui concerne le facteur de lavage (8,2 x 10-5 s-1 en moyenne) valident les valeurs théoriques habituellement utilisées et montrent que tout se passe dans les conditions de ces expériences comme si la captation de l'iode par les gouttes de pluie était irréversible.

The development of atomic industry and nuclear power engineering was accompanied by radiation incidents and catastrophes, some of these being rather large and resulting in radioactive contamination of the environment. Among the most important radiation accidents which have affected expanded areas are: the accident in the USSR in the South Urals with the formation of the East Urals Radioactive Trace in 1957, the accident in Sellafield, the United Kingdom in 1957, and the catastrophe at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986. The resulting radioactive traces – Emergency Radioactive Zones (ERZ) – have become the test sites for large-scale long-term radioecological investigations. The unique natural peculiarities of ERZs (wide variations in the environmental conditions – soil, plant-animal life, climatic factors, etc.) considering a wide range of man-made radionuclides (primarily biologically important 90Sr, 131I and 137Cs) released into the environment have made it possible to quantify the parameters of radionuclide migration via a large number of trophic chains in different natural environments (terrestrial, aquatic and other ecosystems). Information has been collected on radiation and post-radiation effects in various biota representatives in a wide range of doses and dose rates (especially at the population and ecosystem levels). Different countermeasures have been developed and applied on large territories for reducing exposure of the ERZ population and for remediation of the affected areas.

The Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN) performed a series of air sampling campaigns at mesoscale distances (10–80 km) from the AREVA La Hague reprocessing plant (north west of France) between 2007 and 2009. These samples were collected in order to test and optimise a technique to measure low krypton-85 (85Kr) air concentrations, and to investigate the performance of three atmospheric dispersion models (RIMPUFF, HySplit, and ADMS). This paper presents 85Kr air concentrations measured at both land and sea locations. In addition, this paper compares the measured 85Kr air concentrations, which varied from 2 to 8000 Bq m−3, with the predictions from the atmospheric dispersion models. During stable wind conditions, the dispersion models make reasonable estimates of the 85Kr field measurements. In contrast, the models fail to accurately predict temporal peaks in concentration during periods of rapid and large changes in wind speed and/or wind direction.

The activity concentrations of potassium, uranium and thorium in minerals and soilsamples from a mining site in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria were measured using gamma rayspectroscopy method. Effective dose per annum has been calculated from the activityconcentrations of dominant gamma-emitting natural radionuclides, potassium, uranium andthorium. Samples collected include minerals (beryl, quartz and feldspar), soil samplesfrom the mining pits, heaps and undisturbed land around the mining site. The activityconcentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th, respectively in Bqkg-1 in the mineral samples were as follows: 1985 ± 16, 4.8 ± 0.9 and 11.8 ±5.8 for beryl sample, 115.1 ± 27.9, 5.0 ± 1.3 and 6.3 ± 5.0 for feldspar samples and 1421± 122, <4.8 and 20.1 ± 3.5 for quartz samples. For the soil samples, the meanactivity concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th,respectively, were 314.2 ± 5.7, 27.7 ± 2.6 and 11.5 ± 5.9 Bq kg-1 for soilsamples from the pits and 278.1 ± 5.4, 21.1 ± 2.0 and 15.3 ± 7.5 Bq kg-1 forsoil samples from heaps. The mean activity concentrations of soil samples from theundisturbed land around the mining site were 194.3 ± 25.2, 14.5 ± 5.1 and 13.3 ± 5.9 Bqkg-1 for 40K, 238U and 232Th, respectively.The effective dose to which the miners are exposed according to exposure scenarios werecalculated as 89.9 μSv y-1 for digging and handling of soil and mineral samplesin the pit and 63.6 μSv y-1 for handling of soil and mineral samples at theheaps.

Inhalation of indoor radon has been recognized as thelargest contributor to the total effective dose received by humanbeings. Indoor radon data were collected from the dwellings lyingon the sedimentary rocks (sandstones, siltstones and clays) ofthe Murree Formation, Nagri Formation, Dhok Pathan Formation, Mirpurconglomerate and surficial deposits of the Kotli area in Azad Jammuand Kashmir, Pakistan. Radon measurements were made using the passivetime-integrated method using Kodak CN-85 Solid-State Nuclear Track Detectors.The radon concentration in dwellings varied from 13 ± 6 Bq.m-3 to185 ± 23 B. qm-3, with an average of 73 ± 15 Bq.m-3.Theradon concentration in the Murree Formation, Nagri Formation, riverterrace and Dhok Pathan Formation were 89.7 ± 16.5, 72 ± 15, 68.5and 69 Bq.m-3, respectively. The average value of allthe measured concentrations (73 ± 15 Bq.m-3) within theframework of this study is more than the world average value of40 Bq.m-3 given by UNSCEAR (United Nations ScientificCommittee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, report to the GeneralAssembly, United Nations, New York, 2000) and is within the actionlevel of 200-600 Bq.m-3 fixed by the ICRP(InternationalCommission on Radiological Protection, ICRP publication65, Protectionagainst radon at home and at work, 1993). The ambient gamma doserates both indoors and outdoors in different parts of Kotli werealso measured. The average value of gamma absorbed dose rates prevailingin the indoor environment was 131.2 ± 16.6 nGy/h. The gamma exposurerates recorded outdoors were 35% lower than in the indoor environment.The measured gamma dose rates have a weak positive correlation withindoor radon concentration. The annual effective dose for inhabitantsin Kotli due to radon ranged from 0.32 to 4.7 mSv.y-1,with an average value of 1.8 mSv.y-1. This dose is relativelyhigher than the world mean dose of 1.15 mSv/y. That is explainedby the particular geology of the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir,and the method of construction of the dwellings.

The nuclear accident that occurred in Palomares in 1966 caused the release of plutonium weapon grade particles into a Mediterranean ecosystem, and consequently, urban and farming areas were contaminated with this material. Several studies focused on the characterization and behaviour of transuranides have been carried out in the area. In this work, the solubility evolution of plutonium is analysed for a period of more than 30 years, as well as the influence that the incorporation of cow urine into organic fertilizers has on the solubility of the mentioned element. The average value of the plutonium solubility in water determined in five samples was 0.0082% in 1986. However, determinations carried out in samples taken in 1999 and 2000 indicated an increase of the plutonium solubility of two orders of magnitude. In order to check the influence of organic fertilizers on the solubility of plutonium, a solubility test was carried out using cow urine as extracting solution. The results show that the solubility of plutonium can reach a value equal to 14%, which is similar to the one obtained with sodium pyrophosphate acting as extracting solution. Thus, these results are a clear warning of what might happen if organic fertilizers are used in transuranic-contaminated soils.

Le travail présenté dans cet article rentre dans le cadre de la cartographie dedose et de la dosimétrie neutronique utilisant une conversion (n, p), ceci à desfins de radioprotection. Il s'intègre dans une étude visant à la mise au point d'unlogiciel permettant, entre autres, à partir de l'observation des paramètres morphologiquesd'une trace développée de proton de recul, de déterminer son énergieet son incidence. Ce logiciel permettra d'autre part d'évaluer les paramètresdes interactions particule-matière qui ne donnent pas lieu à des traces observables.Dans cette étude, il a été mis en œuvre une analyse mathématique dudéveloppement des traces latentes permettant de déterminer expérimentalementla vitesse VT d'attaque le long de celles-ci à partir de la mesure du parcoursdes protons. Cette dernière partie fait l'objet de cet article. Celui-ci selimite à la description d'une méthode de détermination du parcours des protonsde recul dans un polymère (le CR 39) utilisé comme détecteur solide de tracesnucléaires (DSTN). Ces mesures de parcours basées sur une méthode d'analysemathématique seront comparées à celles déduites du transfert linéique d'énergie(TLE) calculées avec le logiciel TRIM 91. La méthode d'analyse sera vérifiéepar des mesures microprofilométriques.

For four German nuclear power plant sites and for Risø, the site of the Danish nuclearresearch reactors now being decommissioned, Numerical Weather Predictions (NWP) of windspeed and direction have been compared to 10 minute averaged local measurements. For theGerman sites the comparison covers data for approximately three month, January to March2009, for the Risø site for approximately two thirds of the year October 1998 to September1999. For each site the comparison has been made for all measurement levels and both forthe NWP analysis time and for the maximum available forecast time. Means and standarddeviations of NWP minus measured data are given as tables for all measurement levels whilescatter plots are presented for only a single measurement level at analysis time at eachsite. For Risø and for the site close to the North Sea plus for the inland sitePhilippsburg the predictions of wind speed are on average rather close to the measured,but for sites not far from the latter two, Krümmel respectively Obrigheim, thediscrepancies are substantial.

Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) associated with monazite had its origin before the 20th century. The volume and complexity of monazite NORM wastes increased as the industrial applications of monazite also increased. During and after the WWII the diversified uses of thorium turned monazite into an important commodity. At the end of the 20th century the production of oil and gas from offshore platforms in continental shelves increased remarkably. Hundreds of millions of m3 of produced water from the oil and gas industry, containing NORM wastes and other byproducts, are discharged into the oceans every year. E&P processes mobilize the natural occurring radio-nuclides extant in the oil and gas reservoirs. A wide range of concentrations of 238U and 232Th and their respective progenies, mainly 226Ra, 222Rn and 210Pb (from the 238U series), and 228Ra and 228Th (from the 232Th series) appear in tube scales and sludge. The radium isotopes in NORM wastes generated in the monazite cycle become more bio-available than those isotopes found in wastes from the oil and gas industry. This work discusses some of the problems arising from the existence of monazite cycle and oil and gas industry NORM wastes, and proposes a tentative solution.