Lung cancer: is the increasing incidence due to radioactive polonium in cigarettes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marmorstein, J.

This paper presents clinical, experimental, and epidemiologic evidence to help explain the rapidly increasing incidence of primary lung cancer, with recently observed reversal in leading cell type from squamous cell to adenocarcinoma. It postulates that this may be due to changes in modern cigarettes, with or without filters, which allow inhalation of increased amounts of radioactive lead and polonium and decreased amounts of benzopyrene. This hypothesis is based upon measurements of increased concentrations of radioactive polonium in the lungs of cigarette smokers, in modern tobaccos grown since 1950, and in high-phosphate fertilizers used for tobacco farming in industrialized countries. Criticalmore » support for this thesis is based upon experimental animal studies in which lung cancers that resemble adenocarcinomas are induced with as little as 15 rads of radioactive polonium, equal to one fifth the dosage inhaled by cigarette smokers who average two packs a day during a 25-year period.« less

Measurement of natural radionuclides in U.K. diet.

PubMed

Smith-Briggs, J L; Bradley, E J

1984-05-01

The levels of radium-226, lead-210 and polonium-210 in the U.K. diet have been determined. The important food groups contributing to the intake of these radionuclides have been identified. Seventy-five percent of the daily intake of radium-226 is derived from beverages, cereals, other vegetables, bread, sugars and preserves. Seventy-five percent of the intake of lead-210 and polonium-210 is derived from bread, milk, cereals, beverages, other vegetables, sugars and preserves, and meat products. The average daily intakes of these radionuclides are tentatively calculated to be 30 mBq for radium-226 and 82 mBq for both lead-210 and polonium-210. These levels are compared with data from other countries. The annual effective dose equivalents resulting from the intakes are approximately 3 muSv for radium-226 and 54 muSv from lead-210 and polonium-210 together. The differences between these doses and other current estimates are discussed.

A rapid method for the sequential separation of polonium, plutonium, americium and uranium in drinking water.

PubMed

Lemons, B; Khaing, H; Ward, A; Thakur, P

2018-06-01

A new sequential separation method for the determination of polonium and actinides (Pu, Am and U) in drinking water samples has been developed that can be used for emergency response or routine water analyses. For the first time, the application of TEVA chromatography column in the sequential separation of polonium and plutonium has been studied. This method utilizes a rapid Fe +3 co-precipitation step to remove matrix interferences, followed by plutonium oxidation state adjustment to Pu 4+ and an incubation period of ~ 1 h at 50-60 °C to allow Po 2+ to oxidize to Po 4+ . The polonium and plutonium were then separated on a TEVA column, while separation of americium from uranium was performed on a TRU column. After separation, polonium was micro-precipitated with copper sulfide (CuS), while actinides were micro co-precipitated using neodymium fluoride (NdF 3 ) for counting by the alpha spectrometry. The method is simple, robust and can be performed quickly with excellent removal of interferences, high chemical recovery and very good alpha peak resolution. The efficiency and reliability of the procedures were tested by using spiked samples. The effect of several transition metals (Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ , Fe 3+ , Fe 2+ , and Ni 2+ ) on the performance of this method were also assessed to evaluate the potential matrix effects. Studies indicate that presence of up to 25 mg of these cations in the samples had no adverse effect on the recovery or the resolution of polonium alpha peaks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source of lead-210 and polonium-210 in tobacco.

PubMed

Tso, T C; Harley, N; Alexander, L T

1966-08-19

Test plants were grown within a chamber enriched with radon-222 in the atmosphere, in tobacco fields with different sources of phosphate-containing fertilizer, and in culture containing lead-210 in the nutrient solution. Harvested leaves were subjected to three curing conditions. The major portion of the lead-210 in the plant was probably absorbed through the roots. Airborne radon 222 and its daughters contributed much less to the plant's content of lead-210 and of polonium-210. The stage of leaf development and the methods used to cure the leaf affected the final amount of polonium-210 in tobacco leaf.

Biomedical aspects of natural and manufactured environmental radioactivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hodge, V.

1996-12-31

While weapons testing has altered natural radioactivity background, manufactured radioactivity in most parts of the world constitutes but a very small fraction of the total alpha, beta, and gamma radioactivity in soil, air, water, and the biota. For example, in the early 1970s, we found what appeared to be the highest natural concentration of radioactivity ever reported in fish while attempting to measure the manufactured plutonium ({sup 239}Pu and {sup 240}Pu) in organs of oceanic tuna. The natural alpha emitter polonium ({sup 210}Po) was discovered in the same organs at orders of magnitude higher concentrations. In particular, the caecum, whichmore » is a digestive organ composed of many small closed-ended sacs, contained concentrations of polonium as high as 79 pCi/g of wet tissue and lesser amounts of two manufactured isotopes: 0.0001 pCi/g of plutonium and 0.01 pCi/g of radiocesium ({sup 137}Cs). This equates to {approximately}80 rem/yr of radiation dose to this organ, overwhelmingly from the natural polonium, or {approximately}5000 times higher than is found in the human liver, the highest polonium concentration in man. The average background radiation for humans, for comparison, is {approximately}0.2 rem/yr, but the dose for Japanese, whose diet is high in seafood, is {approximately}15 rem/yr. The question arose: {open_quotes}Are these high concentrations of natural polonium limited to oceanic fish?{close_quotes} To answer this question, polonium was determined in the organs of striped bass and catfish from Lake Mead. In a related study, the plutonium and radiocesium ({sup 137}Cs) distributions in soils were determined to ascertain the impact of weapons testing on the natural background radioactivity of soils.« less

Polonium-210 in the environment around a radioactive waste disposal area and phosphate ore processing plant.

PubMed

Arthur, W J; Markham, O D

1984-04-01

Polonium-210 concentrations were determined for soil, vegetation and small mammal tissues collected at a solid radioactive waste disposal area, near a phosphate ore processing plant and at two rural areas in southeastern Idaho. Polonium concentrations in media sampled near the radioactive waste disposal facility were equal to or less than values from rural area samples, indicating that disposal of solid radioactive waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Site has not resulted in increased environmental levels of polonium. Concentrations of 210Po in soils, deer mice hide and carcass samples collected near the phosphate processing plant were statistically (P less than or equal to 0.05) greater than the other sampling locations; however, the mean 210Po concentration in soils and small mammal tissues from sampling areas near the phosphate plant were only four and three times greater, respectively, than control values. No statistical (P greater than 0.05) difference was observed for 210Po concentrations in vegetation among any of the sampling locations.

Lead-210 and polonium-210 in biological samples from Alaska.

PubMed

Beasley, T M; Palmer, H E

1966-05-20

The naturally occurring concentrations of lead-210 and polonium-210 in certain biological samples from Alaska are unusually high. The concentration processes are similar to those observed for artificially produced radioactive fallout. Concentrations of these nuclides are greater in Alaskan natives than they are in other United States residents.

POLONIUM-210 CONTENT OF MAINSTREAM CIGARETTE SMOKE.

PubMed

KELLEY, T F

1965-07-30

When eleven brands of cigarettes were smoked in a standardized manner, differences in the polonium-210 content of various brands were found. The differences were not directly related to the presence of a filter or to the construction of the filter, but were related to the amount of particulate matter in the mainstream smoke.

ANION EXCHANGE METHOD FOR SEPARATION OF METAL VALUES

DOEpatents

Hyde, E.K.; Raby, B.A.

1959-02-10

A method is described for selectively separating radium, bismuth, poloniums and lead values from a metallic mixture of thc same. The mixture is dissolved in aqueous hydrochloric acid and the acidity is adjusted to between 1 to 2M in hydrochloric acid to form the anionic polychloro complexes of polonium and bismuth. The solution is contacted with a first anion exchange resin such as strong base quaternary ammonia type to selectively absorb the polonium and bismuth leaving the radium and lead in the effluent. The effluent, after treatment in hydrochloric acid to increase the hydrochloric acid concentration to 6M is contacted with a second anion exchange iesin of the same type as the above to selectively adsorb the lead leaving the radium in the effluent. Radium is separately recovered from the effluent from the second exchange column. Lead is stripped from the loaded resin of the second column by treatment with 3M hydrochloric acid solution. The loaded resin of the first column is washed with 8M hydrochloric acid solution to recover bismuth and then treated with strong nitric acid solution to recover polonium.

THE MONITORING OF EFFLUENT FOR ALPHA EMITTERS. PART II. METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF URANIUM, POLONIUM AND OTHER ALPHA EMITTERS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smales, A.A.; Airey, L.; Woodward, J.

1950-06-01

Consideration has been given to the problem of separating and estimating uranium, polonium, and other alpha emitters (in order to provide analytical methods for their routine determination in conformily with the draft agreement on the Harwell effluent). Uranium may be ether extracted from solutions of ammonium nitrate as salting out agent at pHl with an efficiency of 98 to 99%. The deposition of polonium on silver foil is a specific method for this element and under prescribed conditions similar extraction efficiencies may be obtained. An adequate separation from all other alpha emitters'' is obtained and methods for the estimation ofmore » these are discussed. A comprehensive scheme involving a preliminary activity concentration step has been elaborated. Uranium, polonium, and the majority of the other alpha emitters'' are precipitated as their tannin complexes at pH8 using calcium hydroxide, the calcium-tannin complex acting as a carrier. That part of the activity remaining in solution is determined as in the total activity method, previously described. From the solution of the precipitate, polonium is first separated by electrodeposition, and then uranium by ether extraction in the presence of ammonium nitrate. The majority of the other alpha emitters'' still in the aqueous ammonium nitrate solution are collected on a second calcium-tannin precipitate, while the small part remaining in solution after this operation is obtained by direct evaporation. (auth)« less

A New Role for Local Police in Radiological Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

levels of polonium 210 to warrant a health 63 International Atomic Energy Commission, 21. 64...Probability of occur. (P) Area affected Effects on Man’s health Environment/ Economics Psychological Effects Risk...isotope such as Polonium 210 , the material that was used to kill former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, has been proposed by Zimmeran as a

Polonium 210Po activities in human blood of patients with ischaemic heart disease from Gdańsk in Poland.

PubMed

Boryło, Alicja; Skwarzec, Bogdan; Romańczyk, Grzegorz; Siebert, Janusz

The determination of polonium 210 Po in human blood samples is presented and discussed in this paper. The human blood samples were collected from patients of Medical University of Gdańsk with ischaemic heart disease ( morbus ischaemicus cordis , MIC ). The polonium concentrations in analyzed human blood samples are very differentiated. 210 Po is of particular interest in public health and although is present in the environment in extremely low amounts, it is easily bioaccumulated to the human body. The study shows that the amount of 210 Po that is incorporated into the human body depends on the food habits and some difference in its levels could be observed between smokers and non-smokers.

JPRS Report, Proliferation Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-03-22

delivering abroad polonium sources (with experimental physics. polonium - 210 radioisotopes) for several decades now. They are mostly used in space...the principle of unanimity, SK1303012993 Seoul YONHAP in English 0118 GMT the Japanese position effectively killed the resolution. 13 Mar 93 The APPU...and soul of effective , this would be a great mistake, our people, and disarm us," Kang said. We absolutely cannot assume the responsibility, even "The

Current Research Activities.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-02-01

and PoZonium- 210 Investigations of lead- 210 and polonium - 210 in sediments offshore of the 4 Columbia River are under way, with the dual aims of...Geochemical bepb’~for of mercury in Bellingham Bay .. .. ....... 45IiD Lead-ZlO. and polonium -ZlO. .. ............... ..... 46 E. Hydrocarbons in Lake...Biological oceanography, marine food chain dynamics, carbon cycling in the ocean. Martin, Seelye,Ph.D., Johns Hopkins. Geophysical fluid dynamics

Activity concentrations of (137)Caesium and (210)Polonium in seafood from fishing regions of New Zealand and the dose assessment for seafood consumers.

PubMed

Pearson, Andrew J; Gaw, Sally; Hermanspahn, Nikolaus; Glover, Chris N

2016-01-01

A study was undertaken to determine activity concentrations for (134)Caesium, (137)Caesium and (210)Polonium in New Zealand seafood, and establish if activity concentrations varied with respect to species/ecological niche and coastal region. Thirty seafood samples were obtained from six fishing regions of New Zealand along with a further six samples of two commercially important species (hoki and arrow squid) with well-defined fisheries. (134)Caesium was not detected in any sample. (137)Caesium was detected in 47% of samples, predominantly in pelagic fish species, with most activities at a trace level. Detections of (137)Caesium were evenly distributed across all regions. Activity concentrations were consistent with those expected from the oceanic inventory representing residual fallout from global nuclear testing. (210)Polonium was detected above the minimum detectable concentration in 33 (92%) of the analysed samples. Molluscs displayed significantly elevated activity concentrations relative to all other species groups. No significant regional variation in activity concentrations were determined. Two dose assessment models for high seafood consumers were undertaken. Dose contribution from (137)Caesium was minimal and far below the dose exemption limit of 1 mSv/year. Exposure to (210)Polonium was significant in high seafood consumers at 0.44-0.77 mSv/year (5th-95th percentile). (137)Caesium is concluded to be a valuable sentinel radionuclide for monitoring anthropogenic releases, such as global fallout and reactor releases, in the marine environment. (210)Polonium is of importance as a natural radionuclide sentinel due to its high contribution to dietary committed dose in seafood consumers. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Potential energy surfaces of Polonium isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nerlo-Pomorska, B.; Pomorski, K.; Schmitt, C.; Bartel, J.

2015-11-01

The evolution of the potential energy landscape is analysed in detail for ten even-even polonium isotopes in the mass range 188\\lt A\\lt 220 as obtained within the macroscopic-microscopic approach, relying on the Lublin-Strasbourg drop model and the Yukawa-folded single-particle energies for calculating the microscopic shell and pairing corrections. A variant of the modified Funny-Hills nuclear shape parametrization is used to efficiently map possible fission paths. The approach explains the main features of the fragment partition as measured in low-energy fission along the polonium chain. The latter lies in a transitional region of the nuclear chart, and will be essential to consistently understand the evolution of fission properties from neutron-deficient mercury to heavy actinides. The ability of our method to predict fission observables over such an extended region looks promising.

Early Onset of Ground State Deformation in Neutron Deficient Polonium Isotopes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cocolios, T. E.; Van de Walle, J.; ISOLDE, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23

2011-02-04

In-source resonant ionization laser spectroscopy of the even-A polonium isotopes {sup 192-210,216,218}Po has been performed using the 6p{sup 3}7s {sup 5}S{sub 2} to 6p{sup 3}7p {sup 5}P{sub 2} ({lambda}=843.38 nm) transition in the polonium atom (Po-I) at the CERN ISOLDE facility. The comparison of the measured isotope shifts in {sup 200-210}Po with a previous data set allows us to test for the first time recent large-scale atomic calculations that are essential to extract the changes in the mean-square charge radius of the atomic nucleus. When going to lighter masses, a surprisingly large and early departure from sphericity is observed, whichmore » is only partly reproduced by beyond mean field calculations.« less

Polonium (²¹⁰Po), uranium (²³⁴U, ²³⁸U) isotopes and trace metals in mosses from Sobieszewo Island, northern Poland.

PubMed

Boryło, Alicja; Nowicki, Waldemar; Olszewski, Grzegorz; Skwarzec, Bogdan

2012-01-01

The activity of polonium (210)Po and uranium (234)U, (238)U radionuclides, as well as trace metals in mosses, collected from Sobieszewo Island area (northern Poland), were determined using the alpha spectrometry, AAS (atomic absorption spectrometry) and OES-ICP (atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma). The concentrations of mercury (directly from the solid sample) were determined by the cold vapor technique of CV AAS. The obtained results revealed that the concentrations of (210)Po, (234)U, and (238)U in the two analyzed kinds of mosses: schrebers big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi) and broom moss (Dicranum scoparium) were similar. The higher polonium concentrations were found in broom moss (Dicranum scoparium), but uranium concentrations were relatively low for both species of analyzed mosses. Among the analyzed trace metals the highest concentration in mosses was recorded for iron, while the lowest for nickel, cadmium and mercury. The obtained studies showed that the sources of polonium and uranium isotopes, as well as trace metals in analyzed mosses are air city contaminations transported from Gdańsk and from existing in the vicinity the phosphogypsum waste heap in Wiślinka (near Gdańsk).

POLONIUM-210: A VOLATILE RADIOELEMENT IN CIGARETTES.

PubMed

RADFORD, E P; HUNT, V R

1964-01-17

Polonium-210, which emits alpha particles, is a natural contaminant of tobacco. For an individual smoking two packages of cigarettes a day, the radiation dose to bronchial epithelium from Po(210) inhaled in cigarette smoke probably is at least seven times that from background sources, and in localized areas may be up to 1000 rem or more in 25 years. Radiation from this source may, therefore, be significant in the genesis of bronchial cancer in smokers.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, USSR: Space.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-17

Half-life, years Specific Heat Release W/hr Plutonium-238 87.5 0.46 Curium-244 18.4 2.8 Curium-242 0.45 120 Polonium - 210 0.38 144 Polonium - 210 ...ASTRONOMICHESKIY ZHURNAL, Vol 14 No 3, Mar 88] 17 Relativistic Effects in Motion and Observations of Artificial Earth Satellites. I. Relativistic...Historical Survey of Biosatellites [V. B. Pishchik, ZEMLYA I VSELENNAYA, No 2, Mar-Apr 88] 35 Advances in Controlling Effects of Weightlessness on

Radiological Events in the Homeland

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

and painfully in a London hospital in November 2006 due to ingested alpha particles from Polonium 210 . Just the trace trail of Polonium 210 across...When the baby boomers were children, they passed signs every day for fallout shelters and stocks of water and food to be used in the event of a...need to relearn what we knew during the Cold War. We need to reacquaint ourselves with the radiological effects that could occur and how to

Joint Force Quarterly. Issue 48, 1st Quarter 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

Closure and joint basing initiatives. n Engage in the development of a broad- based, flexible, effective , and affordable joint military health care system...in a London hospital in November 2006 due to ingested alpha particles from Polonium 210 . Just the trace trail of Polonium 210 across the city and...can we adequately defend the Nation. Therefore, we will: n Determine the true health of our ground forces in terms of people, training, equipment

Carcinogenic agents in snuff.

PubMed

Hoffmann, D; Harley, N H; Fisenne, I; Adams, J D; Brunnemann, K D

1986-03-01

The oral use of snuff has been associated with an increased-risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. The five most popular U.S. snuff brands were analyzed for alkaloids, volatile and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA), benzo[a]pyrene (CAS: 50-32-8), and polonium-210. The carcinogenic TSNA in the five snuff brands ranged from 9,600 to 289,000 ppb. These concentrations exceed the nitrosamine concentrations of other consumer products by at least 2 orders of magnitude. Polonium amounted to 0.16-1.22 pCi/g dry snuff. Trace amounts of benzo[a]pyrene (0.1-63 ppb) were indicative of contamination of the tobacco with thermal degradation products, probably due to fire curing or flue curing. The findings from this study, the biologic activity of snuff in animal models, and the epidemiologic studies on snuff use and oral cancer strongly suggest the need for reduction of carcinogens and especially of nitrosamines and polonium-210 in snuff.

Accumulation of polonium 210Po in tissues and organs of deer carvidae from Northern Poland.

PubMed

Skwarzec, Bogdan; Prucnal, Malgorzata

2007-01-01

This study was undertaken to provide information on accumulation of polonium in tissues and organs of deer carvidae in order to assess the potential transport of this element via food-chain to game meat consumers. Livers, kidneys and muscles of large herbivorous animals belonging to three species: roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama), collected in Northern Poland, were the subject of the present investigation. Activities of (210)Po were determined by means of alpha spectrometry along with relevant radiochemical procedures. The concentration of (210)Po in analyzed animals decreased in the order kidney > liver > muscle tissue. The average activity concentrations of (210)Po ranged between 0.02 +/- 0.01 Bq. kg(- 1) w.w. in muscles and 7.15 +/- 0.12 Bq. kg(- 1) w.w. in kidneys. Levels of polonium were not influenced by sampling location, sex, age and species of animals.

Mortality among mound workers exposed to polonium-210 and other sources of radiation, 1944-1979.

PubMed

Boice, John D; Cohen, Sarah S; Mumma, Michael T; Ellis, Elizabeth Dupree; Cragle, Donna L; Eckerman, Keith F; Wallace, Phillip W; Chadda, Bandana; Sonderman, Jennifer S; Wiggs, Laurie D; Richter, Bonnie S; Leggett, Richard W

2014-02-01

Polonium-210 is a naturally occurring radioactive element that decays by emitting an alpha particle. It is in the air we breathe and also a component of tobacco smoke. Polonium-210 is used as an anti-static device in printing presses and gained widespread notoriety in 2006 after the poisoning and subsequent death of a Russian citizen in London. More is known about the lethal effects of polonium-210 at high doses than about late effects from low doses. Cancer mortality was examined among 7,270 workers at the Mound nuclear facility near Dayton, OH where polonium-210 was used (1944-1972) in combination with beryllium as a source of neutrons for triggering nuclear weapons. Other exposures included external gamma radiation and to a lesser extent plutonium-238, tritium and neutrons. Vital status and cause of death was determined through 2009. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for comparisons with the general population. Lifetime occupational doses from all places of employment were sought and incorporated into the analysis. Over 200,000 urine samples were analyzed to estimate radiation doses to body organs from polonium and other internally deposited radionuclides. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate dose-response relationships for specific organs and tissues. Vital status was determined for 98.7% of the workers of which 3,681 had died compared with 4,073.9 expected (SMR 0.90; 95% CI 0.88-0.93). The mean dose from external radiation was 26.1 mSv (maximum 939.1 mSv) and the mean lung dose from external and internal radiation combined was 100.1 mSv (maximum 17.5 Sv). Among the 4,977 radiation workers, all cancers taken together (SMR 0.86; 95% CI 0.79-0.93), lung cancer (SMR 0.85; 95% CI 0.74-0.98), and other types of cancer were not significantly elevated. Cox regression analysis revealed a significant positive dose-response trend for esophageal cancer [relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval at 100 mSv of 1.54 (1.15-2.07)] and a negative dose-response trend for liver cancer [RR (95% CI) at 100 mSv of 0.55 (0.23-1.32)]. For lung cancer the RR at 100 mSv was 1.00 (95% CI 0.97-1.04) and for all leukemias other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) it was 1.04 (95% CI 0.63-1.71). There was no evidence that heart disease was associated with exposures [RR at 100 mSv of 1.06 (0.95-1.18)]. Assuming a relative biological effectiveness factor of either 10 or 20 for polonium and plutonium alpha particle emissions had little effect on the dose-response analyses. Polonium was the largest contributor to lung dose, and a relative risk of 1.04 for lung cancer at 100 mSv could be excluded with 95% confidence. A dose related increase in cancer of the esophagus was consistent with a radiation etiology but based on small numbers. A dose-related decrease in liver cancer suggests the presence of other modifying factors of risk and adds caution to interpretations. The absence of a detectable increase in total cancer deaths and lung cancer in particular associated with occupational exposures to polonium (mean lung dose 159.8 mSv), and to plutonium to a lesser extent (mean lung dose 13.7 mSv), is noteworthy but based on small numbers. Larger combined studies of U.S. workers are needed to clarify radiation risks following prolonged exposures and radionuclide intakes.

Mortality Among Mound Workers Exposed to Polonium-210 and Other Sources of Radiation, 1944–1979

DOE PAGES

Boice, John D.; Cohen, Sarah S.; Mumma, Michael T.; ...

2014-02-14

Polonium-210 is a naturally occurring radioactive element that decays by emitting an alpha particle. It is in the air we breathe and also a component of tobacco smoke. Polonium-210 is used as an anti-static device in printing presses and gained widespread notoriety in 2006 after the poisoning and subsequent death of a Russian citizen in London. More is known about the lethal effects of polonium-210 at high doses than about late effects from low doses. In this paper, cancer mortality was examined among 7,270 workers at the Mound nuclear facility near Dayton, OH where polonium-210 was used (1944–1972) in combinationmore » with beryllium as a source of neutrons for triggering nuclear weapons. Other exposures included external gamma radiation and to a lesser extent plutonium-238, tritium and neutrons. Vital status and cause of death was determined through 2009. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for comparisons with the general population. Lifetime occupational doses from all places of employment were sought and incorporated into the analysis. Over 200,000 urine samples were analyzed to estimate radiation doses to body organs from polonium and other internally deposited radionuclides. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate dose-response relationships for specific organs and tissues. Vital status was determined for 98.7% of the workers of which 3,681 had died compared with 4,073.9 expected (SMR 0.90; 95% CI 0.88–0.93). The mean dose from external radiation was 26.1 mSv (maximum 939.1 mSv) and the mean lung dose from external and internal radiation combined was 100.1 mSv (maximum 17.5 Sv). Among the 4,977 radiation workers, all cancers taken together (SMR 0.86; 95% CI 0.79–0.93), lung cancer (SMR 0.85; 95% CI 0.74–0.98), and other types of cancer were not significantly elevated. Cox regression analysis revealed a significant positive dose-response trend for esophageal cancer [relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval at 100 mSv of 1.54 (1.15–2.07)] and a negative dose-response trend for liver cancer [RR (95% CI) at 100 mSv of 0.55 (0.23–1.32)]. For lung cancer the RR at 100 mSv was 1.00 (95% CI 0.97–1.04) and for all leukemias other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) it was 1.04 (95% CI 0.63–1.71). There was no evidence that heart disease was associated with exposures [RR at 100 mSv of 1.06 (0.95–1.18)]. Assuming a relative biological effectiveness factor of either 10 or 20 for polonium and plutonium alpha particle emissions had little effect on the dose-response analyses. Polonium was the largest contributor to lung dose, and a relative risk of 1.04 for lung cancer at 100 mSv could be excluded with 95% confidence. A dose related increase in cancer of the esophagus was consistent with a radiation etiology but based on small numbers. A dose-related decrease in liver cancer suggests the presence of other modifying factors of risk and adds caution to interpretations. The absence of a detectable increase in total cancer deaths and lung cancer in particular associated with occupational exposures to polonium (mean lung dose 159.8 mSv), and to plutonium to a lesser extent (mean lung dose 13.7 mSv), is noteworthy but based on small numbers. Finally, larger combined studies of U.S. workers are needed to clarify radiation risks following prolonged exposures and radionuclide intakes.« less

Mortality Among Mound Workers Exposed to Polonium-210 and Other Sources of Radiation, 1944–1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boice, John D.; Cohen, Sarah S.; Mumma, Michael T.

Polonium-210 is a naturally occurring radioactive element that decays by emitting an alpha particle. It is in the air we breathe and also a component of tobacco smoke. Polonium-210 is used as an anti-static device in printing presses and gained widespread notoriety in 2006 after the poisoning and subsequent death of a Russian citizen in London. More is known about the lethal effects of polonium-210 at high doses than about late effects from low doses. In this paper, cancer mortality was examined among 7,270 workers at the Mound nuclear facility near Dayton, OH where polonium-210 was used (1944–1972) in combinationmore » with beryllium as a source of neutrons for triggering nuclear weapons. Other exposures included external gamma radiation and to a lesser extent plutonium-238, tritium and neutrons. Vital status and cause of death was determined through 2009. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for comparisons with the general population. Lifetime occupational doses from all places of employment were sought and incorporated into the analysis. Over 200,000 urine samples were analyzed to estimate radiation doses to body organs from polonium and other internally deposited radionuclides. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate dose-response relationships for specific organs and tissues. Vital status was determined for 98.7% of the workers of which 3,681 had died compared with 4,073.9 expected (SMR 0.90; 95% CI 0.88–0.93). The mean dose from external radiation was 26.1 mSv (maximum 939.1 mSv) and the mean lung dose from external and internal radiation combined was 100.1 mSv (maximum 17.5 Sv). Among the 4,977 radiation workers, all cancers taken together (SMR 0.86; 95% CI 0.79–0.93), lung cancer (SMR 0.85; 95% CI 0.74–0.98), and other types of cancer were not significantly elevated. Cox regression analysis revealed a significant positive dose-response trend for esophageal cancer [relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval at 100 mSv of 1.54 (1.15–2.07)] and a negative dose-response trend for liver cancer [RR (95% CI) at 100 mSv of 0.55 (0.23–1.32)]. For lung cancer the RR at 100 mSv was 1.00 (95% CI 0.97–1.04) and for all leukemias other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) it was 1.04 (95% CI 0.63–1.71). There was no evidence that heart disease was associated with exposures [RR at 100 mSv of 1.06 (0.95–1.18)]. Assuming a relative biological effectiveness factor of either 10 or 20 for polonium and plutonium alpha particle emissions had little effect on the dose-response analyses. Polonium was the largest contributor to lung dose, and a relative risk of 1.04 for lung cancer at 100 mSv could be excluded with 95% confidence. A dose related increase in cancer of the esophagus was consistent with a radiation etiology but based on small numbers. A dose-related decrease in liver cancer suggests the presence of other modifying factors of risk and adds caution to interpretations. The absence of a detectable increase in total cancer deaths and lung cancer in particular associated with occupational exposures to polonium (mean lung dose 159.8 mSv), and to plutonium to a lesser extent (mean lung dose 13.7 mSv), is noteworthy but based on small numbers. Finally, larger combined studies of U.S. workers are needed to clarify radiation risks following prolonged exposures and radionuclide intakes.« less

POLONIUM-210: A VOLATILE RADIOELEMENT IN CIGARETTES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Radford, E.P. Jr.; Hunt, V.R.

Polonium-210, which emits alpha particles, is a natural contaminant of tobacco. For an individual smoking bvo packages of cigarettes a day, the radiation dose to bronchial epithelium from Po/sup 210/ inhaled in cigarette smoke probably is at least seven times that from background sources, and in localized areas may be up to 1000 rem or more in 25 years. Radiation from this source may, therefore, be significant in the genesis of bronchial cancer in smokers. (auth)

Materials Characterization and Microelectronic Implementation of Metal-insulator Transition Materials and Phase Change Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

appropriate. Group 16 (VI) contains the following elements: Oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), and polonium (Po). They are shown...below in Figure 33. S, Se, and Te are referred to as chalcogens, and their compounds are chalcogenides [68]. Polonium is excluded from the chalcogen...temperature dots and paint were placed on samples on the substrate. Temperature dots are typically used in the transportation of goods such as food in order

Human absorption and retention of polonium-210 from caribou meat.

PubMed

Thomas, P A; Fisenne, I; Chorney, D; Baweja, A S; Tracy, B L

2001-01-01

The gastrointestinal (GI) absorption factors and the biological retention times for polonium were determined for a group of 14 volunteers--seven men and seven women--from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Each volunteer consumed 2.0 kg of caribou meat containing known amounts of naturally occurring 210Po. Urine and faecal samples were collected for up to 65 days after meat consumption and analysed for 210Po. The average GI absorption factor for the 14 volunteers was 56 +/- 4% (range = 31-71%), not significantly different from the ICRP value of 50%. About 3% of absorbed polonium underwent prompt excretion by the urinary pathway. The remainder was retained by the body with a half-time >100 days, compared to the ICRP value of 50 days. The effect of these findings increases the dose estimate for ingestion of 210Po in food by a factor of 1.5 to 3.5. Thus, background doses to people consuming caribou and reindeer may be higher than previously thought.

HAEMORRHAGIC SYNDROME IN THE CLINICAL PICTURE OF RADIATION SICKNESS IN DOGS AFFECTED BY POLONIUM (in Russian)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mikhailovich, S.M.

Subcutaneous introduction of polonium to dogs brings about development of radiation sickness with appearance of haemorrhagic syndrome, which is characterized by disturbed process of blood coagulation, thrombocytopenia, decreased prothrombin value of the blood, increased permeability of capillaries. The clinical picture of the usually developed affection corresponds to the well known symptomatology, described in literature. Indicators of the haemorrhagic syndrome (blood coagulation, prothrombin value, permeabillty and stability of capillaries) appear in animals earlier than the clinical manifestations of this syndrome. (tr-auth)

Composition of tobaccos from countries with high and low incidences of lung cancer. I. Selenium, polonium-210, Alternaria, tar, and nicotine.

PubMed

Bogden, J D; Kemp, F W; Buse, M; Thind, I S; Louria, D B; Forgacs, J; Llanos, G; Moncoya Terrones, I

1981-01-01

Tobaccos from countries with high and low incidences of lung cancer were analyzed. Tobacco concentrations of polonium-210 were similar in cigarettes from high- and low-incidence countries, as were levels of cigarette smoke tar and nicotine. Tobaccos from low-incidence countries had significantly lower Alternaria spore counts. Mean selenium concentrations of tobaccos from the high-incidence countries (0.16 +/- 0.05 micrograms/g) were significantly lower than those of tobaccos from the low-incidence countries (0.49 +/- 0.22 micrograms/g).

Derivation of Soil Screening Guidelines for Gross Alpha/Beta Radioactivity for United States Air Force Deployment Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-19

These levels are provided to assist in making decisions in case of a large accident. Assessment can be made based on what health effects can be...a beta particle to become polonium -214 (99.98% of decays), or it can emit an alpha particle to become thallium- 210 (0.02% of decays). Bismuth-214...lead- 210 , and polonium - 210 . A decay of bismuth-214 will eventually yield 5 alpha particles and 4 beta particles. Four radionuclides that occur in

Methods for Estimating Physicochemical Properties of Inorganic Chemicals of Environmental Concern.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

atoms from a solid surface into an adjacent vapor phase. This effect has had significant implications for environmental pollution in the case of 210 ...for industrial 55 An um tt, i • purposes, 210 - polonium becomes unstable with respect to spontaneous migration through the air, leading to severe...1.6x10 s 8xlO- 210 -lead 210P 22 y 3.7x107 * 210 - polonium 210 -(5.30 14eV) 138 d 6.4x105 Po 91 AAfdr DL futt, imc Table 12. SELECTED RADIONUCLIDES WITH HALF

A study on possible use of Urtica dioica (common nettle) plant as polonium (210)Po and lead (210)Pb contamination biomonitor in the area of phosphogypsum stockpile.

PubMed

Olszewski, Grzegorz; Boryło, Alicja; Skwarzec, Bogdan

2016-04-01

The aim of this study was to test a possible use of Urtica dioica (common nettle) plant as a biomonitor of polonium (210)Po and lead (210)Pb contamination near phosphogypsum stacks by determining concentrations of these radionuclides in samples collected from the area of phosphogypsum stockpile in Wiślinka (northern Poland). The (210)Po and (210)Pb contents in roots depended on their concentrations in soils. Bioconcentration factor values from soil to root of the plant did not depend on (210)Po and (210)Pb contents in soils that leads to the conclusion that different polonium and lead species have different affinities to U. dioica plants. The main sources of both analyzed radionuclides in green parts of plants are wet and dry air deposition and transportation from soil. The values of (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio indicate natural origin of these radioisotopes in analyzed plants. (210)Po and (210)Pb concentration in U. dioica roots is negatively weakly correlated with distance from phosphogypsum stockpile.

Radon as a Tracer for Lunar Volatiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friesen, Larry Jay

1992-01-01

Radon and its decay product polonium can be used as tracers to search for lunar volatiles. One effective technique to look for them would be by using alpha-particle spectrometers from lunar orbit. Alpha spectrometers were flown in the Apollo Service Modules during the Apollo 15 and 16 missions, and did observe Rn-222 and its decay product Po-210 on the lunar surface from orbit. This demonstrates that radon and polonium can be observed from orbit; what must next be shown is that such observations can reveal something about the locations of volatiles on the Moon.

METHOD OF PREPARING POLONIUM-BORON SOURCES

DOEpatents

Birden, J.H.

1959-08-01

An improved technique is described for preparation of a polonium-boron neutron source. A selected amount of Po-210 is vaporized into a thin walled nickel container, then the desired amcunt of boron powder is added. After sealing the container, it is heated quickly by induction heating to vaporize the Po-210 and deposit it in the still cool boron powder. The unit is then quickly cooled to prevent revaporization of the Po-210 from the boron. The build-up of neutron emission may be followed by means of a neutron counter in order to terminate the heating at the optimum level of neutron yield.

Effects of digestion, chemical separation, and deposition on Po-210 quantitative analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seiner, Brienne N.; Morley, Shannon M.; Beacham, Tere A.

Polonium-210 is a radioactive isotope often used to study sedimentation processes, food chains, aerosol behavior, and atmospheric circulations related to environmental sciences. Materials for the analysis of Po-210 range from tobacco leaves or cotton fibers, to soils and sediments. The purpose of this work was to determine polonium losses from a variety of sample types (soil, cotton fiber, and air filter) due to digestion technique, chemical separation, and deposition method for alpha energy analysis. Results demonstrated that yields from a perchloric acid wet-ash were similar to that from a microwave digestion. Both were greater than the dry-ash procedure. The poloniummore » yield from the perchloric acid wet ash was 87 ± 5%, the microwave digestion had a yield of 100 ± 7%, and the dry ash had a yield of 38 ± 5%. The chemical separation of polonium by an anion exchange resin was used only on the soil samples due to the complex nature of this sample. The yield of Po-209 tracer after chemical separation and deposition for alpha analysis was 83 ± 7% for the soil samples. Spontaneous deposition yields for the cotton and air filters were 87 ± 4% and 92 ± 6%, respectively. Based on the overall process yields for each sample type the amount of Po-210 was quantified using alpha energy analysis. The soil contained 0.18 ± 0.08 Bq/g, the cotton swipe contained 0.7 mBq/g, and the air filter contained 0.04 ± 0.02 mBq/g. High and robust yields of polonium are possible using a suitable digestion, separation, and deposition method.« less

Polonium-210 analyses of vegetables, cured and uncured tobacco, and associated soils.

PubMed

Berger, K C; Erhardt, W H; Francis, C W

1965-12-24

Analysis of the edible portion of vegetables and samples of green leaf tobacco failed to show polonium-210. The cured samples of leaf tobacco and the soils that were analyzed all contained small quantities of the element. Muck soils contained three times as much Po(210) as did mineral soils. Solutions used commonly to extract "available" forms of many mineral elements failed to extract a detectable amount of Po(2l0). Indications are that Po(210) or its radioactive precursors are not taken up from the soil directly by plant roots but rather by sorption in dead, moist plant materials at the atmosphere-plant interface.

An alternative procedure for uranium analysis in drinking water using AQUALIX columns: application to varied French bottled waters.

PubMed

Bouvier-Capely, C; Bonthonneau, J P; Dadache, E; Rebière, F

2014-01-01

The general population is chronically exposed to uranium ((234)U, (235)U, and (238)U) and polonium ((210)Po) mainly through day-to-day food and beverage intake. The measurement of these naturally-occurring radionuclides in drinking water is important to assess their health impact. In this work the applicability of calix[6]arene-derivatives columns for uranium analysis in drinking water was investigated. A simple and effective method was proposed on a specific column called AQUALIX, for the separation and preconcentration of U from drinking water. This procedure is suitable for routine analysis and the analysis time is considerably shortened (around 4h) by combining the separation on AQUALIX with fast ICP-MS measurement. This new method was tested on different French bottled waters (still mineral water, sparkling mineral water, and spring water). Then, the case of simultaneous presence of uranium and polonium in water was considered due to interferences in alpha spectrometry measurement. A protocol was proposed using a first usual step of spontaneous deposition of polonium on silver disc in order to separate Po, followed by the uranium extraction on AQUALIX column before alpha spectrometry counting. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation of the contribution of smoking to total blood polonium-210 in Saudi population.

PubMed

Shabana, E I; Abd Elaziz, M A; Al-Arifi, M N; Al-Dhawailie, A A; Al-Bokari, M M

2000-01-01

A preliminary study of 210Po concentrations in the blood of some smokers and nonsmokers is presented in order to evaluate the contribution of smoking to total blood 210Po in Saudi population. Blood samples were collected from 30 volunteers and analyzed by high resolution alpha-spectrometry using a radiochemical technique. The technique is based on the separation of polonium from other components of the sample by wet ashing with an HNO3/H2O2 oxidizing mixture and spontaneous deposition on a silver disc under the relevant conditions for alpha-particle counting. The results indicated that a significant fraction (about 30%) of blood 210Po is related to smoking.

Effect of Smokeless Tobacco on Surface Roughness of Dental Restorations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-01

Graduate School of   The Uniformed Services University of the  Health  Sciences              FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA  2016      1      Effect  of...peer pressure.  Ingredients  found in smokeless tobacco include:  polonium   210 , n­nitrosamines, formaldehyde,  nicotine, cadmium, cyanide, arsenic...flavors, preservatives, and sugars are also added.  Polynuclear aromatic  hydrocarbons,  polonium   210 , and n­nitrosamines represent the chemical

Sediment data for computations of deposition rates in the tidal Potomac system, Maryland and Virginia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glenn, J.L.; Martin, E.A.; Rice, C.A.

1986-01-01

Sixty-two cores ranging in length from 33 to 1,002 cm were collected from the tidal Potomac system and from selected tributaries downstream from the local head-of-tides between June 1978 and July 1981. Segments from selected depths below the sediment surface have been analyzed for a variety of constituents, including lead-210, trace metals, nutrients, and particle size. The core sites were positioned throughout the hydrologic divisions and geomorphic units of the tidal Potomac system and in water depths ranging from 1 to 30 cm. Alpha counting methods were used to determine the polonium-210 radioactivity and secular equilibrium was assumed between lead-210more » and polonium-210. The alpha decay of polonium-210 provides a measure of the lead-210 radioactivity of the lead-210 produced by in-situ decay of radium-226 in the sediment column and the lead-210 from external sources. Only the unsupported lead-210 was used in computations of the deposition rate. The background level of lead-210 in tidal Potomac system sediment cores usually is based on in-situ measurements of total lead-210 at depths below which no unsupported lead-210 is believed to be present, and the lead-210 concentrations are relatively constant. 6 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less

210Polonium bioaccessibility assessment in algae for human consumption: An in vitro gastrointestinal digestion method.

PubMed

Desideri, Donatella; Meli, Maria Assunta; Roselli, Carla; Feduzi, Laura; Ugolini, Lucia

2017-01-01

The occurrence and mobility of natural radioactive element as 210 Polonium ( 210 Po) in 13 commercial algae consumed in Italy by humans were determined because the effects on human health need to take into account the bioavailability of these elements. The simulation of gastrointestinal (GIT) digestion was divided into three stages and was accomplished using three different artificial solutions: saliva, gastric, and synthetic bile-pancreas solution. The same sample was treated in two different ways: a) only gastric digestion and b) complete GIT digestion (gastric digestion followed by bile-pancreas solution). The difference between Po gastric mobility with respect to that found for GIT digestion was not significant; in fact, Po mobility exhibited a mean value 17.2 ± 15.1% and 19.5 ± 11.5% for gastric and GIT digestion, respectively.

Polonium-210 poisoning in London: hypochondriasis and public health.

PubMed

Morgan, Oliver W; Page, Lisa; Forrester, Sarah; Maguire, Helen

2008-01-01

In November 2006, a Russian dissident died from radioactive Polonium-210 (210Po) poisoning in London. Providing reassuring messages during a public health incident may be ineffective for individuals with high health anxiety (hypochondriasis). Members of the public who called a 24-hour telephone helpline were offered a follow-up call by a health protection specialist for reassurance. A psychiatrist attempted to contact those callers who were unable to be reassured by the health protection specialist. Of 872 individuals contacted for reassurance, seven (0.6%) could not be reassured. The psychiatrist contacted four of these individuals. Three had a history of health-related anxiety and two attributed somatic symptoms to 210Po exposure. For individuals with hypochondriasis, reassurance during major public health incidents may be ineffective. Having a psychiatrist available was helpful in managing individuals with excessive health anxiety.

Polonium-210 levels in different environmental samples.

PubMed

Fonollosa, E; Peñalver, A; Aguilar, C; Borrull, F

2015-12-01

Polonium-210 is analysed in different samples which can be affected by the presence of a dicalcium phosphate plant (DCP). Particularly, it was determined in sludge samples from a drinking water treatment plant located downstream of the phosphate plant. From the obtained results, it was not possible to establish a correlation with the industrial activities carried out in the DCP plant since the measured activities were comparable to the reported in the literature for normal soils. This isotope was also monitored in different biota species (as mussels) taken also downstream of the DCP, and the potential risk of their ingestion by calculating the total effective doses was evaluated. As a result, it is important to highlight that the ingestion of these mussels does not constitute a risk for the population since the found doses were lower than the values published by UNSCEAR.

The polonium-210 poisoning of Mr Alexander Litvinenko

DOE PAGES

Harrison, John; Fell, Tim; Leggett, Rich; ...

2017-02-28

Mr Litvinenko died on 23rd November 2006 after having been poisoned with polonium-210 on 1st November. Measurements of the polonium-210 content of post-mortem tissue samples and samples of urine and blood showed the presence of large amounts of 210Po. Furthermore, autoradiography of hair samples showed two regions of 210Po activity, providing evidence of an earlier poisoning attempt during October 2006, resulting in absorption to blood of about one-hundredth of that estimated for 1st November. Intake by ingestion on 1st November was estimated to be around 4 GBq, assuming 10% absorption to blood, and the resulting organ doses reached estimatedmore » values that were generally in a range from about 20 Gy to over 100 Gy. In comparison with estimates of protracted alpha particle the doses required to cause irreversible organ damage support the conclusion that death was the inevitable consequence of multiple organ failure, with destruction of the haemopoietic bone marrow, as well as damage to kidneys and liver, being important contributors. If the earlier poisoning during October 2006 had not been followed by a second major intake on 1st November, it is possible that the earlier intake of around 40 MBq, with absorption of 4 MBq to blood, might have proved fatal over a prolonged period of months or years, primarily as a result of kidney damage following a dose of approaching 3 Gy.« less

The polonium-210 poisoning of Mr Alexander Litvinenko

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrison, John; Fell, Tim; Leggett, Rich

Mr Litvinenko died on 23rd November 2006 after having been poisoned with polonium-210 on 1st November. Measurements of the polonium-210 content of post-mortem tissue samples and samples of urine and blood showed the presence of large amounts of 210Po. Furthermore, autoradiography of hair samples showed two regions of 210Po activity, providing evidence of an earlier poisoning attempt during October 2006, resulting in absorption to blood of about one-hundredth of that estimated for 1st November. Intake by ingestion on 1st November was estimated to be around 4 GBq, assuming 10% absorption to blood, and the resulting organ doses reached estimatedmore » values that were generally in a range from about 20 Gy to over 100 Gy. In comparison with estimates of protracted alpha particle the doses required to cause irreversible organ damage support the conclusion that death was the inevitable consequence of multiple organ failure, with destruction of the haemopoietic bone marrow, as well as damage to kidneys and liver, being important contributors. If the earlier poisoning during October 2006 had not been followed by a second major intake on 1st November, it is possible that the earlier intake of around 40 MBq, with absorption of 4 MBq to blood, might have proved fatal over a prolonged period of months or years, primarily as a result of kidney damage following a dose of approaching 3 Gy.« less

Smoking: Do You Really Know the Risks?

MedlinePlus

... Formaldehyde causes leukemia and cancer in respiratory tissues. Polonium-210 is a radioactive element that has been shown ... with most addictive substances, there are some side effects of ... serious health hazard for nonsmokers, especially children. Nonsmokers who have ...

Sequential extraction procedure for determination of uranium, thorium, radium, lead and polonium radionuclides by alpha spectrometry in environmental samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, J. M.; Carvalho, F. P.

2006-01-01

A sequential extraction technique was developed and tested for common naturally-occurring radionuclides. This technique allows the extraction and purification of uranium, thorium, radium, lead, and polonium radionuclides from the same sample. Environmental materials such as water, soil, and biological samples can be analyzed for those radionuclides without matrix interferences in the quality of radioelement purification and in the radiochemical yield. The use of isotopic tracers (232U, 229Th, 224Ra, 209Po, and stable lead carrier) added to the sample in the beginning of the chemical procedure, enables an accurate control of the radiochemical yield for each radioelement. The ion extraction procedure, applied after either complete dissolution of the solid sample with mineral acids or co-precipitation of dissolved radionuclide with MnO2 for aqueous samples, includes the use of commercially available pre-packed columns from Eichrom® and ion exchange columns packed with Bio-Rad resins, in altogether three chromatography columns. All radioactive elements but one are purified and electroplated on stainless steel discs. Polonium is spontaneously plated on a silver disc. The discs are measured using high resolution silicon surface barrier detectors. 210Pb, a beta emitter, can be measured either through the beta emission of 210Bi, or stored for a few months and determined by alpha spectrometry through the in-growth of 210Po. This sequential extraction chromatography technique was tested and validated with the analysis of certified reference materials from the IAEA. Reproducibility was tested through repeated analysis of the same homogeneous material (water sample).

210Po and 210Pb activity in Chinese cigarettes.

PubMed

Schayer, Stephen; Nowak, Barbara; Wang, Yanling; Qu, Qingshan; Cohen, Beverly

2009-05-01

The radon decay products lead-210 ((210)Pb) and polonium-210 ((210)Po) are known components of tobacco. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of cigarettes, yet no comprehensive published reports of the (210)Pb and (210)Po activity concentrations in Chinese cigarettes are available. Twelve brands of cigarettes that were commonly smoked within a group of 184 Chinese smokers were selected for (210)Pb and (210)Po activity analysis. For each brand, the tobacco from two cigarettes was isolated, dried, weighed, spiked with a (209)Po tracer for yield, and digested with concentrated HNO3, followed by HCl. The polonium in each digested solution was spontaneously deposited onto a nickel disc. The polonium activity was then counted using alpha spectroscopy. The mean (range) (210)Po activity for all brands was 23 (18-29) mBq cig(-1). The state of radioactive equilibrium between (210)Po and (210)Pb in each cigarette was verified in three brands of cigarettes. Cigarettes from two brands were smoked on a machine in order to estimate the fraction of (210)Pb and (210)Po inhaled. An average of 8% of the (210)Pb and 13% of the (210)Po in the tobacco of the cigarettes was transferred to the mainstream smoke. It is thus estimated that a person smoking 20 of these cigarettes per day in China would inhale a mean (range) of 37 (29-46) mBq d(-1) of (210)Pb and 60 (47-75) mBq d(-1) of (210)Po. Cigarette smoking in China may therefore be a large source of a person's daily intake of (210)Pb and (210)Po.

Teaching Nuclear Radiation and the Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapp, David R.

2008-03-01

The recent international story about the death of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko has more than just a few wondering about radiation poisoning and the sinister sounding polonium-210. I was preparing to begin a nuclear radiation unit the Monday after Thanksgiving 2006. As it turned out, Litvinenko died Thanksgiving Day after a short and terrible three-week illness. Having the story continue to unfold throughout the next two weeks of the new unit provided a daily opportunity for students to see the relevance of what we were doing in class. My students were able to have meaningful and informed conversations with their peers and parents over an important international event. They even began to feel a bit like authorities themselves when listening to experts respond to media questions about polonium-210 and nuclear radiation in general. This paper discusses some of the ways that the story of Litvinenko was used while presenting the topic of nuclear radiation.

210Po in Human Saliva of Smokeless Tobacco Users.

PubMed

Meli, Maria Assunta; Desideri, Donatella; Roselli, Carla; Feduzi, Laura

2017-01-01

The occurrence and mobility of Po in oral smokeless tobacco products (STPs) were determined because its effects on human health must be taken into account. This research was subdivided into two parts: determination by alpha spectrometry of the Po activity concentration in 16 oral smokeless tobacco products of different brands purchased in local specialty stores in Europe and evaluation of its percent extraction into an artificial salivary gland during sucking or chewing operations. Polonium-210 was detected in all samples, and its concentrations ranged from 3.46 to 14.8 Bq kg (mean value of 7.45 ± 3.82 Bq kg). The highest concentration was found in chewing tobacco. The samples showed no significant difference in the content of Po level. The data obtained in this study show that the polonium, although poorly extracted (12.8 ± 8.96%) by artificial saliva, is not totally retained within the smokeless tobacco products, with a consequent potential health hazard associated with oral use of these products.

Space Handbook,

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

thle early life * of" the system. Figure 4-2 shows the variation in power output for polonium - 210 (Po- 210 ) with a 138-day half-life, curium-242 (Cm...2-41 Third Body Effects ....................................................... 2-41 Effects of Oblate Earth...2-41 D~rag Effects ............................................................ 2-44 EQUATIONS PERTAINING TO BODIES

Indoor Air Quality Management for Operations and Maintenance Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

short-lived radioisotopes collectively referred to as radon " daughters ." The first four of these daughters-polonium- 218, lead-214, bismuth-214, and...that can damage cells, increasing the risk of lung cancer. The radiation dose from inhaled radon daughters makes up about half the total dose from

40 CFR 61.122 - Emission standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Emissions From Elemental Phosphorus Plants § 61.122 Emission standard. Emissions of polonium-210 to the ambient air from all calciners and nodulizing kilns at an elemental phosphorus plant shall not exceed a... elemental phosphorus plant: (a) Installs a Hydro-Sonic ® Tandem Nozzle Fixed Throat Free-Jet Scrubber System...

40 CFR 61.122 - Emission standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Emissions From Elemental Phosphorus Plants § 61.122 Emission standard. Emissions of polonium-210 to the ambient air from all calciners and nodulizing kilns at an elemental phosphorus plant shall not exceed a... elemental phosphorus plant: (a) Installs a Hydro-Sonic ® Tandem Nozzle Fixed Throat Free-Jet Scrubber System...

10 CFR 30.72 - Schedule C-Quantities of radioactive materials requiring consideration of the need for an...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Molybdenum-99 .01 30,000 Neptunium-237 .001 2 Nickel-63 .01 20,000 Niobium-94 .01 300 Phosphorus-32 .5 100 Phosphorus-33 .5 1,000 Polonium-210 .01 10 Potassium-42 .01 9,000 Promethium-145 .01 4,000 Promethium-147 .01...

10 CFR 30.72 - Schedule C-Quantities of radioactive materials requiring consideration of the need for an...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Molybdenum-99 .01 30,000 Neptunium-237 .001 2 Nickel-63 .01 20,000 Niobium-94 .01 300 Phosphorus-32 .5 100 Phosphorus-33 .5 1,000 Polonium-210 .01 10 Potassium-42 .01 9,000 Promethium-145 .01 4,000 Promethium-147 .01...

Uranium series radionuclides, polonium-210 and lead-210, in the lichen-caribou-wolf food chain of the Northwest Territories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas, P.A.; Sheard, J.W.; Swanson, S.

1994-12-31

This report examines baseline concentrations and transfer of the uranium decay products polonium-210 and lead-210 in the lichen-caribou-wolf food chain at two locations in the Northwest Territories, Baker Lake and Snowdrift. At each location, concentrations of the two radionuclides were determined in the lichen species Cetraria nivalis and Cladina mitis, and several tissues from caribou and wolves. Baseline concentrations and transfer coefficients within the food chain were compared between the two locations. Lichen samples were also collected from Kasba Lake, a third hunting ground used by northern Saskatchewan hunters. The lichen species chosen were common forage for caribou. Both themore » predominant lichen species at each location and rumen contents were used to estimate the winter diet of caribou in the calculation of transfer coefficients. The results are relevant to environmental monitoring in areas of potential future uranium mining development and the transfer coefficients determined in the study may be used to estimate radionuclide concentrations and radiation doses in future environmental assessments.« less

Polonium-210 budget in cigarettes.

PubMed

Khater, Ashraf E M

2004-01-01

Due to the relatively high activity concentrations of (210)Po and (210)Pb that are found in tobacco and its products, cigarette smoking highly increases the internal intake of both radionuclides and their concentrations in the lung tissues. That might contribute significantly to an increase in the internal radiation dose and in the number of instances of lung cancer observed among smokers. Samples of most frequently smoked fine and popular brands of cigarettes were collected from those available on the Egyptian market. (210)Po activity concentrations were measured by alpha spectrometry, using surface barrier detectors, following the radiochemical separation of polonium. Samples of fresh tobacco, wrapping paper, fresh filters, ash and post-smoking filters were spiked with (208)Po for chemical recovery calculation. The samples were dissolved using mineral acids (HNO(3), HCl and HF). Polonium was spontaneously plated-out on stainless steel disks from diluted HCl solution. The (210)Po activity concentration in smoke was estimated on the basis of its activity in fresh tobacco and wrapping paper, fresh filter, ash and post-smoking filters. The percentages of (210)Po activity concentrations that were recovered from the cigarette tobacco to ash, post-smoking filters, and smokes were assessed. The results of this work indicate that the average (range) activity concentration of (210)Po in cigarette tobacco was 16.6 (9.7-22.5) mBq/cigarette. The average percentages of (210)Po content in fresh tobacco plus wrapping paper that were recovered by post-smoking filters, ash and smoke were 4.6, 20.7 and 74.7, respectively. Cigarette smokers, who are smoking one pack (20 cigarettes) per day, are inhaling on average 123 mBq/d of (210)Po and (210)Pb each. The annual effective doses were calculated on the basis of (210)Po and (210)Pb intake with the cigarette smoke. The mean values of the annual effective dose for smokers (one pack per day) were estimated to be 193 and 251 microSv from (210)Po and (210)Pb, respectively.

Teaching Nuclear Radiation and the Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David R. Lapp

2008-01-01

The recent international story about the death of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko has more than just a few wondering about radiation poisoning and the sinister sounding polonium-210. I was preparing to begin a nuclear radiation unit the Monday after Thanksgiving 2006. As it turned out, Litvinenko died Thanksgiving Day after a short and…

77 FR 20034 - Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents in Tobacco Products and Tobacco Smoke; Established List

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-03

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0143...]pyridine). Polonium-210 CA Propionaldehyde RT, CT Propylene oxide CA, RT Quinoline CA Selenium RT Styrene... AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice; establishment of a list. SUMMARY: The Food and...

The Technologies and Principles Needed for the Powering of Remote Nodes in an Interoperability Network

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

utilizing a radioisotope, polonium - 210 , the advent of a practical use TEG launched the development and array of applications for such devices. Rapidly...47 1. Seebeck Effect ...............................47 2. Principles of Operation ......................48...UltraCell XX25 Fuel Cell (From UltraCell Corporation)....................................59 Figure 13. Effect of CO on PEMFC (From Baschuk and Li 2001

76 FR 50226 - Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents in Tobacco Products and Tobacco Smoke; Request for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0271... Nornicotine AD Phenol RT, CT PhIP (2-Amino-1-methyl-6- CA phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine). Polonium-210 CA... AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. SUMMARY: The Food and...

USSR Report, Chemistry

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-08-16

of the thermal interaction of polonium - 210 with palladium and iridium. The vacuum-thermal method of direct synthesis was used, a study of the...ZHURNAL -PRIKLADNOY KHIMII, No k, Apr 85) Ik CATALYSIS Effect of Intermetallic Compounds Zr-Co Composition on Their Catalytic Properties in...KHIMICHESKAYA, No U, Apr 85) IT Effect of Stabilization on Adsorption and Catalytic Properties of Electrodeposited Platinum Catalysts (T. M. Grishina, Ye. V

Environmental Quality: Environmental Protection and Enhancement

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-17

have an adverse effect on human health . These regulations are federally enforceable. Primacy states may have more stringent requirements. Primary...includes TT requirements for filtered and unfiltered systems that are specifically designed to protect against the adverse health effects of exposure to...MTBE (20) Alachlor ESA (36) Lead- 210 (9) Nitrobenzene (21) 1,2-diphenylhydrazine (37) Polonium - 210 (10) Terbacil (22) Diazinon (11) Acetochlor (23

Analysis of the Body Distribution of Absorbed Dose in the Organs of Three Species of Fish from Sepetiba Bay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pereira, Wagner de S; Universidade Federal Fluminense, Programa de Pos-graduacao em Biologia Marinha; Kelecom, Alphonse

2008-08-07

The body distribution of Polonium-210 in three fishes from the Sepetiba Bay (Macrodon ancylodon, Micropogonias furnieri and Mugil curema) has been studied under the approach of the Department of Energy of the United States of America (DOE) that set the limit of absorbed dose rate in biota equal to 3.5x10{sup 3} {mu}Gy/y, and that also established the relation between dose rate (D) and radionuclide concentration (c) on a fish muscle fresh weight basis, as follows: D = 5.05 ExNxC, assuming that the radionuclide distribution is homogenous among organs. Two hypotheses were tested here, using statistical tools: 1) is the bodymore » distribution of absorbed dose homogenous among organs? and 2) is the body distribution of absorbed dose identical among studied fishes? It was concluded, as expected, that the distribution among organs is heterogeneous; but, unexpectedly, that the three fishes display identical body distribution pattern, although they belong to different trophic levels. Hence, concerning absorbed dose calculation, the statement that data distribution is homogenous must be understood merely as an approximation, at least in the case of Polonium-210.« less

[Analytical chemistry in works of Maria Skłodowska-Curie].

PubMed

Hulanicki, Adam

2012-01-01

Maria Skłodowska-Curie--a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry--the elements of learning of chemistry gained just by a dint of work of more than ten months in Warsaw in the Institute of Industry and Agriculture Museum. The Nobel Prize concerned a contribution to the progress of chemistry through the discovery of radium and polonium, separation of radium and study of properties of this amazing element. It was awarded for an extremely arduous work, during which the chemical reactions being the principles of analytical chemistry were realized. Unlike to a typical analytical procedure, an initial attempt here was the thousands of kilograms of uranium ore: pitchblende. The final effect was small amounts of new elements: polonium and radium. Both the knowledge and the intuition of the researcher let her have a triumph. The difficulties she experienced because the properties of the searched chemical elements could only be evaluated thanks to the knowledge on other chemical elements. A significant achievement was the determination of the samples by means of radioactivity measurement, which gave rise to radiochemical analytical methods. An extreme analytical precision was demanded in multiple processes of fractional crystallization and precipitation which finally led to the calculation of the atomic mass of radium.

[Polonium: the radioactive killer from tobacco smoke].

PubMed

Zagà, Vincenzo; Gattavecchia, Enrico

2008-01-01

Among all carcinogenic substances contained in tobacco smoke, Polonium 210 (Po-210), with a half-life of 138 days, is one of the most dangerous, by exerting a devastating, chronic, slow and progressive carcinogenesis activity. The main source of Po-210 in tobacco is represented by fertilizers (polyphosphates) containing radium-226 (Ra-222) which decades to plumb 210 (Pb-210). Through the thricomes Pb-210 is concentrated in the tobacco leaves, where it turns to Po-210, which at the cigarette combustion temperature (800-900 degrees C) reaches the gaseous state and it is absorbed by the micro particles released into tobacco smoke. Thus, smoke becomes radioactive in both its gaseous and corpuscular components and reaches the airways, where, particularly at the branches level and together with other substances, it exerts its carcinogenic activity, especially in those subjects with impaired respiratory mucosal clearance. The carcinogenic risk/one year lifetime of a smoker of 20 cigarettes per day is equivalent to that of undertaking 300 chest x-rays. It is calculated that Po-210 may be independently responsible of 4 lung cancers every 10,000 smokers. During cigarette's combustion, tobacco smoke is also released in the air, contributing to serious health risks for those exposed to passive smoke.

Preliminary results from the lunar prospector alpha particle spectrometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawson, S. L.

2001-01-01

The Lunar Prospector Alpha Particle Spectrometer (LP APS) builds on Apollo heritage and maps the distribution of outgassing sites on the Moon. The APS searches for lunar surface gas release events and maps their distribution by detecting alpha particles produced by the decay of gaseous radon-222 (5.5 MeV, 3.8 day half-life) and solid polonium-210 (5.3 MeV, 138 day half-life, but remains on the surface with a 21 year half-life as lead-210), which are radioactive daughters from the decay of uranium-238. Radon is in such small quantities that it is not released directly from the lunar interior, rather it is entrainedmore » in a stream of gases and serves as a tracer for such gases. Once released, the radon spreads out by 'bouncing' across the surface on ballistic trajectories in a random-walk process. The 3.8 day half-life of radon-222 allows the gas to spread out by several 100 km before it decays and allows the APS to detect gas release events up to a few days after they occur. The long residence time (10s of years) of the lead-210 precursor to the polonium-210 allows the mapping of gas vents which have been active over the last approximately 50 years. Because radon and polonium are daughter products of the decay of uranium, the background level of alpha particle activity is a function of the lunar crustal uranium distribution. Using radioactive radon and polonium as tracers, the Apollo 15 and 16 Command Module orbital alpha particle experiments obtained evidence for the release of gases at several sites beneath the orbit tracks, especially over the Aristarchus Plateau and Mare Fecunditatis [1]. Aristarchus crater had previously been identified by ground-based observers as the site of transient optical events [2]. The Apollo 17 surface mass spectrometer showed that argon-40 is released from the lunar interior every few months, apparently in concert with some of the shallow moonquakes that are believed to be of tectonic origin [3]. The latter tectonic events could be associated with very young scarps identified in the lunar highlands [4] and are believed to indicate continued global contraction. Such quakes could open fissures leading to the release of gases that are trapped below the surface. The detection of radon-222 outgassing events at the margins of Fecunditatis basin was surprising because the observed surface distribution of uranium and thorium do not extend sufficiently eastward to cover Fecunditatis. If the Apollo detections prove sound, then those alpha particle emissions indicate substantial subsurface concentrations of uranium-238 within Fecunditatis. A primary goal of the APS was to map gas-release events, thus allowing both an appraisal of the current level of tectonic activity on the Moon and providing a probe of subsurface uranium concentrations.« less

Identification of Radiation Sources in a Peacetime Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-04-01

Radionuclides in Medicine, Research, and Industry (continued) Isotope Symbol Polonium - 210 Po- 210 Promethium-147 Pr-147 Radium-226 Ra-226 Selenium-75 Se...Defense Intelligence Document Prepared by: Epidemiology and Environmental Health Division Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center Defense...1811-1-96, May 1996, which should be destroyed. 2 I o % m > 1 >* This product responds to U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and

2008 Homeland Security S and T Stakeholders Conference West. Volume 4. Wednesday

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-16

www.npia.police.uk Polonium 210 Interoperability - lessons Major Incident - CBRN Images courtesy of BBC www.npia.police.uk Boscastle 2007...Washington Training Session 37: Preparing First Responders for Food Systems Disasters Jerry Gillespie, DVM, PhD Director, Western Institute for... Food Safety and Security Training Session 39: Technology Adoption & Innovation 1 Dr. Neal Thornberry, Innovation Chair Graduate School of

Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-18

polonium 210 from Moscow, through Germany, to London, apparently carried by one of the Russians Litvinenko met November 1. Russian authorities deny...radio under tight state control and virtually eliminated effective political opposition. Federal forces have suppressed large-scale military resistance...Russia’s needs — food and food processing, oil and gas extraction technology, computers, communications, transportation, and investment capital — are

Studies in Intelligence. Volume 55, Number 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

terrorists. And while they note the stories that claim the FSB poisoned Al- exander Litvinenko using polonium - 210 in Lon- don, they conclude that...cultural data effectively . This bias also affects intelli- gence collection, which aims disproportionately at foreign leaders and the elite cadres that...holdings. Given this particular organiza- tional backdrop, our aims have been modest but effective , we hope, in moving cultural research and analysis

Edgewood Arsenal: An Installation Environmental Impact Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-07-01

started if a "forecast stage" is in effect or if a temperature inversion is present. e. The Harford County Health Department Bureau of Environmental...22 Curies of carbon 14 2.5 Curies of strontium 90 6 Curi-s of nickel 63 305 turies of hydrogen 3 202 Millicuries of polonium 210 10.2 Curies of...Economic Effects ................ ....................... .......... 38 B. Public Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 C

Thermophysical Properties of Matter - the TPRC Data Series. Volume 12. Thermal Expansion Metallic Elements and Alloys

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-01-01

the thermal expansion of metallic elements, alloys, and intermetallic compounds. We believe there is also much food for reflection by the specialist...24 39 Plutonium Pu ........ ............... 260 40’ t Polonium Po ..... ............... 270 41* Potassium K ..... ............... 271 42...923 209 NIckel-Palladium NI-Pd..................926 210 * Nickel-Pitaum Ni-Pt.................90 211 Nickel-Silicon NI-SI.................932 212

Primate polonium metabolic models and their use in estimation of systemic radiation doses from bioassay data. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohen, N.

1989-03-15

A Polonium metabolic model was derived and incorporated into a Fortran algorithm which estimates the systemic radiation dose from {sup 210}Po when applied to occupational urine bioassay data. The significance of the doses estimated are examined by defining the degree of uncertainty attached to them through comprehensive statistical testing procedures. Many parameters necessary for dosimetry calculations (such as organ partition coefficients and excretion fractions), were evaluated from metabolic studies of {sup 210}Po in non-human primates. Two tamarins and six baboons were injected intravenously with {sup 210}Po citrate. Excreta and blood samples were collected. Five of the baboons were sacrificed atmore » times ranging from 1 day to 3 months post exposure. Complete necropsies were performed and all excreta and the majority of all skeletal and tissue samples were analyzed radiochemically for their {sup 210}Po content. The {sup 210}Po excretion rate in the baboon was more rapid than in the tamarin. The biological half-time of {sup 210}Po excretion in the baboon was approximately 15 days while in the tamarin, the {sup 210}Po excretion rate was in close agreement with the 50 day biological half-time predicted by ICRP 30. Excretion fractions of {sup 210}Po in the non-human primates were found to be markedly different from data reported elsewhere in other species, including man. A thorough review of the Po urinalysis procedure showed that significant recovery losses resulted when metabolized {sup 210}Po was deposited out of raw urine. Polonium-210 was found throughout the soft tissues of the baboon but not with the partition coefficients for liver, kidneys, and spleen that are predicted by the ICRP 30 metabolic model. A fractional distribution of 0.29 for liver, 0.07 for kidneys, and 0.006 for spleen was determined. Retention times for {sup 210}Po in tissues are described by single exponential functions with biological half-times ranging from 15 to 50 days.« less

Detection of radon emission at the edges of lunar maria with the Apollo alpha-particle spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, P.; Golub, L.; Bjorkholm, P.

1974-01-01

The distribution of radioactive polonium-210, a decay product of radon-222, shows enhanced concentrations at the edges of lunar maria. Enhancements are seen at the edges of Mare Fecunditatis, Mare Crisium, Mare Smythii, Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Nubium, Mare Cognitum, and Oceanus Procellarum. The observation is indicative of the transient emission of radon gas from the perimeters of lunar maria.

Hazardous Waste Surveys of Two Army Installations and an Army Hospital.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

232 Nickel-63 Uranium-238 Plutonium-239 Polonium - 210 6 Army Medical Treatment Facilities: General Administration Army Regulation (AR) 40-2, 42A peren...Categories 10 2 Waste Matrix 14 3 Search Format 16 4 Field Sanitation Unit Personal Health Supplies 19 5 Company Vehicle Maintenance Supplies...increasing industrialization of society, coupled with an equally increasing environmental and health safety awareness, has created a long list of wastes

Polonium and lung cancer.

PubMed

Zagà, Vincenzo; Lygidakis, Charilaos; Chaouachi, Kamal; Gattavecchia, Enrico

2011-01-01

The alpha-radioactive polonium 210 (Po-210) is one of the most powerful carcinogenic agents of tobacco smoke and is responsible for the histotype shift of lung cancer from squamous cell type to adenocarcinoma. According to several studies, the principal source of Po-210 is the fertilizers used in tobacco plants, which are rich in polyphosphates containing radio (Ra-226) and its decay products, lead 210 (Pb-210) and Po-210. Tobacco leaves accumulate Pb-210 and Po-210 through their trichomes, and Pb-210 decays into Po-210 over time. With the combustion of the cigarette smoke becomes radioactive and Pb-210 and Po-210 reach the bronchopulmonary apparatus, especially in bifurcations of segmental bronchi. In this place, combined with other agents, it will manifest its carcinogenic activity, especially in patients with compromised mucous-ciliary clearance. Various studies have confirmed that the radiological risk from Po-210 in a smoker of 20 cigarettes per day for a year is equivalent to the one deriving from 300 chest X-rays, with an autonomous oncogenic capability of 4 lung cancers per 10000 smokers. Po-210 can also be found in passive smoke, since part of Po-210 spreads in the surrounding environment during tobacco combustion. Tobacco manufacturers have been aware of the alpha-radioactivity presence in tobacco smoke since the sixties.

Polonium and Lung Cancer

PubMed Central

Zagà, Vincenzo; Lygidakis, Charilaos; Chaouachi, Kamal; Gattavecchia, Enrico

2011-01-01

The alpha-radioactive polonium 210 (Po-210) is one of the most powerful carcinogenic agents of tobacco smoke and is responsible for the histotype shift of lung cancer from squamous cell type to adenocarcinoma. According to several studies, the principal source of Po-210 is the fertilizers used in tobacco plants, which are rich in polyphosphates containing radio (Ra-226) and its decay products, lead 210 (Pb-210) and Po-210. Tobacco leaves accumulate Pb-210 and Po-210 through their trichomes, and Pb-210 decays into Po-210 over time. With the combustion of the cigarette smoke becomes radioactive and Pb-210 and Po-210 reach the bronchopulmonary apparatus, especially in bifurcations of segmental bronchi. In this place, combined with other agents, it will manifest its carcinogenic activity, especially in patients with compromised mucous-ciliary clearance. Various studies have confirmed that the radiological risk from Po-210 in a smoker of 20 cigarettes per day for a year is equivalent to the one deriving from 300 chest X-rays, with an autonomous oncogenic capability of 4 lung cancers per 10000 smokers. Po-210 can also be found in passive smoke, since part of Po-210 spreads in the surrounding environment during tobacco combustion. Tobacco manufacturers have been aware of the alpha-radioactivity presence in tobacco smoke since the sixties. PMID:21772848

Detection of Polonium-210 on Spirit Dust Magnets and Implications for the Global Martian Dust Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, R.; Meslin, P.; Sabroux, J.; Madsen, M. B.; Pineau, J.; Richon, P.

2013-12-01

The radioactivity of airborne aerosols, which originates from the attachment of radionuclides produced by radon disintegration, Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) or anthropogenic activities, especially fallouts from nuclear weapons testing, can be used to measure the residence time of these aerosols in the atmosphere and their deposition rate. It is also used to characterize soils erosion rates (Matissof et al., 2002) or to investigate the origin of desert rock varnish (Hodge et al., 2005), to name only a few terrestrial applications. A translation of these nuclear methods to the Martian atmosphere, which is characterized by a very active dust cycle, is tempting, and has the potential to offer a unique insight into the present-day recycling of the Martian surface. This approach is made possible by two facts: 1) the presence of radon in the Martian atmosphere, which produces long-lived radioactive decay products, in particular polonium-210, and whose abundance can be indirectly inferred by gamma ray spectrometry from orbit using Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) (Meslin et al., 2012); 2) the presence at the surface of Mars of two Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometers (APXS), onboard Opportunity and Spirit Mars Exploration Rovers, whose energy range (in the alpha mode) very fortuitously happens to include the energy of alpha particles emitted by the decay of polonium-210. The long half-life of this radionuclide is such that it is almost entirely attached to the particles that have been in suspension in the atmosphere, especially those characterized by a large specific surface area or by a long atmospheric residence time. It can therefore be used as a tracer of the dust cycle. An analysis of the alpha spectra acquired on the dust Capture and Filter magnets of the Spirit rover confirms results obtained by Meslin et al. (2006) that the Martian dust is radioactive w/r to polonium-210, thereby extending Opportunity's result to a global scale. This result enables us to derive an estimate of the effective thickness of the dust reservoir that is involved in the present-day Mars atmospheric cycle. Differences between 210Po activities measured at Gusev and Meridiani Planum could be indicative of different dust transport histories and/or physical properties, possibly related to the differences in brightness/mineralogy/composition already noted on the dust magnets at the two sites (Madsen et al., 2009). The dust coating of rocks, on the other hand, does not show any detectable 210Po signal, which suggests that these dust particles are not as easily mobilized and have not been as much involved in the present-day atmospheric cycle. Finally, a new upper limit of radon near-surface concentration has been derived. Hodge, V. F., et al. (2005), J. Env. Radioactivity, 78, 331-342. Madsen, M.B., et al. (2009), J. Geophys. Res., 114, E06S90. Matissof, G., et al. (2002), Journal Environ. Qual., 31, 54-61. Meslin, P.-Y., et al. (2006), J. Geophys. Res., 111, E09012. Meslin, P.-Y., et al. (2012), 43rd LPSC, abstr. #2852.

Front End Analysis of Soldier Individual Power Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

in the state-of-the-art MOD-GPHS-RTG, but with the fuel being polonium 210 , with a half life of 13.1.4 days, in the form of a gadolinium polonide (GdPo...allies, and industry to evaluate state-of-the-art technologies and integrate them into a system with synergistic improvement in combat effectiveness . The...Schemes ................................................... 79 Front End Analysis of Soldier Individual Power S LIST OF FIGURES I Effect of Mission

Who’s on First: Unraveling the Complexity of the United States’ Food and Agricultural Regulatory System in the Realm of Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

a weapon in food and water. The case involved the radiological poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko with Polonium 210 . An article...SECURITY Gary Wayne Elliott Emergency Management Coordinator for Environmental Health and Division of Food Protection Supervisor, South Carolina...31 c. Bioterrorism, Biodefense, and Health Security .....................31 9. Other Barriers to Comprehensible Food Safety/Defense

Where Radiobiology Began in Russia: A Physician’s Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

radiation incidents at the MPA and conduct studies of long-term health effects of radiation exposure on that population and also the general public along...White Archipelago”) (Gubarev, 2004): “Visiting a number of production facilities that worked with plutonium and polonium - 210 , I was struck by the...were established for major food products. These standards, of course, were higher than the Union-wide public health standards. They did not begin

[Determination of americium-241 in urine].

PubMed

Shvydko, N S; Mikhaĭlova, O A; Popov, D K

1988-01-01

A technique has been developed for the determination of americium 241 in urine by a radiochemical purification of the nuclide from uranium (upon co-precipitation of americium 241 with calcium and lanthanum), plutonium, thorium, and polonium 210 (upon co-precipitation of these radionuclides with zirconium iodate). alpha-Radioactivity was measured either in a thick layer of the americium 241 precipitate with a nonisotope carrier or in thin-layer preparations after electrolytic precipitation of americium 241 on a cathode.

Radioisotope Sources of Electric Power

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-09-20

u) watt/cm-3 O) specific activity f) curia/watt (curie/a) a) half-life c) specific power output h) years (capacity) 1) days d) watt/p Polonium - 210 ...AD/A-001 210 RADIOISOTOPE SOURCES OF ELECTRIC POWER G. M. Fradkin, et al Army Foreign Science and Technology Center Charlottesville, Virginia 20...ormed. 6v usino this effect , one may make small-sized 3ources of electrical eneruv. Batteries with direct charde collection may be used to create accel

Defense Space Support to Civil Authority: How Can Policy be Improved?

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-11

former Russian KGB agent, is killed by Polonium - 210 in a London sushi bar. NOV 2006 Iran successfully test-fires 3 new models of sea missiles in a show of...analysis of what requirements drive policy, analysis of current policy, and historical analysis of policy effectiveness in order to recommend future...the larger whole of policy and Defense Support to Civil Authority (DSCA), in order to analyze the effectiveness of The 2006 U.S. National Space

The Marine Geochemistry of the Rare Earth Elements

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

C3): 2045-2056. BACON, M.P., P.G. BREWER, D.W. SPENCER, T.W. MURRAY & T. GODDARD (1980). Lead - 210 , polonium - 210 , manganese and iron in the Cariaco...191 La and Pr 197 Ce: its oxidation and reduction 197 Eu 207 4.5. Conclusions 210 CHAPTER 5. Behaviour of the Rare Earth Elements in anoxic waters of...seawater and algal food . When the radioactive particles were no longer available, the accumulated radioactivity of the zooplankters was rapidly lost

Thermophysical Properties of Matter - the TPRC Data Series. Volume 13. Thermal Expansion - Nonmetallic Solids

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-01-01

topography of the state of knowledge on the thermal expansion of nonmetallic solids. We believe there is also much food for reflec- West Lafayette...34 Lithium Silicates ......... 713 209 Magnesium Metasilicate MgSiO. .. ......... 715 210 Magnesium Orthosilicate Mg2 SiO . . . . . . . . . . . . 718 211...Antiferromagnetism of Praseodymium," Phys. Rev. Letters, 12(20), 553-5, 1964. 66. Goode, J.M., "Phase Transition Temperature of Polonium ,"J. Chem. Phys., 26(5), 1269

The Big Bang, Genesis, and Knocking on Heaven's Door

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentry, Robert

2012-03-01

Michael Shermer recently upped the ante in the big bang-Genesis controversy by citing Lisa Randall's provocative claim (Science 334, 762 (2011)) that ``it is inconceivable that God could continue to intervene without introducing a material trace of his actions.'' So does Randall's and Shermer's agreement that no such evidence exists disprove God's existence? Not in my view because my 1970s Science, Nature and ARNS publications, and my article in the 1982 AAAS Western Division's Symposium Proceedings, Evolution Confronts Creation, all contain validation of God's existence via discovery of His Fingerprints of Creation and falsification of the big bang and geological evolution. These results came to wide public/scientific attention in my testimony at the 1981 Arkansas creation/evolution trial. There ACLU witness G Brent Dalrymple from the USGS -- and 2005 Medal of Science recipient from President Bush -- admitted I had discovered a tiny mystery (primordial polonium radiohalos) in granite rocks that indicated their almost instant creation. As a follow-up in 1992 and 1995 he sent out SOS letters to the entire AGU membership that the polonium halo evidence for fiat creation still existed and that someone needed to urgently find a naturalistic explanation for them. Is the physics community guilty of a Watergate-type cover-up of this discovery of God's existence and falsification of the big bang? For the answer see www.halos.tv.

Exposure to radionuclides in smoke from vegetation fires.

PubMed

Carvalho, Fernando P; Oliveira, João M; Malta, Margarida

2014-02-15

Naturally occurring radionuclides of uranium, thorium, radium, lead and polonium were determined in bushes and trees and in the smoke from summer forest fires. Activity concentrations of radionuclides in smoke particles were much enriched when compared to original vegetation. Polonium-210 ((210)Po) in smoke was measured in concentrations much higher than all other radionuclides, reaching 7,255 ± 285 Bq kg(-1), mostly associated with the smaller size smoke particles (<1.0 μm). Depending on smoke particle concentration, (210)Po in surface air near forest fires displayed volume concentrations up to 70 m Bq m(-3), while in smoke-free air (210)Po concentration was about 30 μ Bq m(-3). The estimated absorbed radiation dose to an adult member of the public or a firefighter exposed for 24h to inhalation of smoke near forest fires could exceed 5 μSv per day, i.e, more than 2000 times above the radiation dose from background radioactivity in surface air, and also higher than the radiation dose from (210)Po inhalation in a chronic cigarette smoker. It is concluded that prolonged exposure to smoke allows for enhanced inhalation of radionuclides associated with smoke particles. Due to high radiotoxicity of alpha emitting radionuclides, and in particular of (210)Po, the protection of respiratory tract of fire fighters is strongly recommended. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nutter, J.D.; O`Hara, F.A.; Rodenburg, W.W.

A calorimeter is a device to measure evolved or adsorbed heat. For our purposes, the heat measured is that associated with radioactive decay and the unit of measurement is the watt. Each time an atom decays, energy is released and absorbed by the surroundings and heat generated. For each isotope, this heat is a constant related to the energy of the decay particles and the half-life of the isotope. A point which is often overlooked is that calorimetry is one of the oldest techniques known for measuring radioactivity. In 1903, Pierre Curie and A. Laborde used a twin microcalorimeter tomore » determine that one gram of radium generates about 100 calories per hour. Several months later, Curie and Dewar used liquid oxygen and hydrogen to show that the amount of energy developed by radium and other radioactive elements did not depend on temperature. At that time, this observation was extremely important. It indicated that the nature of radioactivity is entirely different and cannot be compared with any known phenomena. In all other thermal processes known in physics and chemistry, the rate at which heat is developed changes with temperature. In 1942, Monsanto was asked by General Leslie Groves, Head of the Manhattan Project, to accept the responsibility for the chemistry and metallurgy of radioactive polonium. Late in 1943, two Monsanto scientists began a study of the half-life of polonium-210 using calorimetry.« less

Self-powered microthermionic converter

DOEpatents

Marshall, Albert C.; King, Donald B.; Zavadil, Kevin R.; Kravitz, Stanley H.; Tigges, Chris P.; Vawter, Gregory A.

2004-08-10

A self-powered microthermionic converter having an internal thermal power source integrated into the microthermionic converter. These converters can have high energy-conversion efficiencies over a range of operating temperatures. Microengineering techniques are used to manufacture the converter. The utilization of an internal thermal power source increases potential for mobility and incorporation into small devices. High energy efficiency is obtained by utilization of micron-scale interelectrode gap spacing. Alpha-particle emitting radioisotopes can be used for the internal thermal power source, such as curium and polonium isotopes.

CORPEX{reg_sign} NORM decontamination process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Azrak, R.G.

1997-02-01

This paper describes a commecial process which has been developed for application to the remediation of NORM deposits on metal parts or embedded in scales on such parts. The process employs a registered chemical process, involving non-RCRA regulated chemicals, which can remove fixed {sup 226,228}Radium, {sup 210}Lead, and {sup 210}Polonium. The author describes the capabilities of the chemical process which has been developed, the way it is offered to potential customers as a practical process, and numerous examples of its application in the field.

Introducing the Future Now: Using Memetics and Popular Culture to Identify the Post-9/11 Homeland Security Zeitgeist

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

the case within NCIS. Law and Order: Criminal Intent Episode 30 February 27, 2007 A reporter is poisoned with Polonium - 210 and the FBI joins the... effect did the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have on American culture? One outcome was the emergence of “homeland security” as a new...ABSTRACT What effect did the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, have on American culture? One outcome was the emergence of “homeland security” as

Report on the Comprehensive Survey of the Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin. Volume 8. Appendix O

DTIC Science & Technology

1960-12-01

disposed into the sewers provided that the material is soluble. (2) Radioactive levels include the following: strontium 90 or polonium 210 , not to...abundance can have a direct effect upon animal populations dependent upon them for food , the quantity and quality of the zooplankton is one index to the...obtain further data on the effect on crops of irrigation with primary effluent and to evaluate operating problems directly related to public health

Defending the Military Food Supply Acquisition, Preparation, and Protection of Food at U.S. Military Installations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

former KGB official, with polonium - 210 in 2006.25 However, a number of factors make radiological contamination of food unlikely. First, it is...attempts to poison the military food supply,1,2 one cannot ignore the fact that contaminated food could rapidly and effectively reduce the combat readiness...peppers from Mexico in the summer of 2008)5 can be an effective vector for illness. The cases mentioned above are due to lapses in food safety, so what

The Impact of Hypoxia on Bioturbation Rates in the Louisianna Continental Shelf, Northern Gulf of Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

each sample and heated in order to provide a substrate for the spontaneous deposition of polonium . Alpha spectrometry was employed to resolve Pb- 210 ...Tomography (CT). Radionuclide analyses of Pb- 210 , Be-7, unsupported Th-234, and Cs-137 were performed in order to determine sediment accumulation rates and...that occur on the order of weeks to months, whereas Cs-137 and Pb- 210 are appropriate for quantifying relatively long-term mixing on the order of

Methods and Data Used to Investigate Polonium-210 as a Source of Excess Gross-Alpha Radioactivity in Ground Water, Churchill County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seiler, Ralph L.

2007-01-01

Ground water is the major source of drinking water in the Carson River Basin, California and Nevada. Previous studies have shown that uranium and gross-alpha radioactivities in ground water can be greater than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Levels, particularly in the Carson Desert, Churchill County, Nevada. Studies also have shown that the primary source of the gross-alpha radioactivity and alpha-emitting radionuclides in ground water is the dissolution of uranium-rich granitic rocks and basin-fill sediments that have their origins in the Sierra Nevada. However, ground water sampled from some wells in the Carson Desert had gross-alpha radioactivities greater than could be accounted for by the decay of dissolved uranium. The occurrence of polonium-210 (Po-210) was hypothesized to explain the higher than expected gross-alpha radioactivities. This report documents and describes the study design, field and analytical methods, and data used to determine whether Po-210 is the source of excess gross-alpha radioactivity in ground water underlying the Carson Desert in and around Fallon, Nevada. Specifically, this report presents: 1) gross alpha and uranium radioactivities for 100 wells sampled from June to September 2001; and 2) pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and Po-210 radioactivity for 25 wells sampled in April and June 2007. Results of quality-control samples for the 2007 dataset are also presented.

Polonium-210 and selenium in tissues and tissue extracts of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Gulf of Trieste).

PubMed

Kristan, Urška; Planinšek, Petra; Benedik, Ljudmila; Falnoga, Ingrid; Stibilj, Vekoslava

2015-01-01

Marine organisms such as mussels and fish take up polonium (Po) and selenium (Se), and distribute them into different cellular components and compartments. Due to its high radiotoxicity and possible biomagnification across the marine food chain Po-210 is potentially hazardous, while selenium is an essential trace element for humans and animals. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the presence and extractability of the elements in the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis collected in the Gulf of Trieste. The levels of Po-210 in the samples ranged from 220 to 400 Bq kg(-1) and of Se from 2.6 to 8.2 mg kg(-1), both on a dry matter basis. Using various extraction types and conditions in water, buffer or enzymatic media, the best extractability was obtained with enzymatic extraction (Protease XIV, 1h shaking at 40 °C) and the worst by water extraction (24 h shaking at 37 °C). 90% of Po-210 and 70% of Se was extractable in the first case versus less than 10% of Po-210 and less than 40% of Se in the second. Such evident differences in extractability between the investigated elements point to different metabolic pathways of the two elements. In enzymatic extracts Se speciation revealed three Se compounds (SeCys2, SeMet, one undefined), while Po-210 levels were too low to allow any conclusions about speciation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Space Handbook: Astronautics and Its Applications, Staff Report of the Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration

DTIC Science & Technology

1960-01-26

voi. C’P-4, No. 8, September 1957. pp. 86 96. 52 ASTRONAUTICS AND ITS APPLICATIONS Radiator (aluminum) R uThermocouple$ (.401 Polonium 210 (32 gins) In...man per day. It has a less marked effect on the food and oxygen requirements, as indicated in figure 7. These curves are intended to be roughly...20 0 - to 10 S Food 20 40 60 80 100 120 Mean air temperature (OF) Fig.7 - Effect of temperature on water. food , and oxygen reguirements With respect

The Surface Microlayer: Review of Literature and Evaluation of Potential Effects of Dredge Activities in Puget Sound.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

Heyrand. 1975. Polonium - 210 - Its vertical oceanic transport by zoo- plankton metabolic activity. Marine Chemistry 3:105-110. Collins, J. 1974. Oil and...Toxicology Environ. Health 7:991-1000. Hose, J.E., J.B. Hannah, D. Dijulio, M.L. Landolt, B.S. Miller, W.T. Iwaoka, and S.P. Felton. 1982. Effects of benzo(a...A184 885 THE SURFACE MICROLAVER, REVIEWJ OF LITERATURE AND 1/2 EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF DREDGE ACTIVITIES IN PUGET SOUND(U) EVANS-HAMILTON

Cosmogenic 32P and 33P in the Atmosphere and Oligotrophic Ocean and Applications to the Study of Phosphorus Cycling

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-02-01

Ed.) , pp53-82. Poet, S.E., Moore H.E., and EA. Martell, 1972. Lead- 210 , bismuth 210 and polonium 210 in the atmosphere: accurate ratio measurement...in the ocean food web. The residence time of P in macrozooplankton was estimated to range from 40 to 60 days. A grazing rate of macrozooplankton of...cycles in the upper ocean remains a central issue for a com- 3 plete understanding of the biological pump and its effect on the deep ocean. There is

Analysis of polonium-210 in food products and bioassay samples by isotope-dilution alpha spectrometry.

PubMed

Lin, Zhichao; Wu, Zhongyu

2009-05-01

A rapid and reliable radiochemical method coupled with a simple and compact plating apparatus was developed, validated, and applied for the analysis of (210)Po in variety of food products and bioassay samples. The method performance characteristics, including accuracy, precision, robustness, and specificity, were evaluated along with a detailed measurement uncertainty analysis. With high Po recovery, improved energy resolution, and effective removal of interfering elements by chromatographic extraction, the overall method accuracy was determined to be better than 5% with measurement precision of 10%, at 95% confidence level.

Epidemiology of internal contamination with polonium-210 in the London incident, 2006.

PubMed

Fraser, G; Giraudon, I; Cohuet, S; Bishop, L; Maguire, H; Thomas, H L; Mandal, S; Anders, K; Sanchez-Padilla, E; Charlett, A; Evans, B; Gross, R

2012-02-01

More than 700 UK residents were tested for possible contamination with polonium-210 ((210)Po) following the alleged poisoning of Mr Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006. This paper describes the epidemiology of internal contamination with the radionuclide in this group. 11 locations in London had been identified as sufficiently environmentally contaminated with (210)Po to present a health risk to people associated with them. Public health consultant teams identified individuals at risk and offered 24-h urine testing for (210)Po excretion. Prevalence of internal contamination was estimated, and a retrospective cohort analysis was completed for each location. Overall 139 individuals (prevalence 0.19 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.27)) showed evidence of internal contamination with (210)Po, although none with uptakes likely to cause adverse health effects. Substantial prevalence was seen among specific hotel service staff, customers, staff and other users of a hotel bar, office and hospital staff, staff of one restaurant and residents of and visitors to the family home. Increased risks of contamination were seen for a hotel bar in association with occupational, behavioural and temporal factors. Occupational and guest exposure to contaminated areas of hotels were also associated with increased contamination risk. Nurses were more likely to become contaminated than other staff involved in direct patient care. Uptake of trace amounts of radionuclide in this incident was frequent. Occupational, behavioural and temporal gradients in contamination risk were mostly consistent with a priori site risk assessments. Utility of the investigation methods and findings for future accidental or deliberate environmental contamination incidents are discussed.

Transfer factors of polonium from soil to parsley and mint.

PubMed

Al-Masri, M S; Al-Hamwi, A; Eadan, Z; Amin, Y

2010-12-01

Transfer factors of (210)Po from soil to parsley and mint have been determined. Artificial polonium isotope ((208)Po) was used as a tracer to determine transfer factor of Po from soil to plant in pot experiments. Two plant growing systems were used for this study namely, an outdoor system and a sheltered system by a polyethylene tent. (208)Po and (210)Po were determined in soil and different parts of the studied plants (stem and leaf), using alpha spectroscopy. The results have shown that there was a clear uptake of (208)Po by roots to leaves and stems of both plants. Higher values of transfer factors using the (210)Po activity concentrations than the (208)Po activity concentration were observed. Transfer factors of (210)Po from soil to parsley varied between 20 × 10⁻² and 50 × 10⁻² and 22 × 10⁻³ and 67 × 10⁻³ in mint, while (208)Po transfer factors varied between 4 × 10⁻² and 12 × 10⁻² for parsley and 10 × 10⁻² and 22 × 10⁻² in mint. Transfer factors of Po were higher in those plants grown in the sheltered system than in the open system; about 75% of Po was transferred from atmosphere to parsley parts using the two systems. Ratios of transferred Po from soil to mint stem and leaf in the sheltered system were higher by 2 times from those in the open system. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toxic and carcinogenic agents in dry and moist snuff.

PubMed

Hoffmann, D; Adams, J D; Lisk, D; Fisenne, I; Brunnemann, K D

1987-12-01

The oral use of snuff is causatively associated with cancer of the oral cavity. Since most epidemiologic studies to date relate to the long-term use of dry snuff, which has dominated the U.S. smokeless tobacco market in the past, the concentrations of several toxic and carcinogenic agents in the three most popular dry snuff brands have been compared with those in the five most popular moist snuff brands sold in the United States. All eight samples were analyzed for nitrate, alkaloids, polyphenols, volatile carbonyl compounds, lead, cadmium, selenium, and the carcinogenic compounds benzo[a]pyrene (CAS: 50-32-8), polonium-210 (CAS: 13981-52-7), volatile N-nitrosamines (VNAs), N-nitrosodiethanolamine (CAS: 1116-54-7), and the tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs). Most of the snuff brands were rich in nitrate (greater than or equal to 1.5%), total polyphenols (greater than 2%), and in nicotine (greater than or equal to 1.5%), which is the habituating factor in tobacco use. Concentrations of the VNAs were significantly above the permissible limits set for some food products; the concentrations of the TSNAs in both snuff types exceeded the levels of nitrosamines in other consumer products by at least two to three orders of magnitude. The extremely high levels of the TSNAs in snuff have remained unchanged during the last decade and present the major carcinogenic risk factor for the oral use of snuff. Polonium-210 contributes further to the carcinogenic risk associated with snuff. The chemical-analytical data presented in this study do not indicate marked differences in the carcinogenic potential of moist snuff compared to dry snuff.

Photoelectrochemical cells including chalcogenophosphate photoelectrodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reichman, B.; Byvik, C. E. (Inventor)

1984-01-01

Photoelectrochemical cells employing chalcogenophosphate (MPX3) photoelectrodes are described where M is selected from the group of transition metal series of elements beginning with scandium (atomic number 21) through germanium (atomic number 32) yttrium (atomic number 39) through antimony (atomic number 51) and lanthanum (atomic number 57) through polonium (atomic number 84); P is phosphorus; and X is selected from the chalogenide series consisting of sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. These compounds have bandgaps in the desirable range from 2.0 eV to 2.2 eV for the photoelectrolysis of water and are stable when used as photoelectrodes for the same.

Natural radionuclides in lichens, mosses and ferns in a thermal power plant and in an adjacent coal mine area in southern Brazil.

PubMed

Galhardi, Juliana Aparecida; García-Tenorio, Rafael; Díaz Francés, Inmaculada; Bonotto, Daniel Marcos; Marcelli, Marcelo Pinto

2017-02-01

The radio-elements 234 U, 235 U, 238 U, 230 Th, 232 Th and 210 Po were characterized in lichens, mosses and ferns species sampled in an adjacent coal mine area at Figueira City, Paraná State, Brazil, due to their importance for the assessment of human exposure related to the natural radioactivity. The coal is geologically associated with a uranium deposit and has been used as a fossil fuel in a thermal power plant in the city. Samples were initially prepared at LABIDRO (Isotopes and Hydrochemistry Laboratory), UNESP, Rio Claro (SP), Brazil. Then, alpha-spectrometry after several radiochemical steps was used at the Applied Nuclear Physics Laboratories, University of Seville, Seville, Spain, for measuring the activity concentration of the radionuclides. It was 210 Po the radionuclide that most bio-accumulates in the organisms, reaching the highest levels in mosses. The ferns species were less sensitive as bio-monitor than the mosses and lichens, considering polonium in relation to other radionuclides. Fruticose lichens exhibited lower polonium content than the foliose lichens sampled in the same site. Besides biological features, environmental characteristics also modify the radio-elements absorption by lichens and mosses like the type of vegetation covering these organisms, their substrate, the prevailing wind direction, elevation and climatic conditions. Only 210 Po and 238 U correlated in ferns and in soil and rock materials, being particulate emissions from the coal-fired power plant the most probable U-source in the region. Thus, the biomonitors used were able to detect atmospheric contamination by the radionuclides monitored. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Death by polonium-210: lessons learned from the murder of former Soviet spy Alexander Litvinenko.

PubMed

McFee, Robin B; Leikin, Jerrold B

2009-02-01

The medical response to radiation--whether the result of radiological warfare, terrorist deployment of improvised radiation dispersal weapons, political assassination, occupational or industrial accidents or the medically radiated patient remains one of the least taught among all disciplines within medical education. In the aftermath of 9/11 among medical vulnerabilities to toxicant threats, of all the categories of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)--whether using the CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive) or NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) acronym--radiation is the least taught in professional schools, responder cultures or civil preparedness organizations. To date, few health care professionals (HCP) possess the fundamental knowledge or skills to identify and diagnose, let alone treat a radiation victim; this vulnerability made even more obvious in the aftermath of the high profile assassination of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko. He was poisoned with Polonium210. Radioactive substances are ubiquitous with radiation sources being in or transported through virtually every region nationwide. It is essential to increase preparedness among community and rural health care facilities as well as urban and university hospitals. Managing radiation injuries effectively requires access to specialized equipment and expertise. Radiation sickness is progressive and may require acute, critical and long-term care throughout the course of illness. Regardless of the source, preparedness rests upon acknowledging a threat exists and dedicating the resources to address the risks including the enhancement of training and equipment. Mass or individual exposures to radiation present unique challenges to the entire response continuum from law enforcement, first responders and emergency medical care. Increased education about and practice in responding to radiological threats is essential to enhance preparedness.

Polonium in cigarette smoke and radiation exposure of lungs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, Fernando P.; Oliveira, João M.

2006-01-01

Polonium (210Po), the most volatile of naturally-occurring radionuclides in plants, was analysed in three common brands of cigarettes produced in Portugal. The analyses were carried out on the unburned tobacco contained in cigarettes, on the ashes and butts of smoked cigarettes and on the mainstream smoke. 210Po in tobacco displays concentrations ranging from 3 to 37 mBq g-1, depending upon the cigarette brand. The 210Po activity remaining in the solid residue of a smoked cigarette varied from 0.3 to 4.9 mBq per cigarette, and the 210Po in the inhaled smoke varied from 2.6 to 28.9 mBq. In all brands of cigarettes tested, a large fraction of the 210Po content is not inhaled by the smoker and it is released into the atmosphere. Part of it may be inhaled by passive smokers. Depending upon the commercial brand and upon the presence or absence of a filter in the cigarette, 5 to 37 % of the 210Po in the cigarette can be inhaled by the smoker. Taking into account the average 210Po in surface air, the smoker of one pack of twenty cigarettes per day may inhale 50 times 210Po than a non smoker. Cigarette smoke contributes with 1.5 % to the daily rate of 210Po absorption into the blood, 0.39 Bq d-1, and, after systemic circulation it gives rise to a whole body radiation dose in the same proportion. However, in the smoker the deposition of 210Po in the lungs is much more elevated than normal and may originate an enhanced radiation exposure. Estimated dose to the lungs is presented and radiobiological effects of cigarette smoke are discussed.

Public information needs after the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with polonium-210 in London: cross sectional telephone survey and qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Rubin, G James; Page, Lisa; Morgan, Oliver; Pinder, Richard J; Riley, Paul; Hatch, Stephani; Maguire, Helen; Catchpole, Mike; Simpson, John; Wessely, Simon

2007-12-01

To identify public perceptions of the risk to health after the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with polonium-210 (210Po) in London and to assess the impact of public health communications. Cross sectional telephone survey and qualitative interviews. London, United Kingdom. 1000 people completed the cross sectional survey and 86 potentially exposed people completed the qualitative interviews. Perception of risk to personal health after the 210Po incident. Qualitative interviews were analysed with an emphasis on information needs. 11.7% of the survey sample (n=117) perceived their health to be at risk. Aside from personal variables the main predictors of perceived risk to health were believing that the incident was related to terrorism (odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 4.6) rather than to espionage, that it was targeted at the wider public rather than one person (5.9, 3.2 to 10.9), and that it could affect people who had not been in the contaminated area (3.2, 2.1 to 5.1). Participants in the qualitative interviews were generally satisfied with the information they had received, although they would have preferred more information about their individual risk of exposure, the results of their urine tests, and the health implications of the incident. Perceptions of the public that the 210Po incident in London in 2006 was related to espionage helped to reassure them that the risks to personal health were low. In the event of future incidents it is important to ensure that detailed, comprehensible information about the risks of any exposure is available.

Public information needs after the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with polonium-210 in London: cross sectional telephone survey and qualitative analysis

PubMed Central

Page, Lisa; Morgan, Oliver; Pinder, Richard J; Riley, Paul; Hatch, Stephani; Maguire, Helen; Catchpole, Mike; Simpson, John; Wessely, Simon

2007-01-01

Objectives To identify public perceptions of the risk to health after the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with polonium-210 (210Po) in London and to assess the impact of public health communications. Design Cross sectional telephone survey and qualitative interviews. Setting London, United Kingdom. Participants 1000 people completed the cross sectional survey and 86 potentially exposed people completed the qualitative interviews. Main outcome measures Perception of risk to personal health after the 210Po incident. Qualitative interviews were analysed with an emphasis on information needs. Results 11.7% of the survey sample (n=117) perceived their health to be at risk. Aside from personal variables the main predictors of perceived risk to health were believing that the incident was related to terrorism (odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 4.6) rather than to espionage, that it was targeted at the wider public rather than one person (5.9, 3.2 to 10.9), and that it could affect people who had not been in the contaminated area (3.2, 2.1 to 5.1). Participants in the qualitative interviews were generally satisfied with the information they had received, although they would have preferred more information about their individual risk of exposure, the results of their urine tests, and the health implications of the incident. Conclusions Perceptions of the public that the 210Po incident in London in 2006 was related to espionage helped to reassure them that the risks to personal health were low. In the event of future incidents it is important to ensure that detailed, comprehensible information about the risks of any exposure is available. PMID:17975252

Kidney disease in beagles injected with polonium-210

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruenger, F.W.; Lloyd, R.D.; Taylor, G.N.

An unusually high incidence of kidney disease (tubular degeneration and necrosis with fibrous replacement) was observed among 24 beagles injected at about 5 years of age with 116 or 329 kBq 226Ra kg-1 but not among an additional 10 beagles given about 39 kBq 226Ra kg-1. This 226Ra solution also contained 210Pb, 210Bi, and 210Po. To determine whether the kidney disease was related to the radiation from 226Ra and its short-lived progeny or to the alpha radiation from 210Po, 2 beagles about 7 years of age were injected with 451 kBq 226Ra kg-1 of 210Po citrate. Measurements of polonium retentionmore » in the kidneys of 4 additional beagles given 210Bi citrate enabled us to model the retention of these emitters in the dog kidney and to estimate the kidney dose from the alpha radiation of 210Po following injection of either 226Ra + 210Bi + 210Po or 210Po only. Autoradiography revealed that almost equal concentrations of 210Po were in the tubular epithelium and/or its basement membrane and in the glomeruli, but very little of the 210Bi deposited in kidney tissue was present in the glomeruli. Radiation damage to the kidneys similar to that observed previously in beagles given 226Ra solutions that also contained 210Bi and 210Po was seen among the beagles given 210Po but not in the dogs given purified 226Ra. The analysis of these data indicated that the relatively high incidence of kidney disease among the mature beagles injected with 226Ra and its accompanying 210Bi and 210Po resulted from alpha irradiation of the kidneys by the substantial amount of 210Po that was in the injection solution.« less

210Po in the marine biota of Korean coastal waters and the effective dose from seafood consumption.

PubMed

Kim, S H; Hong, G H; Lee, H M; Cho, B E

2017-08-01

The activity concentrations of 210 Po were determined in plankton and selected species of macroalgae, crustaceans, molluscs, and fish from Korean coastal waters to understand 210 Po distribution in these trophic levels and to assess the effective dose of 210 Po from seafood ingested by the average Korean. The activity concentration of 210 Po in macroalgae, mixed plankton, anchovy (whole body), abalone muscle, and abalone viscera was 0.97-1.43, 32-137, 59-392, 2.93 ± 0.86, and 1495 ± 484 Bq kg -1 (w.w.), respectively. Polonium-210 concentration in the whole flesh of mussel and oyster were 47.8 ± 5.9 and 45.3 ± 7.1 Bq kg -1 (w.w.), respectively. Polonium-210 concentration in the muscle of the five tested species of fish other than anchovy ranged from 0.51 to 5.56 Bq kg -1 (w.w.), with the lowest amount in a demersal species. In fish, 210 Po activity concentration was as much as three orders of magnitude higher in viscera than in muscle. The average annual effective 210 Po dose per average Korean adult, who consumes 42.8 kg of seafood a year (excluding anchovy), was estimated to be 94 μSv y -1 , with 42-71% of this attributed to shellfish. Further studies are required to assess the dose of 210 Po from anchovy owing to its high activity concentration and the manner in which anchovy is consumed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Converter target chemistry - A new challenge to radioanalytical chemistry.

PubMed

Choudhury, Dibyasree; Lahiri, Susanta

2018-07-01

The 1-2 GeV proton induced spallation reaction on the high Z materials like Hg, or lead bismuth eutectic (LBE), popularly known as converter targets, will produce strong flux of fast neutrons which would further react with fissile materials to produce intense radioactive ion beam (RIB). LBE offers suitability for use as converters over Hg but it suffers from the demerit of radiotoxic polonium production. These targets may be viewed as a store house of clinically important and other exotic radionuclides. For application of those radionuclides, radiochemical separation from bulk target material is of utmost importance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production and decay spectroscopy of {sup 192}Po and {sup 194}Po

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andel, B., E-mail: boris.andel@fmph.uniba.sk

2015-10-15

A γ-ray spectroscopy study of the (11{sup −}) isomers in {sup 194}Po and {sup 192}Po was performed at the velocity filter SHIP at GSI (Germany). Nuclei were produced in fusion-evaporation reactions and investigated in the detection set-up at the focal plane after the separator. Several new γ transitions were attributed to the isomers and detailed analysis of the first γ-γ coincidences for both isomers is being prepared. For the reaction {sup 56}Fe + {sup 141}Pr → {sup 197}At*, excitation functions for astatine and polonium isotopes were measured and compared with HIVAP calculations.

Radiochemical techniques for determining some naturally occurring radionuclides in marine environmental materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, C. W.

1984-06-01

The determination of some of the naturally-occurring, alpha-emitting radionuclides in marine environmental materials, is of interest for several reasons. Radium and radon nuclides are potentially useful as oceanographic tracers. Lead and thorium nuclides may be used to study sedimentation rates, mixing processes and bioturbation in sediments. Radium and polonium nuclides are incorporated into food chains and the data may provide a perspective against which to assess the significance, for marine organisms, of exposure to radiation in a marine radioactive waste disposal situation. This paper discusses the manner in which samples are taken, and the radiochemical methods which have been employed to measure the nuclides, together with some data produced.

Baseline concentration of Polonium-210 ((210)Po) in tuna fish.

PubMed

Khan, M Feroz; Wesley, S Godwin

2016-06-15

Several species of tuna fish were analyzed for (210)Po content in their edible muscle tissues. This study was carried out as a part of baseline data generation around a large nuclear power plant situated at Kudankulam, southeast coast of India. The concentration of (210)Po in the muscle tissue ranged from 40.9±5.2 to 92.5±7.9Bq/kg of fresh fish, and the highest activity was recorded for the tuna Euthynnus affinis and the lowest for Auxis thazard. The committed effective dose to the local residents was calculated to be 62.7-141.8μSvyear(-1). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EFFECT OF POLONIUM /cap alpha/ RADIATION ON GELATINE (in French)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ader, M.

1962-08-01

When a nuclear plate, which has been exposed to radiation, developed, and dried, is exposed to a Po source, no effect can be detected by either the eye or the microscope. However if the plate is placed in distilled water, the emulsion thickness of the irradiated region is reduced by approximately 20 mu . A ridge'' separates this region from the nonirradiated region. The ridge contains piles of silver grains, very deformed traces of the old radiation, and some gelatin fragments. It appears that the alpha particles penetrating the gelatine transforms this gelatin, reversible protein, into a substance soluble'' inmore » distilled water or entrained by the distilled water. (J.S.R.)« less

The University of Rochester Atomic Energy Project quarterly report, April 1, 1950--June 30, 1950

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blair, H.A.

This quarterly progress report gives an overview of the University of Rochester Atomic Energy Project for April 1, 1950 thru June 30, 1950. Sections included are entitled (1) Biological Effects of External Radiation (X-rays and gamma rays), (2) Biological Effects of External Radiation (Infra-red and ultraviolet), (3) Biological effects of radioactive materials (polonium, radon, thoron, and miscellaneous project materials), (4) Uranium, (5) Beryllium, (7) thorium, (8) fluoride, (9) zirconium, (10) special materials, (11) Isotopes, (12) Outside services, (12) Project health, (13) Health physics, (14) Special Clinical Service, and (15) Instrumentation (Spectroscopy, electron microscopy, x-ray and nuclear radiation detectors, x-ray diffraction,more » and electronics).« less

Coder’s Manual: A Guide to TEPIAC Documentation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-07-01

Po Polonium Am Americium Hg Mercury Pr Praseodymium *Ar Argon (Hydrargyrum) Pt Platinum (also A) Ho Holmium Pu Plutonium *As Arsenic *1 Iodine Ra...Er 20 3 208 D ChD2 110 F F 2 Fe (FeF 21 209 E C 6H1 5ErO1 2S 3[Er(C 2 HSO 4)3] III G GaO4P [GaPO4] 210 F CH3 F 112 H 1iNO 212 G C8 H20Ge [Ge(C 2 H 5...Fluidity, 69 Heat conductance (contact), 62 Fluidized bed, 27 Heat conduction, 57 Fluorescence, 125 Heat conductivity, 57 Food products, 31 Heat content

Maria Skłodowska-Curie, her life and work - the 150 anniversary of her birthday

PubMed

Dobrzyńska, Małgorzata M.

Maria Skłodowska was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw (Poland). Her parents were teachers. Maria’s mother has died in 1878 of tuberculosis. In 1893 and 1894, respectively, Maria was awarded master’s degrees in physics and in mathematics from the Sorbonne University. In 1895 Maria married Pierre Curie. In 1897 their daughter Irene was born. Maria investigated rays emitted by uranium salts. She hypothesized that the radiation come from atom and called this phenomenon “radioactivity”. In 1898, Maria and Pierre discovered new radioactive elements polonium and radium. In 1902 she isolated pure radium chloride and defined radium atomic mass. In June 1903, Maria supervised by Professor Lippmann was awarded her doctorate in physics from the Sorbonne University of Paris after presentation of the thesis “Investigation of radioactive bodies”. In December 1903, Maria was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel, for their work on radioactivity. In 1904, the daughter Eve was born. On 19 April 1906, Pierre was killed in a road accident in Paris. In 1910 Maria isolated radium as a pure metal. She also defined an international standard for radioactive emissions (curie), published her fundamental results on radioactivity and textbook of radiology. She also defined the international pattern of radium. In 1911, she won her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her discovery of radium and polonium. In 1914 she was appointed director in the Radium Institute in Paris. During World War I, Maria became the director of the Red Cross Radiology Service and set up France’s first military radiology centre. In May 1932 she has attended the official opening ceremony of the Radium Institute in Warsaw. On 4 July 1934, Maria Skłodowska-Curie has died aged 66 years in Sancellemoz sanatorium (France) of aplastic anemia.

The international follow-up of individuals potentially exposed to polonium-210 in London 2006.

PubMed

Shaw, K; Anders, K; Olowokure, B; Fraser, G; Maguire, H; Bailey, M; Smith, J; Frossell, S; Yap, K; Evans, B

2010-06-01

Following a death from polonium-210 ((210)Po), contamination was found at several sites in London. This paper describes the UK Health Protection Agency's follow-up and assessment of individuals resident overseas who were potentially exposed to (210)Po. Descriptive follow-up study. Individuals were classified into three exposure groups (higher, lower and unknown). Presence and degree of internal contamination were measured by 24-h urinary (210)Po activity (mBq/day). Results over 30mBq/day were taken to indicate probable contact with (210)Po in this incident. Dose assessments were conducted to determine degree of exposure and to identify individuals requiring further follow-up. Overall, 664 potentially exposed persons from 52 countries and territories were identified. Of these, 157 (24%) were in the higher exposure category, and urinary measurements were reported for 31% (48/157). Results for 19% (9/48) of those at higher exposure were more than 30mBq/day. For those at lower exposure, the percentage was 4% (3/68). Results above 30mBq/day were significantly more likely to be reported for the higher exposure category than the lower exposure category (Fisher's exact test P=0.010). Reported dose assessments suggested that identified individuals were not at increased health risk in the long term. Challenges and practical lessons were identified during the investigation. The results suggest that it is unlikely that any overseas resident had significant internal contamination with (210)Po. However, this incident clearly demonstrated the scale of international involvement likely to be necessary in other public health emergencies in large cities. The lessons identified have implications for the international health community, particularly with regard to the follow-up of individuals exposed to radiation in one country who then travel to another. Copyright 2010 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polonium-210 accumulates in a lake receiving coal mine discharges-anthropogenic or natural?

PubMed

Nelson, A W; Eitrheim, E S; Knight, A W; May, D; Wichman, M D; Forbes, T Z; Schultz, M K

2017-02-01

Coal is an integral part of global energy production; however, coal mining is associated with numerous environmental health impacts. It is well documented that coal-mine waste can contaminate the environment with naturally-occurring radionuclides from the uranium-238 ( 238 U) decay series. However, the behavior of the final radionuclide in the 238 U-series, i.e., polonium-210 ( 210 Po) arising from coal-mine waste-water discharge is largely unexplored. Here, results of a year-long (2014-2015) field study, in which the concentrations of 210 Po in sediments and surface water of a lake that receives coal-mine waste-water discharge in West Virginia are presented. Initial measurements identified levels of 210 Po in the lake sediments that were in excess of that which could be attributed to ambient U-series parent radionuclides; and were indicative of discharge site contamination of the lake ecosystem. However, control sediment obtained from a similar lake system in Iowa (an area with no coal mining or unconventional drilling) suggests that the levels of 210 Po in the lake are a natural phenomenon; and are likely unrelated to waste-water treatment discharges. Elevated levels of 210 Po have been reported in lake bottom sediments previously, yet very little information is available on the radioecological implications of 210 Po accumulation in lake bottom sediments. The findings of this study suggest that (Monthly Energy Review, 2016) the natural accumulation and retention of 210 Po in lake sediments may be a greater than previously considered (Chadwick et al., 2013) careful selection of control sites is important to prevent the inappropriate attribution of elevated levels of NORM in lake bottom ecosystems to industrial sources; and (Van Hook, 1979) further investigation of the source-terms and potential impacts on elevated 210 Po in lake-sediment ecosystems is warranted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extractive procedure for uranium determination in water samples by liquid scintillation counting.

PubMed

Gomez Escobar, V; Vera Tomé, F; Lozano, J C; Martín Sánchez, A

1998-07-01

An extractive procedure for uranium determination using liquid scintillation counting with the URAEX cocktail is described. Interference from radon and a strong influence of nitrate ion were detected in this procedure. Interference from radium, thorium and polonium emissions were very low when optimal operating conditions were reached. Quenching effects were considered and the minimum detectable activity was evaluated for different sample volumes. Isotopic analysis of samples can be performed using the proposed method. Comparisons with the results obtained with the general procedure used in alpha spectrometry with passivated implanted planar silicon detectors showed good agreement. The proposed procedure is thus suitable for uranium determination in water samples and can be considered as an alternative to the laborious conventional chemical preparations needed for alpha spectrometry methods using semiconductor detectors.

Fusion Blanket Coolant Section Criteria, Methodology, and Results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeMuth, J. A.; Meier, W. R.; Jolodosky, A.

2015-10-02

The focus of this LDRD was to explore potential Li alloys that would meet the tritium breeding and blanket cooling requirements but with reduced chemical reactivity, while maintaining the other attractive features of pure Li breeder/coolant. In other fusion approaches (magnetic fusion energy or MFE), 17Li- 83Pb alloy is used leveraging Pb’s ability to maintain high TBR while lowering the levels of lithium in the system. Unfortunately this alloy has a number of potential draw-backs. Due to the high Pb content, this alloy suffers from very high average density, low tritium solubility, low system energy, and produces undesirable activation productsmore » in particular polonium. The criteria considered in the selection of a tritium breeding alloy are described in the following section.« less

Intercomparison of retrospective radon detectors.

PubMed Central

Field, R W; Steck, D J; Parkhurst, M A; Mahaffey, J A; Alavanja, M C

1999-01-01

We performed both a laboratory and a field intercomparison of two novel glass-based retrospective radon detectors previously used in major radon case-control studies performed in Missouri and Iowa. The new detectors estimate retrospective residential radon exposure from the accumulation of a long-lived radon decay product, (210)Pb, in glass. The detectors use track registration material in direct contact with glass surfaces to measure the alpha-emission of a (210)Pb-decay product, (210)Po. The detector's track density generation rate (tracks per square centimeter per hour) is proportional to the surface alpha-activity. In the absence of other strong sources of alpha-emission in the glass, the implanted surface alpha-activity should be proportional to the accumulated (210)Po, and hence to the cumulative radon gas exposure. The goals of the intercomparison were to a) perform collocated measurements using two different glass-based retrospective radon detectors in a controlled laboratory environment to compare their relative response to implanted polonium in the absence of environmental variation, b) perform collocated measurements using two different retrospective radon progeny detectors in a variety of residential settings to compare their detection of glass-implanted polonium activities, and c) examine the correlation between track density rates and contemporary radon gas concentrations. The laboratory results suggested that the materials and methods used by the studies produced similar track densities in detectors exposed to the same implanted (210)Po activity. The field phase of the intercomparison found excellent agreement between the track density rates for the two types of retrospective detectors. The correlation between the track density rates and direct contemporary radon concentration measurements was relatively high, considering that no adjustments were performed to account for either the residential depositional environment or glass surface type. Preliminary comparisons of the models used to translate track rate densities to average long-term radon concentrations differ between the two studies. Further calibration of the retrospective detectors' models for interpretation of track rate density may allow the pooling of studies that use glass-based retrospective radon detectors to determine historic residential radon exposures. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 PMID:10545336

Ingestion of polonium ((210)Po) via dietary sources in high background radiation areas of south India.

PubMed

Arunachalam, Kantha Deivi; Baskaran, Kamesh Viswanathan; Rao, D D; Sathyapriya, R; Annamalai, Sathesh Kumar; Kuruva, Jaya Krishna; Hari, Shanmugamsundaram

2014-10-01

To study the distribution of Polonium ((210)Po) activity in dietary sources in the high background radiation zone of Puttetti in southern Tamil Nadu. (210)Po was analyzed in the food materials consumed by the male and female individual representatives living in the high background areas by 24-h Duplicate Diet Study (DDS) and Market Basket Study (MBS). The MBS was performed by collecting the food samples such as, cereals, fruits, leafy vegetables, roots and tubers, other vegetables, fish, meat and milk grown in the high background radiation zone of southern Tamil Nadu as a part of baseline study in this region. The DDS was done by collecting the food materials consumed including the beverages in 24 h from different age groups of male and female individuals living in the village of Puttetti. The intake and ingestion dose of the radionuclide (210)Po was estimated. The average concentration of (210)Po in DDS (n = 33) was found to be 74 mBq.kg(- 1) of fresh weight. The MBS was collected based on food consumption representing more than 85-95% of annual supply, and were divided into eight food groups. The average concentration of (210)Po in the eight food groups namely leafy vegetables was 2176 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 3), vegetables 55 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 10), roots and tubers 251 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 4), fruits 65 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 5), fish 345 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 2), meat food 117 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 3), milk 20 mBq.kg(- 1) (n = 1) and cereal 290 (n = 1) mBq.kg(- 1) of fresh weight, respectively. The annual intake and ingestion dose due to (210)Po was estimated by DDS and MBS in adults, adolescents and children. The overall results showed that the MBS was moderately higher than the DDS in all age groups. Moreover, a DDS approach may even be more realistic, as cooked foodstuffs are used for dietary exposure assessment. The study confirms that the current levels of (210)Po do not pose a significant radiological risk to the local inhabitants.

Intercomparison of retrospective radon detectors.

PubMed

Field, R W; Steck, D J; Parkhurst, M A; Mahaffey, J A; Alavanja, M C

1999-11-01

We performed both a laboratory and a field intercomparison of two novel glass-based retrospective radon detectors previously used in major radon case-control studies performed in Missouri and Iowa. The new detectors estimate retrospective residential radon exposure from the accumulation of a long-lived radon decay product, (210)Pb, in glass. The detectors use track registration material in direct contact with glass surfaces to measure the alpha-emission of a (210)Pb-decay product, (210)Po. The detector's track density generation rate (tracks per square centimeter per hour) is proportional to the surface alpha-activity. In the absence of other strong sources of alpha-emission in the glass, the implanted surface alpha-activity should be proportional to the accumulated (210)Po, and hence to the cumulative radon gas exposure. The goals of the intercomparison were to a) perform collocated measurements using two different glass-based retrospective radon detectors in a controlled laboratory environment to compare their relative response to implanted polonium in the absence of environmental variation, b) perform collocated measurements using two different retrospective radon progeny detectors in a variety of residential settings to compare their detection of glass-implanted polonium activities, and c) examine the correlation between track density rates and contemporary radon gas concentrations. The laboratory results suggested that the materials and methods used by the studies produced similar track densities in detectors exposed to the same implanted (210)Po activity. The field phase of the intercomparison found excellent agreement between the track density rates for the two types of retrospective detectors. The correlation between the track density rates and direct contemporary radon concentration measurements was relatively high, considering that no adjustments were performed to account for either the residential depositional environment or glass surface type. Preliminary comparisons of the models used to translate track rate densities to average long-term radon concentrations differ between the two studies. Further calibration of the retrospective detectors' models for interpretation of track rate density may allow the pooling of studies that use glass-based retrospective radon detectors to determine historic residential radon exposures.

Degassing of metals and metalloids from erupting seamount and mid-ocean ridge volcanoes: Observations and predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, Ken

1997-09-01

Recently, it has been reported that the element polonium degasses from mid-ocean ridge and seamount volcanoes during eruptions. Published and new observations on other volatile metal and metalloid elements can also be interpreted as indicating significant degassing of magmatic vapors during submarine eruptions. This process potentially plays an important role in the net transfer of chemical elements from erupting volcanoes to seawater in addition to that arising from sea floor hydrothermal systems. In this paper, a framework is constructed for predicting and assessing semiquantitatively the potential magnitude and chemical fingerprints in the water column of metal and metalloid degassing using (1) predictions from a summary of element volatilities during mafic subaerial volcanism worldwide and (2) limited data from submarine volcanic effusives. The latter include analyses of polonium and trace metals in near-volcano water masses sampled following a submarine eruption at Loihi seamount, Hawaii (1000 m bsl) in 1996. The element volatility predictions and observations show good agreement, considering the limited dataset. Some of the highest volatility main group and transition element enrichments in seawater over Loihi are predicted by the degassing mass transfer model I present. When expanded to cover all submarine volcanic activity, it is predicted that exit fluxes of these elements are up to 10 2-10 3 greater by degassing than by normal MOR hydrothermalism. In contrast, MOR exit fluxes of low volatility alkali and alkaline earth elements are likely 10 2-10 6 greater from hydrothermal inputs. Degassing inputs to the ocean are probably highly episodic, occurring almost entirely during eruptions; these are times of enhanced and abnormal hydrothermalism as well. Although major hydrothermal and degassing events may not be chemically recognizable in real water masses as wholly distinct entities, it is nevertheless possible to predict to what extent each process flavors the effluents of the other. Degassing at mid-ocean ridges may explain a variety of observations previously ascribed to complexities occurring during hydrothermal venting and/or fluid ascent in the buoyant hydrothermal plumes above ridges.

The discovery of radioactivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radvanyi, Pierre; Villain, Jacques

2017-11-01

The radioactivity of uranium was discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel who, starting from a wrong idea, progressively realized what he was observing, regularly informing the French Academy of Sciences of the progress he was doing. In the next years, it was found that thorium was radioactive too, and two new radioactive elements, polonium and radium, were discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie, while a third one, actinium, was identified by André Debierne. The study of the penetrating power and of the effect of electric and magnetic fields allowed scientists to demonstrate the complexity of nuclear radiation with its three components α, β, γ. The Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences allow the reader to see how difficult it was to understand the nature of radioactivity, which was essentially elucidated by Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy.

Determination of (210)Po in drinking water and urine samples using copper sulfide microprecipitation.

PubMed

Guérin, Nicolas; Dai, Xiongxin

2014-06-17

Polonium-210 ((210)Po) can be rapidly determined in drinking water and urine samples by alpha spectrometry using copper sulfide (CuS) microprecipitation. For drinking water, Po in 10 mL samples was directly coprecipitated onto the filter for alpha counting without any purification. For urine, 10 mL of sample was heated, oxidized with KBrO3 for a short time (∼5 min), and subsequently centrifuged to remove the suspended organic matter. The CuS microprecipitation was then applied to the supernatant. Large batches of samples can be prepared using this technique with high recoveries (∼85%). The figures of merit of the methods were determined, and the developed methods fulfill the requirements for emergency and routine radioassays. The efficiency and reliability of the procedures were confirmed using spiked samples.

Radiological Hazard of Spallation Products in Accelerator-Driven System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saito, M.; Stankovskii, A.; Artisyuk, V.

The central issue underlying this paper is related to elucidating the hazard of radioactive spallation products that might be an important factor affecting the design option of accelerator-driven systems (ADSs). Hazard analysis based on the concept of Annual Limit on Intake identifies alpha-emitting isotopes of rare earths (REs) (dysprosium, gadolinium, and samarium) as the dominant contributors to the overall toxicity of traditional (W, Pb, Pb-Bi) targets. The matter is addressed from several points of view: code validation to simulate their yields, choice of material for the neutron producing targets, and challenging the beam type. The paper quantitatively determines the domainmore » in which the toxicity of REs exceeds that of polonium activation products broadly discussed now in connection with advertising lead-bismuth technology for the needs of ADSs.« less

Biomembranes research using thermal and cold neutrons

DOE PAGES

Heberle, Frederick A.; Myles, Dean A. A.; Katsaras, John

2015-08-01

In 1932 James Chadwick discovered the neutron using a polonium source and a beryllium target (Chadwick, 1932). In a letter to Niels Bohr dated February 24, 1932, Chadwick wrote: “whatever the radiation from Be may be, it has most remarkable properties.” Where it concerns hydrogen-rich biological materials, the “most remarkable” property is the neutron’s differential sensitivity for hydrogen and its isotope deuterium. Such differential sensitivity is unique to neutron scattering, which unlike X-ray scattering, arises from nuclear forces. Consequently, the coherent neutron scattering length can experience a dramatic change in magnitude and phase as a result of resonance scattering, impartingmore » sensitivity to both light and heavy atoms, and in favorable cases to their isotopic variants. Furthermore, this article describes recent biomembranes research using a variety of neutron scattering techniques.« less

Radiation-induced leukemia: lessons from history.

PubMed

Finch, Stuart C

2007-03-01

Beginning in 1895, with the discovery of x-rays, alpha and beta radiation, uranium, radium, thorium, and polonium, the fascinating story of the beginning of knowledge concerning the existence of ionizing radiation unfolds. This brief history of radiation and leukemia is divided into two main parts: the first 50 years, which deals with the confusion regarding radiation effects and the failure to clearly recognize that exposure to ionizing radiation may induce leukemia. The second part focuses on the last 60 years, when the radiation induction of leukemia was accepted and some progress achieved in understanding the clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of radiation-induced leukemia. Particular attention in this is paid to the effects of radiation on the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The discussion in this section also covers some concepts of radiation-induced cell damage and ruminations on unanswered questions.

Cancer risk in relation to radioactivity in tobacco.

PubMed

Kilthau, G F

1996-01-01

Leaf tobacco contains minute amounts of lead 210 (210Pb) and polonium 210 (210Po), both of which are radioactive carcinogens and both of which can be found in smoke from burning tobacco. Tobacco smoke also contains carcinogens that are nonradioactive. People who inhale tobacco smoke are exposed to higher concentrations of radioactivity than nonsmokers. Deposits of 210Pb and alpha particle-emitting 210Po form in the lungs of smokers, generating localized radiation doses far greater than the radiation exposures humans experience from natural sources. This radiation exposure, delivered to sensitive tissues for long periods of time, may induce cancer both alone and synergistically with nonradioactive carcinogens. This article explores the relationship between the radioactive and nonradioactive carcinogens in leaf tobacco and tobacco smoke and the risk of cancer in those who inhale tobacco smoke.

[Passive smoking at work: proposal for a smokeless company policy].

PubMed

Lombardi, C C

2007-01-01

Tobacco smoke contains about 4000 chemical substances, among which cancer agents (benzene, formaldehyde, polonium-210). There is sufficient evidence that inhalation of tobacco passive smoke causes human risks (cancer, cardio-vascular and respiratory system diseases). With the no-smoking act, issued by minister Sirchia in 2003, smoke is forbidden in indoor space in Italy, but much has still to be done in practice. Difficulties in application depend on the facts that smokers psychologically and hardly oppose and sanctions are complicated to apply. In this work we will argue the following problems and purpose respective alternatives: 1) To consider passive smoking risk in the 626/94 act into a specific section. 2) To transform administrative sanctions into a fund finalized to smoke cessation programs. 3) Increase formation-information smoke cessation programs, especially focused on positive effects from stop smoking.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

Monsanto Research Corporation operates Mound Laboratory, a government-owned facility of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration, at Miamisburg, Ohio. Mound Laboratory is an integrated research, development, and production facility performing work in support of ERDA weapon and non-weapon programs with emphasis on explosive and nuclear technology. Mound Laboratory originated as a technical organization in 1943 when Monsanto Chemical Company was requested to accept responsibility for determining the chemical and metallurgical properties of polonium as a project of the Manhattan Engineering District. Work was carried on at Monsanto`s Central Research Department and several satellite units in the Dayton, Ohio area.more » Late in 1945, the Manhattan Engineering District determined that the research, development and production organization established by Monsanto at Dayton should become a permanent facility. A search for a suitable location in early 1946 led to the selection of a 180-acre tract adjacent to Miamisburg, about ten miles (16 km) south of Dayton.« less

The contribution of Maria Sklodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie to Nuclear and Medical Physics. A hundred and ten years after the discovery of radium.

PubMed

Diamantis, Aristidis; Magiorkinis, Emmanouil; Papadimitriou, Athanasios; Androutsos, Georgios

2008-01-01

This review aims to commemorate the life, and the accomplishments of Pierre and Marie Curie in Physics and in Medicine. Although they are primarily known for their discoveries of the elements of radium and polonium, which took place two years after the discovery of radioactivity by Henry Becquerel, Pierre's discovery of the piezo-electric phenomenon, his research on crystal symmetry, magnetism and paramagnetic substances, are equally important. With the discovery of the two radioactive elements, Pierre and Marie Curie established the new field of Nuclear Physics. It is not an over-statement to say that their discovery contributed much to our modern way of life. Marie received the Nobel Prize twice and later she became the first woman to become member of the French Academy of Sciences. Today, both Pierre and Marie Curie rest in Panthéon, in Paris.

Removal and deposition efficiencies of the long-lived 222Rn daughters during etching of germanium surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuzel, G.; Wójcik, M.; Majorovits, B.; Lampert, M. O.; Wendling, P.

2012-06-01

Removal and deposition efficiencies of the long-lived 222Rn daughters during etching from and onto surfaces of standard and high purity germanium were investigated. The standard etching procedure of Canberra-France used during production of high purity n-type germanium diodes was applied to germanium discs, which have been exposed earlier to a strong radon source for deposition of its progenies. An uncontaminated sample was etched in a solution containing 210Pb, 210Bi and 210Po. All isotopes were measured before and after etching with appropriate detectors. In contrast to copper and stainless steel, they were removed from germanium very efficiently. However, the reverse process was also observed. Considerable amounts of radioactive lead, bismuth and polonium isotopes present initially in the artificially polluted etchant were transferred to the clean high purity surface during processing of the sample.

Bioaccumulation of 210Po in common gastropod and bivalve species from the northern Gulf.

PubMed

Uddin, S; Bebhehani, M

2014-06-01

This study sets the baseline for the concentration of the natural-series radionuclide polonium-210 in two species of gastropods and four species of bivalves that are common to the Northern Arabian/Persian Gulf. (210)Po is primarily absorbed from water and via ingestion of detrital material by gastropoda and bivalves. This concentrated (210)Po can then be passed along to the next trophic level of the marine food web. The lowest (210)Po concentration was measured in the gastropod Stomatella auricular (10.36-12.39Bq kg(-1)dry) and the highest in the bivalve Marica marmorata (193.51-215.60Bq kg(-1)dry). The measured concentration factor for these molluscs in the northern Gulf varied between 4.8 and 115×10(3), values very similar to the IAEA recommended value for bivalves and gastropods of 2×10(4). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

INNOVATIVE EASY-TO-USE PASSIVE TECHNIQUE FOR 222RN AND 220RN DECAY PRODUCT DETECTION.

PubMed

Mishra, Rosaline; Rout, R; Prajith, R; Jalalluddin, S; Sapra, B K; Mayya, Y S

2016-10-01

The decay products of radon and thoron are essentially the radioisotopes of polonium, bismuth and lead, and are solid particulates, which deposit in different parts of the respiratory tract upon inhalation, subsequently emitting high-energy alpha particles upon their radioactive decay. Development of passive deposition-based direct progeny sensors known as direct radon and thoron progeny sensors have provided an easy-to-use technique for time-integrated measurements of the decay products only. These dosemeters are apt for large-scale population dosimetry to assign inhalation doses to the public. The paper gives an insight into the technique, the calibration, comparison with the prevalently used active grab filter paper sampling technique, alpha track diameter analysis in these progeny sensors, progeny deposition velocity measurements carried out using these detector systems in the indoor as well as outdoor environment, and applications of these sensors for time-integrated unattached fraction estimation. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Radionuclides in produced water from Norwegian oil and gas installations — Concentrations and bioavailability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksen, D. Ø.; Sidhu, R.; Strålberg, E.; Iden, K. I.; Hylland, K.; Ruus, A.; Røyset, O.; Berntssen, M. H. G.; Rye, H.

2006-01-01

Substantial amounts of produced water, containing elevated levels of radionuclides (mainly 226Ra and 228Ra) are discharged to the sea as a result of oil and gas production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. So far no study has assessed the potential radiological effects on marine biota in connection with radionuclide discharges to the North Sea. The main objective of the project is to establish radiological safe discharge limits for radium, lead and polonium associated with other components in produced water from oil and gas installations on the Norwegian continental shelf. This study reports results indicating that the presence of added chemicals such as scale inhibitors in produced water has a marked influence on the formation of radium and barium sulphates when produced water is mixed with sea water. Thus, the mobility and bioavailability of radium (and barium) will be larger than anticipated. Also, the bioavailability of food-borne radium is shown to increase due to presence of such chemicals.

Thermal, electronic and ductile properties of lead-chalcogenides under pressure.

PubMed

Gupta, Dinesh C; Bhat, Idris Hamid

2013-09-01

Fully relativistic pseudo-potential ab-initio calculations have been performed to investigate the high pressure phase transition, elastic and electronic properties of lead-chalcogenides including the less known lead polonium. The calculated ground state parameters, for the rock-salt structure show good agreement with the experimental data. PbS, PbSe, PbTe and PbPo undergo a first-order phase transition from rock-salt to CsCl structure at 19.4, 15.5, 11.5 and 7.3 GPa, respectively. The elastic properties have also been calculated. The calculations successfully predicted the location of the band gap at L-point of Brillouin zone and the band gap for each material at ambient pressure. It is observed that unlike other lead-chalcogenides, PbPo is semi-metal at ambient pressure. The pressure variation of the energy gap indicates that these materials metalize under pressure. The electronic structures of these materials have been computed in parent as well as in high pressure B2 phase.

New best estimates for radionuclide solid-liquid distribution coefficients in soils. Part 2: naturally occurring radionuclides.

PubMed

Vandenhove, H; Gil-García, C; Rigol, A; Vidal, M

2009-09-01

Predicting the transfer of radionuclides in the environment for normal release, accidental, disposal or remediation scenarios in order to assess exposure requires the availability of an important number of generic parameter values. One of the key parameters in environmental assessment is the solid liquid distribution coefficient, K(d), which is used to predict radionuclide-soil interaction and subsequent radionuclide transport in the soil column. This article presents a review of K(d) values for uranium, radium, lead, polonium and thorium based on an extensive literature survey, including recent publications. The K(d) estimates were presented per soil groups defined by their texture and organic matter content (Sand, Loam, Clay and Organic), although the texture class seemed not to significantly affect K(d). Where relevant, other K(d) classification systems are proposed and correlations with soil parameters are highlighted. The K(d) values obtained in this compilation are compared with earlier review data.

Testing the stand-alone microbeam at Columbia University.

PubMed

Garty, G; Ross, G J; Bigelow, A W; Randers-Pehrson, G; Brenner, D J

2006-01-01

The stand-alone microbeam at Columbia University presents a novel approach to biological microbeam irradiation studies. Foregoing a conventional accelerator as a source of energetic ions, a small, high-specific-activity, alpha emitter is used. Alpha particles emitted from this source are focused using a compound magnetic lens consisting of 24 permanent magnets arranged in two quadrupole triplets. Using a 'home made' 6.5 mCi polonium source, a 1 alpha particle s(-1), 10 microm diameter microbeam can, in principle, be realised. As the alpha source energy is constant, once the microbeam has been set up, no further adjustments are necessary apart from a periodic replacement of the source. The use of permanent magnets eliminates the need for bulky power supplies and cooling systems required by other types of ion lenses and greatly simplifies operation. It also makes the microbeam simple and cheap enough to be realised in any large lab. The Microbeam design as well as first tests of its performance, using an accelerator-based beam are presented here.

Taggants, method for forming a taggant, and a method for detecting an object

DOEpatents

Harrup, Mason K [Idaho Falls, ID; Stewart, Frederick F [Idaho Falls, ID; Stone, Mark L [Idaho Falls, ID

2012-02-28

A taggant comprising at least one perfluorocarbon compound surrounded by a polyphosphazene compound. The polyphosphazene compound has the chemical structure: ##STR00001## wherein G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 are pendant groups having different polarities, m is an integer greater than or equal to 100, and each of A and B is independently selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an alkene, an alkoxide, a polyether, a polythioether, a siloxane, and --X(CH.sub.2).sub.nY.sup.1(CH.sub.2)p.sub.1Y.sup.2(CH.sub.2)p.sub.2 . . . Y.sup.i(CH.sub.2)p.sub.iCH.sub.3, where n ranges from 1 to 6, X and Y are independently selected from oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium, and p.sub.1 through p.sub.i range from 1 to 6. Cyclic polyphosphazene compounds lacking the A and B groups are also disclosed, as are methods of forming the taggant and of detecting an object.

Increase of 210Po levels in human semen fluid after mussel ingestion.

PubMed

Kelecom, Alphonse; Gouvea, Rita de Cássia dos Santos

2011-05-01

Polonium-210 ((210)Po) radioactive concentrations were determined in human semen fluid of vasectomized non-smoker volunteers. The (210)Po levels ranged from 0.10 to 0.39 mBq g(-1) (mean: 0.23 ± 0.08 mBq g(-1)). This value decreased to 0.10 ± 0.02 mBq g(-1) (range from 0.07 to 0.13 mBq g(-1)) after two weeks of a controlled diet, excluding fish and seafood. Then, volunteers ate during a single meal 200 g of the cooked mussel Perna perna L., and (210)Po levels were determined again, during ten days, in semen fluid samples collected every morning. Volunteers continued with the controlled diet and maintained sexual abstinence through the period of the experiment. A 300% increase of (210)Po level was observed the day following mussel consumption, with a later reduction, such that the level returned to near baseline by day 4. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The ratio of lead-210 to polonium-210 in U.K. diet.

PubMed

Smith-Briggs, J L; Bradley, E J; Potter, M D

1986-10-01

The levels of the natural radionuclides, 210Pb and 210Po, in U.K. diet have been measured previously. However, in the earlier measurements, the samples were sufficiently aged for 210Pb and 210Po to have attained secular equilibrium. In order to determine the extent of disequilibrium between these radionuclides in fresh food, measurements have been made on recently collected dietary samples. Disequilibrium has been observed in five food groups. The activity per unit mass of 210Pb was found to be greater than that of 210Po in bread, cereals, sugar and preserves, whereas the opposite was found to be true for eggs and beverages. When account is taken of consumption rates, however, the total intakes of 210Pb and 210Po from these food groups are approximately the same. The annual effective dose equivalents from the ingestion of 210Pb and 210Po have been re-estimated at 41 and 12 mu Sv, respectively.

Influence of gamma-radiation on the nutritional and functional qualities of lotus seed flour.

PubMed

Bhat, Rajeev; Sridhar, Kandikere Ramaiah; Karim, Alias A; Young, Chiu C; Arun, Ananthapadmanabha B

2009-10-28

In the present study, we investigated the physicochemical and functional properties of lotus seed flour exposed to low and high doses of gamma-radiation (0-30 kGy; the dose recommended for quarantine and hygienic purposes). The results indicated raw seed flour to be rich in nutrients with minimal quantities of antinutritional factors. Irradiation resulted in a dose-dependent increase in some of the proximal constituents. The raw and gamma-irradiated seeds meet the Food and Agricultural Organization-World Health Organization recommended pattern of essential amino acids. Some of the antinutritional factors (phytic acid, total phenolics, and tannins) were lowered with gamma-irradiation, while the seed flours were devoid of lectins, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, and polonium-210. The functional properties of the seed flour were significantly improved with gamma-radiation. gamma-radiation selectively preserved or improved the desired nutritional and functional traits of lotus seeds, thus ensuring a safe production of appropriate nutraceutically valued products.

Syntheses and structural characterization of Co(II) and Cd(II) coordination polymers with 1,4-bis(imidazolyl)butane ligand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lalegani, Arash; Khalaj, Mehdi; Sedaghat, Sajjad; Łyczko, Krzysztof; Lipkowski, Janusz

2017-11-01

Two new coordination polymers, {[Co(bib)3](PF6)2}n (1) and [Cd (bib) Cl2]n (2), were prepared at room temperature by the reaction of appropriate salts of cobalt (II) and cadmium (II) with the flexible linker ligands 1,4-bis(imidazolyl) butane (bib). The compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. In the polymeric structure of 1, the Co(II) ion lies on an inversion centre and adopts the CoN6 octahedral geometry, while in the structure of 2, the Cd(II) ions adopt the CdN2Cl4 pseudo-octahedral geometry. In compound 1, six bib ligands are coordinated to one central cobalt (II) to form an open 3D 2-fold interpenetrating framework of the α-polonium (pcu) type topology, while in compound 2 two bib ligands are coordinated to one central cadmium (II) to form 2D network structure.

A statistical approach to investigating enhancement of polonium-210 in the Eastern Irish Sea arising from discharges from a former phosphate processing plant.

PubMed

Dewar, Alastair; Camplin, William; Barry, Jon; Kennedy, Paul

2014-12-01

Since the cessation of phosphoric acid production (in 1992) and subsequent closure and decommissioning (2004) of the Rhodia Consumer Specialties Limited plant in Whitehaven, the concentration levels of polonium-210 ((210)Po) in local marine materials have declined towards a level more typical of natural background. However, enhanced concentrations of (210)Po and lead-210 ((210)Pb), due to this historic industrial activity (plant discharges and ingrowth of (210)Po from (210)Pb), have been observed in fish and shellfish samples collected from this area over the last 20 years. The results of this monitoring, and assessments of the dose from these radionuclides, to high-rate aquatic food consumers are published annually in the Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report series. The RIFE assessment uses a simple approach to determine whether and by how much activity is enhanced above the normal background. As a potential tool to improve the assessment of enhanced concentrations of (210)Po in routine dose assessments, a formal statistical test, where the null hypothesis is that the Whitehaven area is contaminated with (210)Po, was applied to sample data. This statistical, modified "green", test has been used in assessments of chemicals by the OSPAR commission. It involves comparison of the reported environmental concentrations of (210)Po in a given aquatic species against its corresponding Background Assessment Concentration (BAC), which is based upon environmental samples collected from regions assumed to be not enhanced by industrial sources of (210)Po, over the period for which regular monitoring data are available (1990-2010). Unlike RIFE, these BAC values take account of the variability of the natural background level. As an example, for 2010 data, crab, lobster, mussels and winkles passed the modified "green" test (i.e. the null hypothesis is rejected) and as such are deemed not to be enhanced. Since the cessation of phosphoric acid production in 1992, the modified "green" test pass rate for crustaceans is ∼53% and ∼64% for molluscs. Results of dose calculations are made (i) using the RIFE approach and (ii) with the application of the modified "green" test, where samples passing the modified "green" test are assumed to have background levels and hence zero enhancement of (210)Po. Applying the modified "green" test reduces the dose on average by 44% over the period of this study (1990-2010). Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agriculture in an area impacted by past uranium mining activities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carvalho, F. P.; Oliveira, J. M.; Neves, O.

2007-07-01

The shallow aquifer near the old Cunha Baixa uranium mine (Viseu, Portugal) was contaminated by acid mine drainage. Concentration of radionuclides in water from irrigation wells and in the topsoil layer of the agriculture fields nearby display enhanced concentrations of uranium, radium and polonium. Two types of agriculture land in this area were selected, one with enhanced and another with low uranium concentrations, for controlled growth of lettuce and potatoes. Plants were grown in replicate portions of land (two plots) in each soil type and were periodically irrigated with water from wells. In each soil, one plot was irrigated withmore » water containing low concentration of dissolved uranium and the other plot with water containing enhanced concentration of dissolved uranium. At the end of the growth season, plants were harvested and analysed, along with soil and irrigation water samples. Results show the accumulation of radionuclides in edible parts of plants, specially in the field plots with higher radionuclide concentrations in soil. Radionuclides in irrigation water contributed less to the radioactivity accumulated in plants than radionuclides from soils. (authors)« less

Cleaning and passivation of copper surfaces to remove surface radioactivity and prevent oxide formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoppe, E. W.; Seifert, A.; Aalseth, C. E.; Bachelor, P. P.; Day, A. R.; Edwards, D. J.; Hossbach, T. W.; Litke, K. E.; McIntyre, J. I.; Miley, H. S.; Schulte, S. M.; Smart, J. E.; Warren, G. A.

2007-08-01

High-purity copper is an attractive material for constructing ultra-low-background radiation measurement devices. Many low-background experiments using high-purity copper have indicated surface contamination emerges as the dominant background. Radon daughters plate out on exposed surfaces, leaving a residual 210Pb background that is difficult to avoid. Dust is also a problem; even under cleanroom conditions, the amount of U and Th deposited on surfaces can represent the largest remaining background. To control these backgrounds, a copper cleaning chemistry has been developed. Designed to replace an effective, but overly aggressive concentrated nitric acid etch, this peroxide-based solution allows for a more controlled cleaning of surfaces. The acidified hydrogen peroxide solution will generally target the Cu +/Cu 2+ species which are the predominant surface participants, leaving the bulk of copper metal intact. This preserves the critical tolerances of parts and eliminates significant waste disposal issues. Accompanying passivation chemistry has also been developed that protects copper surfaces from oxidation. Using a high-activity polonium surface spike, the most difficult-to-remove daughter isotope of radon, the performance of these methods are quantified.

Low pressure radon diffusion - A laboratory study and its implications for lunar venting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friesen, L. J.; Adams, J. A. S.

1976-01-01

Results of a study of radon migration through columns of fine particulate materials, at total pressures of 0.02-0.2 torr, are reported. Materials studied were: NBS Glass Spheres (SRM 1003), Emerson & Cuming Eccospheres (IG-101), activated coconut charcoal, Lipaci obsidian, and W-1 Standard Diabase. Rates of diffusion were used to derive heats of adsorption for radon on the materials tested. The most reliable values found clustered around 8-9 kcal/mole. These high heats of adsorption, if typical for most materials, combined with low percentages of radon emanation by lunar soils found by other researchers, imply that random walk diffusion will not be an important mechanism for redistributing the radon and the radon daughters produced in the lunar regolith. In particular, since random walk migration is not a sufficient mechanism to account for localized high concentrations of radon-222 and its daughter polonium-210 observed by the Apollo 15 and 16 command modules, an alternative mechanism is proposed, in which radon would be swept to the surface by other gases during intermittent venting events.

DETERMINATION AND DOSE CONTRIBUTION OF URANIUM ISOTOPES AND 210Po ACTIVITY CONCENTRATIONS OF NATURAL SPRING WATERS IN THE PROVINCE OF GRANADA, SPAIN.

PubMed

Milena-Pérez, A; Piñero-García, F; Expósito-Suárez, V M; Mantero, J; Benavente, J; Ferro-García, M A

2018-03-01

The activity concentrations of alpha-emitters comprising isotopes of uranium (238, 234, 235U) and polonium (210Po) were measured using alpha-particle spectrometry in natural spring waters in the province of Granada, Spain. These water are consumed by the population of the zone who live in villages. This is almost half of the population of the whole region. Mean values of activity concentrations found are 42.61 ± 2.66; 49.55 ± 3.03; 1.64 ± 0.28 and 1.74 ± 0.15 mBq L-1 for 238U, 234U, 235U and 210Po, respectively. Finally, the radiological impact of the analysed waters has been determined, in terms of the estimation of the committed annual effective dose due to the ingestion of the water. The assessment has been carried out for five age groups with the aim to cover all the population. The calculated annual effective doses are observed to be below the prescribed dose limit of 100 μSv y-1 recommended by WHO.

Clearance of polonium-210-enriched cigarette smoke from the rat trachea and lung

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohen, B.S.; Harley, N.H.; Tso, T.C.

The distribution and clearance of alpha radioactivity in the lungs of rats were measured after inhalation of smoke from cigarettes highly enriched in /sup 210/Po. Female Fischer rats were exposed daily for 6 months to smoke from cigarettes with 500 times the normal content of /sup 210/Po. Control rats were exposed to standard cigarette smoke. Animals were serially withdrawn and killed. After necropsy the trachea, major bronchi, larynx, and nasopharynx were examined for surface alpha activity by an etched track technique utilizing cellulose nitrate detectors. Areas of accumulated activity were seen on samples of larynx from rats exposed to themore » /sup 210/Po-enriched cigarettes. No other local accumulations were seen on the airways. The lower lungs were analyzed radiochemically for /sup 210/Po. Both radiochemical analysis and track measurements showed highly elevated activity concentrations in rats exposed to the /sup 210/Po-enriched cigarettes. Following withdrawal from smoking, both short- and long-term clearance components were seen. The parameters which fit the postexposure data for clearance of the lung burden cannot fit the buildup during the exposure period.« less

[Even cigarette butts can impact environment and health: preliminary considerations].

PubMed

Martino, Gianrocco; Gorini, Giuseppe; Chellini, Elisabetta

2013-01-01

In Italy, every year about 72 billion of cigarette butts are thrown away in the environment. Cigarette butts represent 50% of the wastes of urban areas (parks, roads) in the world, and 40% of Mediterranean Sea wastes. In particular, total polluting load is constituted of 1,872 Bq millions of Polonium-210, assuming 75 mBq per cigarette butt, and 1,800 tons of volatile organic compounds. As a matter of fact, according to several surveys, cigarette butts are considered by smokers and non-smokers as a common and acceptable waste in the environment. In 2008, European Union issued a Directive on wastes considering the «extended producer responsibility» (i.e., every industry is liable for costs of collection, transport and disposal of its own products). In October 2012, the Italian Parliament proposed a bill that classifies cigarette butts as special wastes in the frame of this responsibility. It could be interesting in the future to follow the legislative process of that bill in the Italian Parliament in order to show how strong it will be supported.

Clearance of polonium-210-enriched cigarette smoke from the rat trachea and lung.

PubMed

Cohen, B S; Harley, N H; Tso, T C

1985-06-30

The distribution and clearance of alpha radioactivity in the lungs of rats were measured after inhalation of smoke from cigarettes highly enriched in 210Po. Female Fischer rats were exposed daily for 6 months to smoke from cigarettes with 500 times the normal content of 210Po. Control rats were exposed to standard cigarette smoke. Animals were serially withdrawn and killed. After necropsy the trachea, major bronchi, larynx, and nasopharynx were examined for surface alpha activity by an etched track technique utilizing cellulose nitrate detectors. Areas of accumulated activity were seen on samples of larynx from rats exposed to the 210Po-enriched cigarettes. No other local accumulations were seen on the airways. The lower lungs were analyzed radiochemically for 210Po. Both radiochemical analysis and track measurements showed highly elevated activity concentrations in rats exposed to the 210Po-enriched cigarettes. Following withdrawal from smoking, both short- and long-term clearance components were seen. The parameters which fit the postexposure data for clearance of the lung burden cannot fit the buildup during the exposure period.

Risk for oral cancer from smokeless tobacco

PubMed Central

Janbaz, Khalid Hussain; Basser, Hibba Tul; Bokhari, Tanveer Hussain; Ahmad, Bashir

2014-01-01

Tobacco products which are used in a way other than smoking are known as smokeless tobacco. The most common smokeless tobaccos are chewing tobacco, naswar, snuff, snus, gutka, and topical tobacco paste. Any product which contains tobacco is not safe for human health. There are more than twenty-five compounds in smokeless tobacco which have cancer causing activity. Use of smokeless tobacco has been linked with risk of oral cancer. Smokeless tobacco contains tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), polonium, formaldehyde, cadmium, lead, and benzo[a]pyrene, which are carcinogenic agents. Although there is presence of some compounds, carotenoids and phenolic compounds, that have cancer inhibiting properties, they are in low concentrations. Dry snuff use is linked with higher relative risks, while the use of other smokeless tobacco is of intermediate risk. Moist snuff and chewing tobacco have a very low risk for oral cancer. Therefore, from this review article, it was concluded that smokeless tobacco has risk for oral cancer – either low, medium or high depending on the balance between cancer causing agents and cancer inhibiting agents. PMID:25520574

(137)Cs, (40)K and (210)Po in marine mammals from the southern Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Ciesielski, Tomasz; Góral, Marta; Szefer, Piotr; Jenssen, Bjørn Munro; Bojanowski, Ryszard

2015-12-15

This study provides information on baseline concentrations of the radionuclides Cesium-137, Potassium-40 and Polonium-210 in sea mammals from the Baltic Sea. The radionuclides were analyzed in the liver, kidney and muscle of harbor porpoises, striped dolphins, and gray and ringed seals from the Polish coast by γ- and α-spectrometry. Median (137)Cs activities were 14.8, 13.2 and 23.2 Bq kg(-1) w.w. in the liver, kidney and muscles, respectively. Activities of (40)K and (210)Po in the respective tissues were found to be 79.1, 79.8 and 111 Bq kg(-1) for (40)K and 58.1, 59.2 and 32.9 Bq kg(-1) for (210)Po. The measured (137)Cs concentrations were extraordinarily high in comparison to those reported in sea mammals from other locations. However, dose assessments did not imply health effects from (137)Cs exposure in Baltic Sea mammals. Correlations between (137)Cs tissue activities and reported sea water concentrations highlight the potential use of marine mammals for biomonitoring purposes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of an in vitro digestion model for 210Po bioaccessibility assessment in seafood.

PubMed

Roselli, Carla; Desideri, Donatella; Feduzi, Laura; Ugolini, Lucia; Meli, Maria Assunta

2017-12-01

This study aims to investigate the bioaccessibility of 210 Po in seafood and the impact of food preparation on this radionuclide. Polonium bioaccessibility is the fraction of 210 Po mobilised from food matrices into digestive extractants when applying an in vitro digestion model. The degree of bioaccessibility of 210 Po in food has important implications for estimating ingestion doses from this radionuclide. The simulation of gastrointestinal digestion was divided into three stages through the use of synthetic saliva, gastric and bile-pancreas solutions. Following pre-treatment with a saliva solution, raw and cooked seafood samples underwent one of the following treatments: (a) simulated gastric digestion only or (b) simulated complete gastrointestinal digestion (gastric digestion followed by bile-pancreas digestion). No significant difference (P > 0.05) in 210 Po mobility was found between samples that underwent gastric digestion compared to those that only underwent gastro-intestinal digestion. However, a significant difference (P < 0.05) in 210 Po bioaccessibility was found between raw and cooked seafood undergoing both gastric and gastro-intestinal digestion.

The Discovery of Artificial Radioactivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerra, Francesco; Leone, Matteo; Robotti, Nadia

2012-03-01

We reconstruct Frédéric Joliot and Irène Curie's discovery of artificial radioactivity in January 1934 based in part on documents preserved in the Joliot-Curie Archives in Paris, France. We argue that their discovery followed from the convergence of two parallel lines of research, on the neutron and on the positron, that were focused on a well-defined experimental problem, the nuclear transmutation of aluminum and other light elements. We suggest that a key role was played by a suggestion that Francis Perrin made at the seventh Solvay Conference at the end of October 1933, that the alpha-particle bombardment of aluminum produces an intermediate unstable isotope of phosphorus, which then decays by positron emission. We also suggest that a further idea that Perrin published in December 1933, and the pioneering theory of beta decay that Enrico Fermi also first published in December 1933, established a new theoretical framework that stimulated Joliot to resume the researches that he and Curie had interrupted after the Solvay Conference, now for the first time using a Geiger-Müller counter to detect the positrons emitted when he bombarded aluminum with polonium alpha particles.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

Monsanto Research Corporation operates Mound Laboratory, a government-owned facility of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration, at Miamisburg, Ohio. Mound Laboratory is an integrated, research, development, and production facility performing work in support of ERDA weapon and nonweapon programs with emphasis on explosive and nuclear technology. Mound Laboratory originated as a technical organization in 1943 when Monsanto Chemical Company was requested to accept responsibility for determining the chemical and metallurgical properties of polonium as a project of the Manhattan Engineering District. Work was carried on at Monsanto`s Central Research Department and several satellite units in the Dayton, Ohio area.more » Late in 1945, the Manhattan Engineering District determined that the research, development and production organization established by Monsanto at Dayton should become a permanent facility. A search for a suitable location in early 1946 led to the selection of a 180-acre tract adjacent to Miamisburg, about ten miles (16 km) south of Dayton. Construction of Mound Laboratory, which was named after the Miamisburg Indian Mound adjacent to the site, began in February 1947 and was completed in 1948. The new laboratory was the first permanent facility of the Atomic Energy Commission which had succeeded the Manhattan Engineering District.« less

Monitoring radionuclides in subsurface drinking water sources near unconventional drilling operations: a pilot study.

PubMed

Nelson, Andrew W; Knight, Andrew W; Eitrheim, Eric S; Schultz, Michael K

2015-04-01

Unconventional drilling (the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) to extract oil and natural gas is expanding rapidly around the world. The rate of expansion challenges scientists and regulators to assess the risks of the new technologies on drinking water resources. One concern is the potential for subsurface drinking water resource contamination by naturally occurring radioactive materials co-extracted during unconventional drilling activities. Given the rate of expansion, opportunities to test drinking water resources in the pre- and post-fracturing setting are rare. This pilot study investigated the levels of natural uranium, lead-210, and polonium-210 in private drinking wells within 2000 m of a large-volume hydraulic fracturing operation--before and approximately one-year following the fracturing activities. Observed radionuclide concentrations in well waters tested did not exceed maximum contaminant levels recommended by state and federal agencies. No statistically-significant differences in radionuclide concentrations were observed in well-water samples collected before and after the hydraulic fracturing activities. Expanded monitoring of private drinking wells before and after hydraulic fracturing activities is needed to develop understanding of the potential for drinking water resource contamination from unconventional drilling and gas extraction activities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Annual dose of Taiwanese from the ingestion of 210Po in oysters.

PubMed

Lee, Hsiu-wei; Wang, Jeng-Jong

2013-03-01

Oysters around the coast of Taiwan were collected, dried, spiked with a (209)Po tracer for yield, digested with concentrated HNO(3) and H(2)O(2), and finally dissolved in 0.5 N HCl. The polonium was then spontaneously deposited onto a silver disc, and the activity of (210)Po was measured using an alpha spectrum analyzer equipped with a silicon barrier detector. Meanwhile, the internal effective dose of (210)Po coming from the intake of oysters by Taiwanese was evaluated. The results of the present study indicate that (210)Po average activity concentrations ranged from 23.4 ± 0.4 to 126 ± 94 Bq kg(-1) of fresh oysters. The oysters coming from Penghu island and Kinmen island regions contain higher concentrations of (210)Po in comparison with oysters from other regions of Taiwan. The value of (210)Po weighted average activity concentrations for all oyster samples studied is 25.9 Bq kg(-1). The annual effective dose of Taiwanese due to the ingestion of (210)Po in oysters was estimated to be 4.1 × 10(-2) mSv y(-1). Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

[Determination of cadmium in urine of tobacco smoking pregnant women].

PubMed

Florek, Ewa; Piekoszewski, Wojciech; Kornacka, Maria K; Koroniak, Henryk; Wolna, Malgorzata; Król, Anna

2004-01-01

Tobacco smoke contain few thousands of chemical compounds, among them heavy metals. From toxicological point of view most important are lead, cadmium and radioactive polonium 210. The aim of the study was determination of cadmium in urine of tobacco smoking pregnant woman and checking if there is a correlation between the concentration of cadmium and cotinine, the most frequently used tobacco smoke biomarker. The study showed that concentration of cotinine in urine of smoking women was 702.5 +/- 1131.4 ng/mg creatinine and ranged from 50 to more than 6000 ng/mg creatinine. Cadmium concentration in smokers was 1.6 +/- 2.6 ng/ml and ranged from 0 to 11.5 ng/ml. In urine of woman who do not smoke and are not exposure to ETS was 1.1 +/- 2.2 ng/ml in the range 0-2.5 ng/ml and was not statistically different from concentration of cadmium in urine of smoking pregnant woman. In any one non-smoking woman, concentration of cadmium was not higher than 5 ng/ml, but in 11.8% of smoking women this level was exceeded. Calculations showed a weak correlation between concentration of cadmium and cotinine in urine of smoking pregnant women.

The measurement of alpha particle emissions from semiconductor memory materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouldin, D. P.

1981-07-01

With the increasing concern for the affects of alpha particles on the reliability of semiconductor memories, an interest has arisen in characterizing semiconductor manufacturing materials for extremely low-level alpha-emitting contaminants. It is shown that four elements are of primary concern: uranium, thorium, radium, and polonium. Measurement of contamination levels are given relevance by first correlating them with alpha flux emission levels and then corre1ating these flux values with device soft error rates. Measurement techniques involve either measurements of elemental concentrations-applicable to only uranium and thorium - or direct measurements of alpha emission fluxes. Alpha fluxes are most usefully measured by means of ZnS scintillation counting, practical details of which are discussed. Materials measurements are reported for ceramics, solder, silicon, quartz, and various metals and organic materials. Ceramics and most metals have contamination levels of concern, but the high temperature processing normally used in semiconductor manufacturing and low total amounts reduce problems, at least for metals. Silicon, silicon compounds, and organic materials have been found to have no detectable alpha emitters. Finally, a brief discussion of the calibration of alpha sources for accelerated device testing is given, including practical details on the affects of source/chip separation and alignment variations.

Cleaning and passivation of copper surfaces to remove surface radioactivity and prevent oxide formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoppe, Eric W.; Seifert, Allen; Aalseth, Craig E.

High-purity copper is an attractive material for constructing ultra-low-background radiation measurement devices. Many low-background experiments using high-purity copper have indicated surface contamination emerges as the dominant background. Radon daughters plate out on exposed surfaces, leaving a residual 210Pb background that is difficult to avoid. Dust is also a problem; even under cleanroom conditions, the amount of U and Th deposited on surfaces can represent the largest remaining background. To control these backgrounds, a copper cleaning chemistry has been developed. Designed to replace an effective, but overly aggressive concentrated nitric acid etch, this peroxide-based solution allows for a more controlled cleaningmore » of surfaces. The acidified hydrogen peroxide solution will generally target the Cu+/Cu2+ species which are the predominant surface participants, leaving the bulk of copper metal intact. This preserves the critical tolerances of parts and eliminates significant waste disposal issues. Accompanying passivation chemistry has also been developed that protects copper surfaces from oxidation. Using a high-activity polonium surface spike, the most difficult-to-remove daughter isotope of radon, the performance of these methods are quantified. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved« less

Pioneers of nuclear medicine, Madame Curie.

PubMed

Grammaticos, Philip C

2004-01-01

Among those who have made important discoveries in the field of radioactivity and thus helped in the development of nuclear medicine as an identical entity are: Heinrich Hertz who in 1886 demonstrated the existence of radiowaves. In 1895 Wilhelm Röntgen discovered the X-rays. In 1896 H. Becquerel described the phenomenon of radioactivity. He showed that a radioactive uranium salt was emitting radioactivity which passing through a metal foil darkened a photographic plate. An analogous experiment performed by S.Thomson in London was announced to the president of the Royal Society of London before the time H.Becquerel announced his discovery but Thomson never claimed priority for his discovery. Muarie Sklodowska Curie (1867-1934) was undoubtedly the most important person to attribute to the discovery of radioactivity. In 1898 she discovered radium as a natural radioactive element. This is how she describes the hard time she had, working with her husband Pierre Curie (1859-1906) for the discovery of radium and polonium: "During the first year we did not go to the theater or to a concert or visited friends. I miss my relatives, my father and my daughter that I see every morning and only for a little while. But I do not complain...". In presenting her discovery of radium, Madame Curie said: " ...in the hands of a criminal, radium is very dangerous. So we must often ask ourselves: will humanity earn or lose from this discovery? I, myself belong to those who believe the former...". The notebooks that Madame Curie had when she was working with radium and other radioactive elements like polonium, thorium and uranium are now kept in Paris. They are contaminated with radioactive materials having very long half-lives and for this reason anyone who wishes to have access to these notes should sign that he takes full responsibility. There are some more interesting points in Madame Curie's life which may not be widely known like: Although her full name is Maria Sklodowska-Curie, she is not known neither by that full name nor as Maria Sklodowska but as Marie Curie. Madame Curie was the second of five children. At the age of 24 she went to Sorbonne-Paris after being invited by her sister Bronja to study for about 2-3 years; instead she stayed in Paris for her whole life. Her doctorate was on the subject: "Research on radioactive substances" which she completed in six years under the supervision of H. Becquerel. Pierre Curie was Director of the Physics Laboratory of the Ecole Municipale of Physics and Industrial Chemistry when he married M. Curie in 1895. Pierre Curie left his other research projects and worked full time with his wife. In this laboratory M. Curie and her husband Pierre discovered radium and polonium. In 1901 Pierre Curie induced a radiation burn on his forearm by applying on his skin radiferous barium chloride for 10 hours. During World War I, M.Curie organized for the Red Cross a fleet of radiological ambulances each with X-ray apparates which were called "Little Curies". The X-ray tubes of these apparates were unshielded and so M.Curie was exposed to high doses of radiation. Once an ambulance fell into a ditch and M.Curie who was inside the ambulance was badly bruised and stayed at home for 3 days. M. Curie with her daughters, Irene and Eve, was invited and visited America in 1921. She led a successful campaign to collect radium for her experiments. Before leaving America, President Harding donated through her to the Radium Institute of Paris 1 g of radium for research purposes. At that time the process to obtain 0.5 g of pure radium bromide required 1 ton of ore and 5 tons of chemicals. No measures of radiation protection were taken back then. In 1929 Madame Curie visited the United States for a second time. She met with President Hoover and with the help of the Polish women's association in America collected funds for another gram of radium. Madame Curie died of leukemia on July 4, 1934. Sixty years after her death her remnants were laid to rest under the dome of the Pantheon. Thus she became the first woman under her own merit, to rest in the Pantheon. In 1934 at the Institute of Radiology in Paris, Frederique Joliot and Irene Curie-Joliot discovered artificial radiation. They studied alpha particles and beta;-radiation.

Health Risk Evaluations for Ingestion Exposure of Humans to Polonium-210

PubMed Central

Scott, Bobby R.

2007-01-01

The incident in London during November 2006 involving a lethal intake by Mr. Alexander Litvinenko of the highly-radioactive, alpha-particles-emitting polonium-210 (Po-210) isotope, presumably via ingestion, sparked renewed interest in the area of Po-210 toxicity to humans. This paper is the result of assembling and interpreting existing Po-210 data within the context of what is considered a reliable risk model (hazard-function [HF] model) for characterizing the risk of death from deterministic effects of high alpha radiation doses and dose rates to body organs. The HF model was developed to address radiation exposure scenarios involving combined exposures to alpha, beta, and gamma radiations and can be used in circumstances where only one type of radiation is involved. Under a plausible but not yet validated set of assumptions and using available megabecquerel (Po-210) to gray dose-conversion factors, acute lethality risk vs. dose curves were developed for circumstances of ingestion exposure to Po-210 by humans. Initial risk calculations were carried out for a reference adult male human (a hypothetical 70-kg person). Results were then modified for application to all ages (except the in utero child) via the use of systemic Po-210 burden. Because of the unavailability of acute lethality data derived from human ingestions of high levels of Po-210, plausibility of risk calculations were evaluated based on data from studies of Po-210 injections in animals. The animal data, although limited, were found to be consistent with the theoretical risk calculations. Key findings are as follows: (1) ingestion (or inhalation) of a few tents of a milligram of Po-210 will likely be fatal to all exposed persons. (2) Lethal intakes are expected to involve fatal damage to the bone marrow which is likely to be compounded by damage caused by higher doses to other organs including the kidneys and liver. (3) Lethal intakes are expected to cause severe damage to the kidney, spleen, stomach, small and large intestines, lymph nodes, skin, and testes (males) in addition to the fatal damage to bone marrow. (4) The time distribution of deaths is expected to depend on the level of radioactivity ingested or inhaled, with deaths occurring within about a month after very high levels of radioactivity intake (e.g., systemic burdens > 1 MBq/kg-body-mass) and occurring over longer periods, possibly up to or exceeding a year for lower but lethal intakes (systemic burdens from 0.1 to 1.0 MBq/kg-body-mass). Below a systemic burden estimate of 0.02 MBq/kg-body-mass, deaths from deterministic effects are not expected to occur but the risk of cancer and for life shortening could be significant. New, funded experimental and modeling/theoretical research is needed to improve on these estimates. PMID:18648599

Internal dose assessment of 210Po using biokinetic modeling and urinary excretion measurement.

PubMed

Li, Wei Bo; Gerstmann, Udo; Giussani, Augusto; Oeh, Uwe; Paretzke, Herwig G

2008-02-01

The mysterious death of Mr. Alexander Litvinenko who was most possibly poisoned by Polonium-210 ((210)Po) in November 2006 in London attracted the attention of the public to the kinetics, dosimetry and the risk of this high radiotoxic isotope in the human body. In the present paper, the urinary excretion of seven persons who were possibly exposed to traces of (210)Po was monitored. The values measured in the GSF Radioanalytical Laboratory are in the range of natural background concentration. To assess the effective dose received by those persons, the time-dependence of the organ equivalent dose and the effective dose after acute ingestion and inhalation of (210)Po were calculated using the biokinetic model for polonium (Po) recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the one recently published by Leggett and Eckerman (L&E). The daily urinary excretion to effective dose conversion factors for ingestion and inhalation were evaluated based on the ICRP and L&E models for members of the public. The ingestion (inhalation) effective dose per unit intake integrated over one day is 1.7 x 10(-8) (1.4 x 10(-7)) Sv Bq(-1), 2.0 x 10(-7) (9.6 x 10(-7)) Sv Bq(-1) over 10 days, 5.2 x 10(-7) (2.0 x 10(-6)) Sv Bq(-1) over 30 days and 1.0 x 10(-6) (3.0 x 10(-6)) Sv Bq(-1) over 100 days. The daily urinary excretions after acute ingestion (inhalation) of 1 Bq of (210)Po are 1.1 x 10(-3) (1.0 x 10(-4)) on day 1, 2.0 x 10(-3) (1.9 x 10(-4)) on day 10, 1.3 x 10(-3) (1.7 x 10(-4)) on day 30 and 3.6 x 10(-4) (8.3 x 10(-5)) Bq d(-1) on day 100, respectively. The resulting committed effective doses range from 2.1 x 10(-3) to 1.7 x 10(-2) mSv by an assumption of ingestion and from 5.5 x 10(-2) to 4.5 x 10(-1) mSv by inhalation. For the case of Mr. Litvinenko, the mean organ absorbed dose as a function of time was calculated using both the above stated models. The red bone marrow, the kidneys and the liver were considered as the critical organs. Assuming a value of lethal absorbed dose of 5 Gy to the bone marrow, 6 Gy to the kidneys and 8 Gy to the liver, the amount of (210)Po which Mr. Litvinenko might have ingested is therefore estimated to range from 27 to 1,408 MBq, i.e 0.2-8.5 microg, depending on the modality of intake and on different assumptions about blood absorption.

The treatment of solid tumors by alpha emitters released from 224Ra-loaded sources—internal dosimetry analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arazi, L.; Cooks, T.; Schmidt, M.; Keisari, Y.; Kelson, I.

2010-02-01

Diffusing alpha-emitters radiation therapy (DART) is a proposed new form of brachytherapy, allowing the treatment of solid tumors by alpha particles. DART utilizes implantable sources carrying small activities of radium-224, which continually release into the tumor radon-220, polonium-216 and lead-212 atoms, while radium-224 itself remains fixed to the source. The released atoms disperse inside the tumor by diffusive and convective processes, creating, through their alpha emissions, a high-dose region measuring several mm in diameter about each source. The efficacy of DART has been demonstrated in preclinical studies on mice-borne squamous cell carcinoma and lung tumors and the method is now being developed toward clinical trials. This work studies DART safety with respect to the dose delivered to distant organs as a result of lead-212 leakage from the tumor through the blood, relying on a biokinetic calculation coupled to internal dose assessments. It is found that the dose-limiting organs are the kidneys and red bone marrow. Assuming a typical source spacing of ~5 mm and a typical radium-224 activity density of 0.4-0.8 MBq g-1 of tumor tissue, it is predicted that tumors weighing up to several hundred grams may be treated without reaching the tolerance dose in any organ.

Pictorial health warning label content and smokers’ understanding of smoking-related risks—a cross-country comparison

PubMed Central

Swayampakala, Kamala; Thrasher, James F.; Hammond, David; Yong, Hua-Hie; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Krugman, Dean; Brown, Abraham; Borland, Ron; Hardin, James

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to assess smokers’ level of agreement with smoking-related risks and toxic tobacco constituents relative to inclusion of these topics on health warning labels (HWLs). 1000 adult smokers were interviewed between 2012 and 2013 from online consumer panels of adult smokers from each of the three countries: Australia (AU), Canada (CA) and Mexico (MX). Generalized estimating equation models were estimated to compare agreement with smoking-related risks and toxic tobacco constituents. For disease outcomes described on HWLs across all three countries, there were few statistical differences in agreement with health outcomes (e.g. emphysema and heart attack). By contrast, increases in agreement where the HWLs were revised or introduced on HWLs for the first time (e.g. blindness in AU and CA, bladder cancer in CA). Similarly, samples from countries that have specific health content or toxic constituents on HWLs showed higher agreement for that particular disease or toxin than countries without (e.g. higher agreement for gangrene and blindness in AU, higher agreement for bladder cancer and all toxic constituents except nitrosamines and radioactive polonium in CA). Pictorial HWL content is associated with greater awareness of smoking-related risks and toxic tobacco constituents. PMID:24848554

Metalloids, soil chemistry and the environment.

PubMed

Lombi, Enzo; Holm, Peter E

2010-01-01

This chapter reviews physical chemical properties, origin and use ofmetalloids and their relevance in the environment. The elements boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), polonium (Po) and astatine (At) are considered metalloids. Metalloids conduct heat and electricity intermediate between nonmetals and metals and they generally form oxides. The natural abundance ofmetalloids varies from Si being the second most common element in the Earth's crust to At as the rarest of natural elements on Earth. The metalloid elements Ge, Te, Po and At are normally present in trace or ultratrace levels in the environment and as such are not considered of relevance in terms of environmental health. The environmental geochemical processes, factors and parameters controlling the partitioning and the speciation of B, Si, As and Sb are reviewed in relation to the bioavailability of these metalloids. Approaches based on the hypothesis that metal toxicity is related to both the metal-ligand complexation processes and the metal interactions with competing cations at the cell surface (biotic ligand) have so far not been successful for assessing metalloid bioavailability. The chapter concludes that our understanding of metalloids toxicity will improve in the future if, in addition to the points discussed above, surface membrane potentials are considered. This should represent a robust approach to the prediction of metalloid toxicity.

Natural and anthropogenic radionuclide activity concentrations in the New Zealand diet.

PubMed

Pearson, Andrew J; Gaw, Sally; Hermanspahn, Nikolaus; Glover, Chris N

2016-01-01

To support New Zealand's food safety monitoring regime, a survey was undertaken to establish radionuclide activity concentrations across the New Zealand diet. This survey was undertaken to better understand the radioactivity content of the modern diet and also to assess the suitability of the current use of milk as a sentinel for dietary radionuclide trends. Thirteen radionuclides were analysed in 40 common food commodities, including animal products, fruits, vegetables, cereal grains and seafood. Activity was detected for (137)Caesium, (90)Strontium and (131)Iodine. No other anthropogenic radionuclides were detected. Activity concentrations of the three natural radionuclides of Uranium and the daughter radionuclide (210)Polonium were detected in the majority of food sampled, with a large variation in magnitude. The maximum activity concentrations were detected in shellfish for all these radionuclides. Based on the established activity concentrations and ranges, the New Zealand diet contains activity concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides far below the Codex Alimentarius guideline levels. Activity concentrations obtained for milk support its continued use as a sentinel for monitoring fallout radionuclides in terrestrial agriculture. The significant levels of natural and anthropogenic radionuclide activity concentrations detected in finfish and molluscs support undertaking further research to identify a suitable sentinel for New Zealand seafood monitoring. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Daily radionuclide ingestion and internal radiation doses in Aomori prefecture, Japan.

PubMed

Ohtsuka, Yoshihito; Kakiuchi, Hideki; Akata, Naofumi; Takaku, Yuichi; Hisamatsu, Shun'ichi

2013-10-01

To assess internal annual dose in the general public in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, 80 duplicate cooked diet samples, equivalent to the food consumed over a 400-d period by one person, were collected from 100 volunteers in Aomori City and the village of Rokkasho during 2006–2010 and were analyzed for 11 radionuclides. To obtain average rates of ingestion of radionuclides, the volunteers were selected from among office, fisheries, agricultural, and livestock farm workers. Committed effective doses from ingestion of the diet over a 1-y period were calculated from the analytical results and from International Commission on Radiological Protection dose coefficients; for 40K, an internal effective dose rate from the literature was used. Fisheries workers had significantly higher combined internal annual dose than the other workers, possibly because of high rates of ingestion of marine products known to have high 210Po concentrations. The average internal dose rate, weighted by the numbers of households in each worker group in Aomori Prefecture, was estimated at 0.47 mSv y-1. Polonium-210 contributed 49% of this value. The sum of committed effective dose rates for 210Po, 210Pb, 228Ra, and 14C and the effective dose rate of 40K accounted for approximately 99% of the average internal dose rate.

(210)Polonium and (210)lead content of marine birds from Southeastern Brazil.

PubMed

Godoy, José Marcus; Siciliano, Salvatore; de Carvalho, Zenildo Lara; Tavares, Davi C; de Moura, Jaílson Fulgencio; Godoy, Maria Luiza D P

2014-09-01

In this study, we report the (210)Po and (210)Pb concentrations of bone, muscle and liver samples that were obtained from twelve different marine bird species stranded on beaches in the central-north region of Rio de Janeiro State. Both radionuclides were highly concentrated in the liver samples; however, the lowest mean (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio (1.3) was observed in bones compared with liver and muscle (16.8 and 13.8, respectively). Among the species that were studied, Fregata magnificens, with a diet based exclusively on fish, had the lowest (210)Pb and (210)Po concentrations and the lowest (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio. The (210)Po concentrations in Puffinus spp. liver samples followed a log-normal distribution, with a geometric mean of 300 Bq kg(-1)wet weight. Only two references pertaining to (210)Po in marine birds were found in a Web of Science search of the literature, and each study reported a different concentration value. The values determined in this experiment are consistent with those in one of the previous studies, which also included one of the species studied in this work. No values for (210)Pb in marine birds have been published previously. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of 224Ra and 226Ra activities in natural waters using a radon-in-air monitor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kim, G.; Burnett, W.C.; Dulaiova, H.; Swarzenski, P.W.; Moore, W.S.

2001-01-01

We report a simple new technique for measuring low-level radium isotopes (224Ra and 226Ra) in natural waters. The radium present in natural waters is first preconcentrated onto MnO2-coated acrylic fiber (Mn fiber) in a column mode. The radon produced from the adsorbed radium is then circulated through a closed air-loop connected to a commercial radon-in-air monitor. The monitor counts alpha decays of radon daughters (polonium isotopes) which are electrostatically collected onto a silicon semiconductor detector. Count data are collected in energy-specific windows, which eliminate interference and maintain very low backgrounds. Radium-224 is measured immediately after sampling via 220Rn (216Po), and 226Ra is measured via 222Rn (218Po) after a few days of ingrowth of 222Rn. This technique is rapid, simple, and accurate for measurements of low-level 224Ra and 226Ra activities without requiring any wet chemistry. Rapid measurements of short-lived 222Rn and 224Ra, along with long-lived 226Ra, may thus be made in natural waters using a single portable system for environmental monitoring of radioactivity as well as tracing of various geochemical and geophysical processes. The technique could be especially useful for the on-site rapid determination of 224Ra which has recently been found to occur at elevated activities in some groundwater wells.

Fully-relativistic full-potential multiple scattering theory: A pathology-free scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xianglin; Wang, Yang; Eisenbach, Markus; Stocks, G. Malcolm

2018-03-01

The Green function plays an essential role in the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker(KKR) multiple scattering method. In practice, it is constructed from the regular and irregular solutions of the local Kohn-Sham equation and robust methods exist for spherical potentials. However, when applied to a non-spherical potential, numerical errors from the irregular solutions give rise to pathological behaviors of the charge density at small radius. Here we present a full-potential implementation of the fully-relativistic KKR method to perform ab initio self-consistent calculation by directly solving the Dirac differential equations using the generalized variable phase (sine and cosine matrices) formalism Liu et al. (2016). The pathology around the origin is completely eliminated by carrying out the energy integration of the single-site Green function along the real axis. By using an efficient pole-searching technique to identify the zeros of the well-behaved Jost matrices, we demonstrated that this scheme is numerically stable and computationally efficient, with speed comparable to the conventional contour energy integration method, while free of the pathology problem of the charge density. As an application, this method is utilized to investigate the crystal structures of polonium and their bulk properties, which is challenging for a conventional real-energy scheme. The noble metals are also calculated, both as a test of our method and to study the relativistic effects.

Laser photodetachment of radioactive 128 I -

DOE PAGES

Rothe, Sebastian; Sundberg, Julia; Welander, Jakob; ...

2017-08-31

The first experimental investigation of the electron affinity (EA) of a radioactive isotope has been conducted at the CERN-ISOLDE radioactive ion beam facility. The EA of the radioactive iodine isotope 128I ($t$ 1/2 = 25 min) was determined to be 3.059 052(38) eV. The experiment was conducted using the newly developed Gothenburg ANion Detector for Affinity measurements by Laser PHotodetachment (GANDALPH) apparatus, connected to a CERN-ISOLDE experimental beamline. 128I was produced in fission induced by 1.4 GeV protons striking a thorium/tantalum foil target and then extracted as singly charged negative ions at a beam energy of 20 keV. Laser photodetachmentmore » of the fast ion beam was performed in a collinear geometry inside the GANDALPH chamber. Neutral atoms produced in the photodetachment process were detected by allowing them to impinge on a glass surface, creating secondary electrons which were then detected using a channel electron multiplier. The photon energy of the laser was tuned across the threshold of the photodetachment process and the detachment threshold data were fitted to a Wigner law function in order to extract the EA. In conclusion, this first successful demonstration of photodetachment at an isotope separator on line facility opens up the opportunity for future studies of the fundamental properties of negatively charged radioactive isotopes such as the EA of astatine and polonium.« less

Polonium-210 in marine mussels (bivalve molluscs) inhabiting the southern coast of India.

PubMed

Khan, M Feroz; Wesley, S Godwin; Rajan, M P

2014-12-01

The present study focused on the determination of the alpha-emitter, (210)Po, in two species of marine mussels (bivalve molluscs) commonly available in the southern coastal region of India. The brown mussel, Perna indica was collected from the west coast and the green mussel, Perna viridis from the east coast. The concentration of (210)Po was related to the allometry (length of shell, wet/dry weight of shell/soft tissue) of the mussels and significant results were found. The study period focused on three seasons namely, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon for a 1-year period (2010-2011). The results revealed higher activity levels in smaller-sized mussels compared to larger ones. Marked variation in (210)Po activity concentration was noted in the whole-body soft tissues between seasons and sampling site (p < 0.05). The dose rate assessment for mussels was performed using the ERICA Assessment tool. The chronic exposure to mussels due to (210)Po was found to be lesser than the global benchmark dose rate of 10 μGy h(-1). The effective ingestion dose to adults who intake mussels was estimated to be in the range 5.1-34.9 μSv y(-1). The measurement contributes to the furthering of knowledge of (210)Po, since no data exist in this region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hawking's A Briefer History of Time's No-God-Universe disproven by primordial ^218Po halos embedded in granite rocks, which proves their rapid creation due to ^218Po's 3 min t1/2, something only the God of Genesis could have done

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentry, Robert

2011-04-01

Quotes from my Science (184, 62, 1974) report, Radiohalos in Radiochronological and Cosmological Perspective, show why primordial polonium halos earlier commanded attention for creation," It is also apparent that Po halos do pose contradictions to currently held views of Earth history" "For example, there is first the problem of how isotopic separation of several Po isotopes [or their β-decay precursors could have occurred naturally. Second, a straightforward explanation of ^218Po halos implies that the 1-μm radiocenters of very dark halos of this type initially contained as many as 5 x 10^9 atoms (a concentration of more than 50 percent) of the isotope ^218Po (half-life, 3 minutes), a problem that almost defies reason. A further necessary consequence, that such Po halos could have formed only if the host rocks underwent a rapid crystallization, renders exceedingly difficult, in my estimation, the prospect of explaining these halos by physical laws as presently understood." In 1977 E. P. Wigner, G. N. Flerov (Dubna), Ed Anders, E. Segre, F. Dyson, and John Wheeler all commented on these results (see alphacosmos.net). Also, ^14N detection in dwarf radiohalos may be of cosmological significance in implying a superheavy element origin from ^14C emission.

Fully-relativistic full-potential multiple scattering theory: A pathology-free scheme

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Xianglin; Wang, Yang; Eisenbach, Markus

The Green function plays an essential role in the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker(KKR) multiple scattering method. In practice, it is constructed from the regular and irregular solutions of the local Kohn–Sham equation and robust methods exist for spherical potentials. However, when applied to a non-spherical potential, numerical errors from the irregular solutions give rise to pathological behaviors of the charge density at small radius. Here we present a full-potential implementation of the fully-relativistic KKR method to perform ab initio self-consistent calculation by directly solving the Dirac differential equations using the generalized variable phase (sine and cosine matrices) formalism Liu et al. (2016). Themore » pathology around the origin is completely eliminated by carrying out the energy integration of the single-site Green function along the real axis. Here, by using an efficient pole-searching technique to identify the zeros of the well-behaved Jost matrices, we demonstrated that this scheme is numerically stable and computationally efficient, with speed comparable to the conventional contour energy integration method, while free of the pathology problem of the charge density. As an application, this method is utilized to investigate the crystal structures of polonium and their bulk properties, which is challenging for a conventional real-energy scheme. The noble metals are also calculated, both as a test of our method and to study the relativistic effects.« less

210Po and 210Pb Activity Concentrations in Cigarettes Produced in Vietnam and Their Estimated Dose Contribution Due to Smoking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Thuy-Ngan N.; Le, Cong-Hao; Chau, Van-Tao

Smoking cigarettes contributes significantly to the increase of radiation in human body because 210Po and 210Pb exist relatively high in tobacco leaves. Therefore, these two radioisotopes in eighteen of the most frequently sold cigarette brands produced in Vietnam were examined in this study. 210Po was determined by alpha spectroscopy using a passivated implanted planar silicon (PIPS) detector after a procedure including radiochemical separation and spontaneous deposition of polonium on a copper disc (the deposition efficiency of 210Po on a copper disc was approximately 94%). Sequentially, 210Pb was determined through the ingrowth of 210Po after storing the sample solutions for approximately six months. The activity concentrations of 210Po in cigarettes ranged from 13.8 to 82.6 mBq/cigarette (the mean value was 26.4 mBq/cigarette) and the activity concentrations of 210Pb in cigarettes ranged from 13.9 to 78.8 mBq/cigarette (the mean value was 25.8 mBq/cigarette). The annual committed effective dose for smokers who smoke one pack per day was also estimated to be 295.4 µSv/year (223.0 µSv/year and 72.4 µSv/year from 210Po and 210Pb, respectively). These indicated that smoking increased the risk of developing lung cancer was approximately 60 times greater for smokers than for non-smokers.

Bonebrake Theological Seminary - Most Secret A-Bomb Project Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sopka, Katherine R.; Sopka, Elisabeth M.

2004-05-01

In late 1943, a small number of nuclear scientists was urgently assembled in Dayton, Ohio by the U.S. Army Manhattan District Engineers and Monsanto Chemical Company Research Division to set up a top secret research project essential to counteract the German atomic bomb threat. The site chosen was an old stone building built in 1879 by the United Brethren Church in a residential area known locally as the Bonebrake Seminary. Centered on a sizeable open plot, the austere three story building was surrounded by a tall cyclone fence with a narrow gate and a minimal guard post - nothing revealed the site's intense research activity then or even in the post-WWII Cold War period. Bonebrake scientists would produce the highly radioactive polonium sources for the plutonium (Pu-239) bomb igniter used in August over Nagasaki just before the end of WWII against Japan. The existence of Bonebrake and its research/production work remained classified top secret throughout the Cold War. Only in recent times can any reference be found even to the existence of this project (unlike , for example, Los Alamos or Oak Ridge) and few, if any details, have ever been published. The primary source of information for this paper is Dr. John J. Sopka who was recruited from Princeton University by the Manhattan District in 1943 as physicist for this project.

Smokeless tobacco and oral cancer: a review of the risks and determinants.

PubMed

Rodu, Brad; Jansson, Christer

2004-09-01

Smokeless tobacco has been associated with oral cancer for many decades. The purpose of this article is to review research relevant to this association, including epidemiologic studies, studies of putative carcinogens such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and other contaminants, and possible cancer inhibitors. Epidemiologic studies addressing this issue primarily consist of case-control studies. They show that the use of chewing tobacco and moist snuff is associated with very low risks for cancers of the oral cavity and related structures (relative risks [RR] from 0.6 to 1.7). The use of dry snuff is associated with higher RRs, ranging from 4 to 13, while the RRs from smokeless tobacco, unspecified as to type, are intermediate (RR = 1.5 to 2.8). With regard to TSNAs, historical levels in American moist snuff products were higher than those in their Swedish counterparts, but levels in contemporary products are uniformly low. TSNA levels in chewing tobacco have always been low, but levels in dry snuff have been higher, including some very high levels in current products. In general, smokeless tobacco users are not exposed to significant levels of cadmium, lead, benzo(a)pyrene, polonium-210, and formaldehyde, when compared with concentrations of these compounds in foods. Finally, low oral cancer risk from smokeless tobacco use may be influenced by the presence of cancer inhibitors, mainly anti-oxidants, in smokeless tobacco products.

Temporal changes of 210Po in temperate coastal waters.

PubMed

Wildgust, M A; McDonald, P; White, K N

1998-06-18

The temporal variation of Polonium-210 (210Po) was examined in coastal sea water, the mussel Mytilus edulis, the winkle Littorina littorea and green alga Ulva lactuca in order to investigate the entry of 210Po into the marine food chain. More than 99% of 210Po in the water column occurred in the particulate phase. Dissolved 210Po concentrations peaked during the spring phytoplankton bloom and it is suggested this is related to preferential scavenging of 210Po by the increased numbers of bacteria, viruses and small dissolved particulates. Changes in L. littorea 210Po specific activity are thought not to be related to food, but to a drop in body weight following spawning. Much of the 210Po accumulated by M. edulis was located in the digestive gland. The specific activity of 210Po in the digestive gland of M. edulis was shown to be strongly correlated with changes in sea water suspended particulate specific activity. Examination of other trace metal (Ag, Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn and Zn) variations in the digestive gland revealed that class B and borderline metals had a strong positive correlation with 210Po. On-going work is investigating whether the accumulation and loss of 210Po is affected by the presence of metallothioneins.

Polonium (210Po) and lead (210Pb) in marine organisms and their transfer in marine food chains.

PubMed

Carvalho, Fernando P

2011-05-01

The determination of (210)Po and (210)Pb was performed in marine organisms from the seashore to abyssal depths, encompassing a plethora of species from the microscopic plankton to the sperm whale. Concentrations of those radionuclides ranged from low values of about 5 × 10(-1) Bq kg(-1) (wet wt.) in jellyfish, to very high values of about of 3 × 10(4) Bq kg(-1) (wet wt.) in the gut walls of sardines, with a common pattern of (210)Po > (210)Pb.These radionuclides are primarily absorbed from water and concentrated by phyto- and microzooplankton, and then are transferred to the next trophic level along marine food chains. Investigation in epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic and abyssobenthic organisms revealed that (210)Po is transferred in the marine food webs with transfer factors ranging from 0.1 to 0.7, and numerically similar to those of the energy transfer in the marine food chains. As (210)Po preferentially binds to amino acids and proteins, its transfer in food chains likely traces protein transfer and, thus, (210)Po transfer factors are similar to ecotrophic coefficients. (210)Pb is transferred less efficiently in marine food chains and this contributes to increased (210)Po:(210)Pb activity ratios in some trophic levels. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pictorial health warning label content and smokers' understanding of smoking-related risks-a cross-country comparison.

PubMed

Swayampakala, Kamala; Thrasher, James F; Hammond, David; Yong, Hua-Hie; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Krugman, Dean; Brown, Abraham; Borland, Ron; Hardin, James

2015-02-01

The aim of the present study was to assess smokers' level of agreement with smoking-related risks and toxic tobacco constituents relative to inclusion of these topics on health warning labels (HWLs). 1000 adult smokers were interviewed between 2012 and 2013 from online consumer panels of adult smokers from each of the three countries: Australia (AU), Canada (CA) and Mexico (MX). Generalized estimating equation models were estimated to compare agreement with smoking-related risks and toxic tobacco constituents. For disease outcomes described on HWLs across all three countries, there were few statistical differences in agreement with health outcomes (e.g. emphysema and heart attack). By contrast, increases in agreement where the HWLs were revised or introduced on HWLs for the first time (e.g. blindness in AU and CA, bladder cancer in CA). Similarly, samples from countries that have specific health content or toxic constituents on HWLs showed higher agreement for that particular disease or toxin than countries without (e.g. higher agreement for gangrene and blindness in AU, higher agreement for bladder cancer and all toxic constituents except nitrosamines and radioactive polonium in CA). Pictorial HWL content is associated with greater awareness of smoking-related risks and toxic tobacco constituents. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Fully-relativistic full-potential multiple scattering theory: A pathology-free scheme

DOE PAGES

Liu, Xianglin; Wang, Yang; Eisenbach, Markus; ...

2017-10-28

The Green function plays an essential role in the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker(KKR) multiple scattering method. In practice, it is constructed from the regular and irregular solutions of the local Kohn–Sham equation and robust methods exist for spherical potentials. However, when applied to a non-spherical potential, numerical errors from the irregular solutions give rise to pathological behaviors of the charge density at small radius. Here we present a full-potential implementation of the fully-relativistic KKR method to perform ab initio self-consistent calculation by directly solving the Dirac differential equations using the generalized variable phase (sine and cosine matrices) formalism Liu et al. (2016). Themore » pathology around the origin is completely eliminated by carrying out the energy integration of the single-site Green function along the real axis. Here, by using an efficient pole-searching technique to identify the zeros of the well-behaved Jost matrices, we demonstrated that this scheme is numerically stable and computationally efficient, with speed comparable to the conventional contour energy integration method, while free of the pathology problem of the charge density. As an application, this method is utilized to investigate the crystal structures of polonium and their bulk properties, which is challenging for a conventional real-energy scheme. The noble metals are also calculated, both as a test of our method and to study the relativistic effects.« less

Internal dose assessment of 210Po using biokinetic modeling and urinary excretion measurement

PubMed Central

Gerstmann, Udo; Giussani, Augusto; Oeh, Uwe; Paretzke, Herwig G.

2007-01-01

The mysterious death of Mr. Alexander Litvinenko who was most possibly poisoned by Polonium-210 (210Po) in November 2006 in London attracted the attention of the public to the kinetics, dosimetry and the risk of this high radiotoxic isotope in the human body. In the present paper, the urinary excretion of seven persons who were possibly exposed to traces of 210Po was monitored. The values measured in the GSF Radioanalytical Laboratory are in the range of natural background concentration. To assess the effective dose received by those persons, the time-dependence of the organ equivalent dose and the effective dose after acute ingestion and inhalation of 210Po were calculated using the biokinetic model for polonium (Po) recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the one recently published by Leggett and Eckerman (L&E). The daily urinary excretion to effective dose conversion factors for ingestion and inhalation were evaluated based on the ICRP and L&E models for members of the public. The ingestion (inhalation) effective dose per unit intake integrated over one day is 1.7 × 10−8 (1.4 × 10−7) Sv Bq−1, 2.0 × 10−7 (9.6 × 10−7) Sv Bq−1 over 10 days, 5.2 × 10−7 (2.0 × 10−6) Sv Bq−1 over 30 days and 1.0 × 10−6 (3.0 × 10−6) Sv Bq−1 over 100 days. The daily urinary excretions after acute ingestion (inhalation) of 1 Bq of 210Po are 1.1 × 10−3 (1.0 × 10−4) on day 1, 2.0 × 10−3 (1.9 × 10−4) on day 10, 1.3 × 10−3 (1.7 × 10−4) on day 30 and 3.6 × 10−4 (8.3 × 10−5) Bq d−1 on day 100, respectively. The resulting committed effective doses range from 2.1 × 10−3 to 1.7 × 10−2 mSv by an assumption of ingestion and from 5.5 × 10−2 to 4.5 × 10−1 mSv by inhalation. For the case of Mr. Litvinenko, the mean organ absorbed dose as a function of time was calculated using both the above stated models. The red bone marrow, the kidneys and the liver were considered as the critical organs. Assuming a value of lethal absorbed dose of 5 Gy to the bone marrow, 6 Gy to the kidneys and 8 Gy to the liver, the amount of 210Po which Mr. Litvinenko might have ingested is therefore estimated to range from 27 to 1,408 MBq, i.e 0.2–8.5 μg, depending on the modality of intake and on different assumptions about blood absorption. PMID:17899149

Heavy-ion radiobiology: new approaches to delineate mechanisms underlying enhanced biological effectiveness.

PubMed

Blakely, E A; Kronenberg, A

1998-11-01

Shortly after the discovery of polonium and radium by Marie Curie and her husband and colleague, Pierre Curie, it was learned that exposure to these alpha-particle emitters produced deleterious biological effects. The mechanisms underlying the increased biological effectiveness of densely ionizing radiations, including alpha particles, neutrons and highly energetic heavy charged particles, remain an active area of investigation. In this paper, we review recent advances in several areas of the radiobiology of these densely ionizing radiations, also known as heavy ions. Advances are described in the areas of DNA damage and repair, chromosome aberrations, mutagenesis, neoplastic transformation in vitro, genomic instability, normal tissue radiobiology and carcinogenesis in vivo. We focus on technical innovations, including novel applications of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), linkage analysis, and studies of gene expression and protein expression. We also highlight the use of new cellular and animal systems, including those with defined DNA repair deficiencies, as well as epithelial cell model systems to assess neoplastic transformation both in vitro and in vivo. The studies reviewed herein have had a substantial impact on our understanding of the genotoxic effects of heavy ions as well as their distinct effects on tissue homeostasis. The use of these radiations in cancer therapy is also discussed. The use of both heavy-ion and proton therapy is on the upswing in several centers around the world, due to their unique energy deposition characteristics that enhance the therapeutic effect and help reduce damage to normal tissue.

Heavy-ion radiobiology: new approaches to delineate mechanisms underlying enhanced biological effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakely, E. A.; Kronenberg, A.; Chatterjee, A. (Principal Investigator)

1998-01-01

Shortly after the discovery of polonium and radium by Marie Curie and her husband and colleague, Pierre Curie, it was learned that exposure to these alpha-particle emitters produced deleterious biological effects. The mechanisms underlying the increased biological effectiveness of densely ionizing radiations, including alpha particles, neutrons and highly energetic heavy charged particles, remain an active area of investigation. In this paper, we review recent advances in several areas of the radiobiology of these densely ionizing radiations, also known as heavy ions. Advances are described in the areas of DNA damage and repair, chromosome aberrations, mutagenesis, neoplastic transformation in vitro, genomic instability, normal tissue radiobiology and carcinogenesis in vivo. We focus on technical innovations, including novel applications of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), linkage analysis, and studies of gene expression and protein expression. We also highlight the use of new cellular and animal systems, including those with defined DNA repair deficiencies, as well as epithelial cell model systems to assess neoplastic transformation both in vitro and in vivo. The studies reviewed herein have had a substantial impact on our understanding of the genotoxic effects of heavy ions as well as their distinct effects on tissue homeostasis. The use of these radiations in cancer therapy is also discussed. The use of both heavy-ion and proton therapy is on the upswing in several centers around the world, due to their unique energy deposition characteristics that enhance the therapeutic effect and help reduce damage to normal tissue.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moroz, B.B.; Grozdou, S.P.

Electrocardiographic data are presented on the reaction of the myocardium to adrenaline, carbocholine, ephedrin, and nitroglycerin in rabbits at different stages of acute radiation sickness induced by polonium. There were divulged changes in the excitability and conductivity of the myocardium in which two developmental stages could be distinguished. In the first stage the sensitivity of the heart was elevated. After the introduction of adrenaline, bradycardia intensified, exrasystoles were observed more often and ventricular flutter and heterotopic ventricular rhythm. was observed. The administration of carbocholine produced a sharper retardation of atrioventricular conductivity, even an incomplete block of the II to IIImore » degree, etc. In the second stage, as compared with the early periods of radiation sickness, a drop of cardiac sensitivity was observed. The reactivity of the heart to adrenaline, carbocholine, and nitroglycerin, especially at late stages, was considerably reduced or the myocardial reaction was absent completely. At the peak of radiation sickness marked changes of the electrocardiogram were seen which were indicative of dystrophic processes in the myocardium (a drop of the wave P amplitude and QRS complex, a rise and a sharpening of T wave a lengthening of the QRST complex, and displacement of the isoelectric axis to the right). An elevated sensitivity of the heart during the first stage was apparently associated with disturbances of extracardiac innervation, especially with the increase of parasympathetic influences. A diminution of the cardiac reaction in the second stage was possibly due to a weakening of extracardiac reflexes and affection of the cardiac muscle as well. (auth)« less

Preliminary Work Toward a Transuranic Activity Estimation Method for Rapid Discrimination of Anthropogenic from Transuranic Activity in Alpha Air Samples

DOE PAGES

Cope, S. Joseph; Hayes, Robert B.

2018-03-01

Radon ( 222Rn) and thoron ( 220Rn) progeny (primarily bismuth and polonium) are known interferents when rapid evaluation of transuranic content on air filters is of interest. These complexities stem from the overlapping energies of the progeny alpha particles onto the transuranic region of interest (3–5.5 MeV) where naturally-occurring alpha emitters can overwhelm the spectra. Due to the immediacy of the alpha counting methods employed, coupled with the half-life of thoron progeny dominated by 212Pb (t 1/2=10.6 h), a conservative transuranic activity estimate with rigorous uncertainty is being sought. A successful transuranic activity estimation method will incorporate any thoron progenymore » present on the filter providing 95% confidence decision levels in which a filter may be evaluated for emergency response applications. Twenty-three pairs of samples of various duration having no transuranic content were taken over a 2-mo period. The resulting filters were counted in a time series before non-linear least squares decay curve fitting was applied to the decay profile. For the samples considered, a transuranic activity estima-tor decision level was determined at 0.2 Bq for the given geographic location and months analyzed. In conclusion, validation of this method for other seasonal and geographic regions could provide enhanced emergency response capability when the presence of transuranic activity is suspected.« less

Preliminary Work Toward a Transuranic Activity Estimation Method for Rapid Discrimination of Anthropogenic from Transuranic Activity in Alpha Air Samples

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cope, S. Joseph; Hayes, Robert B.

Radon ( 222Rn) and thoron ( 220Rn) progeny (primarily bismuth and polonium) are known interferents when rapid evaluation of transuranic content on air filters is of interest. These complexities stem from the overlapping energies of the progeny alpha particles onto the transuranic region of interest (3–5.5 MeV) where naturally-occurring alpha emitters can overwhelm the spectra. Due to the immediacy of the alpha counting methods employed, coupled with the half-life of thoron progeny dominated by 212Pb (t 1/2=10.6 h), a conservative transuranic activity estimate with rigorous uncertainty is being sought. A successful transuranic activity estimation method will incorporate any thoron progenymore » present on the filter providing 95% confidence decision levels in which a filter may be evaluated for emergency response applications. Twenty-three pairs of samples of various duration having no transuranic content were taken over a 2-mo period. The resulting filters were counted in a time series before non-linear least squares decay curve fitting was applied to the decay profile. For the samples considered, a transuranic activity estima-tor decision level was determined at 0.2 Bq for the given geographic location and months analyzed. In conclusion, validation of this method for other seasonal and geographic regions could provide enhanced emergency response capability when the presence of transuranic activity is suspected.« less

Risk Due to Radiological Terror Attacks With Natural Radionuclides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Friedrich, Steinhaeusler; Lyudmila, Zaitseva; Stan, Rydell

The naturally occurring radionuclides radium (Ra-226) and polonium (Po-210) have the potential to be used for criminal acts. Analysis of international incident data contained in the Database on Nuclear Smuggling, Theft and Orphan Radiation Sources (CSTO), operated at the University of Salzburg, shows that several acts of murder and terrorism with natural radionuclides have already been carried out in Europe and Russia. Five different modes of attack (T) are possible: (1) Covert irradiation of an individual in order to deliver a high individual dose; (2) Covert irradiation of a group of persons delivering a large collective dose; (3) Contamination ofmore » food or drink; (4) Generation of radioactive aerosols or solutions; (5) Combination of Ra-226 with conventional explosives (Dirty Bomb).This paper assesses the risk (R) of such criminal acts in terms of: (a) Probability of terrorist motivation deploying a certain attack mode T; (b) Probability of success by the terrorists for the selected attack mode T; (c) Primary damage consequence (C) to the attacked target (activity, dose); (d) Secondary damage consequence (C') to the attacked target (psychological and socio-economic effects); (e) Probability that the consequences (C, C') cannot be brought under control, resulting in a failure to manage successfully the emergency situation due to logistical and/or technical deficits in implementing adequate countermeasures. Extensive computer modelling is used to determine the potential impact of such a criminal attack on directly affected victims and on the environment.« less

Cigarette smoke radioactivity and lung cancer risk.

PubMed

Karagueuzian, Hrayr S; White, Celia; Sayre, James; Norman, Amos

2012-01-01

To determine the tobacco industry's policy and action with respect to radioactive polonium 210 ((210)Po) in cigarette smoke and to assess the long-term risk of lung cancer caused by alpha particle deposits in the lungs of regular smokers. Analysis of major tobacco industries' internal secret documents on cigarette radioactivity made available online by the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. The documents show that the industry was well aware of the presence of a radioactive substance in tobacco as early as 1959. Furthermore, the industry was not only cognizant of the potential "cancerous growth" in the lungs of regular smokers but also did quantitative radiobiological calculations to estimate the long-term (25 years) lung radiation absorption dose (rad) of ionizing alpha particles emitted from the cigarette smoke. Our own calculations of lung rad of alpha particles match closely the rad estimated by the industry. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the industry's and our estimate of long-term lung rad of alpha particles causes 120-138 lung cancer deaths per year per 1,000 regular smokers. Acid wash was discovered in 1980 to be highly effectively in removing (210)Po from the tobacco leaves; however, the industry avoided its use for concerns that acid media would ionize nicotine converting it into a poorly absorbable form into the brain of smokers thus depriving them of the much sought after instant "nicotine kick" sensation. The evidence of lung cancer risk caused by cigarette smoke radioactivity is compelling enough to warrant its removal.

Polonium in size fractionated mainstream cigarette smoke, predicted deposition and associated internal radiation dose.

PubMed

Tiwari, M; Sahu, S K; Bhangare, R C; Pandit, G G

2016-10-01

In this study, size fractionated mass and 210 Po activity concentrations in mainstream cigarette smoke (MCS) were monitored for three popular cigarette brands. Size segregated collection of MCS was carried out using a cascade type impactor, while mass and 210 Po activity concentration were analyzed gravimetrically and alpha spectrometry (following the radiochemical separation) respectively. Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD V2.11) model is used for prediction of deposition fraction calculations for the MCS deposition in different compartment of human respiratory tract. The activity concentration of 210 Po is founds 10.56 ± 2.46 mBq per cigarette for the tested cigarette brands. 210 Po size distribution indicates most of this associates with fine fraction (Dp < 2.23 μm) of cigarette smoke. The committed annual effective dose to smokers (smoking on an average 20 cigarette a day), considering the 210 Po and 210 Pb concentrations (assuming it is in secular equilibrium with 210 Po) in MCS, was estimated between 0.22 and 0.40 mSv, with mean value of 0.30 mSv for tested cigarette brands. Considering the risk factor of fatal cancer due to radiation exposure of lung (exposure time of 30 years); the average collective estimated fatal cancer risk is estimated as 1.5 × 10 -4 due to 210 Po and 210 Pb exposure to smokers. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Radioecological modelling of Polonium-210 and Caesium-137 in lichen-reindeer-man and top predators.

PubMed

Persson, Bertil R R; Gjelsvik, Runhild; Holm, Elis

2018-06-01

This work deals with analysis and modelling of the radionuclides 210 Pb and 210 Po in the food-chain lichen-reindeer-man in addition to 210 Po and 137 Cs in top predators. By using the methods of Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) the atmospheric deposition of 210 Pb and 210 Po is predicted at the sample locations. Dynamic modelling of the activity concentration with differential equations is fitted to the sample data. Reindeer lichen consumption, gastrointestinal absorption, organ distribution and elimination is derived from information in the literature. Dynamic modelling of transfer of 210 Pb and 210 Po to reindeer meat, liver and bone from lichen consumption, fitted well with data from Sweden and Finland from 1966 to 1971. The activity concentration of 210 Pb in the skeleton in man is modelled by using the results of studying the kinetics of lead in skeleton and blood in lead-workers after end of occupational exposure. The result of modelling 210 Pb and 210 Po activity in skeleton matched well with concentrations of 210 Pb and 210 Po in teeth from reindeer-breeders and autopsy bone samples in Finland. The results of 210 Po and 137 Cs in different tissues of wolf, wolverine and lynx previously published, are analysed with multivariate data processing methods such as Principal Component Analysis PCA, and modelled with the method of Projection to Latent Structures, PLS, or Partial Least Square Regression PLSR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk Due to Radiological Terror Attacks With Natural Radionuclides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, Steinhäusler; Stan, Rydell; Lyudmila, Zaitseva

2008-08-01

The naturally occurring radionuclides radium (Ra-226) and polonium (Po-210) have the potential to be used for criminal acts. Analysis of international incident data contained in the Database on Nuclear Smuggling, Theft and Orphan Radiation Sources (CSTO), operated at the University of Salzburg, shows that several acts of murder and terrorism with natural radionuclides have already been carried out in Europe and Russia. Five different modes of attack (T) are possible: (1) Covert irradiation of an individual in order to deliver a high individual dose; (2) Covert irradiation of a group of persons delivering a large collective dose; (3) Contamination of food or drink; (4) Generation of radioactive aerosols or solutions; (5) Combination of Ra-226 with conventional explosives (Dirty Bomb). This paper assesses the risk (R) of such criminal acts in terms of: (a) Probability of terrorist motivation deploying a certain attack mode T; (b) Probability of success by the terrorists for the selected attack mode T; (c) Primary damage consequence (C) to the attacked target (activity, dose); (d) Secondary damage consequence (C') to the attacked target (psychological and socio-economic effects); (e) Probability that the consequences (C, C') cannot be brought under control, resulting in a failure to manage successfully the emergency situation due to logistical and/or technical deficits in implementing adequate countermeasures. Extensive computer modelling is used to determine the potential impact of such a criminal attack on directly affected victims and on the environment.

Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of alpha radiation in cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells.

PubMed

Thomas, Patricia; Tracy, Bliss; Ping, Tilly; Baweja, Anar; Wickstrom, Mark; Sidhu, Narinder; Hiebert, Linda

2007-03-01

Northern peoples can receive elevated radiation doses (1- 10 mSv/y) from transfer of polonium-210 (210Po) through the lichen-caribou-human food chain. Ingested 210Po is primarily blood-borne and thus many of its short range alpha particles irradiate the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of alpha particles vs. x-rays was examined in porcine aortic endothelial cells as a surrogate for understanding what might happen to human endothelial cells in northern populations consuming traditional foods. Cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells were exposed to x-ray and 210Po alpha particle radiation. Alpha irradiation was applied to the cell cultures internally via the culture medium and externally, using thin-bottomed culture dishes. The results given here are based on the external irradiation method, which was found to be more reliable. Dose-response curves were compared for four lethal endpoints (cell viability, live cell fraction, release of lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and clonogenic survival) to determine the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of alpha radiation. The alpha RBE for porcine cells varied from 1.6-21, depending on the endpoint: 21.2+/-4.5 for cell viability, 12.9+/-2.7 for decrease in live cell number, 5.3+/-0.4 for LDH release to the medium but only 1.6 +/-0.1 for clonogenic survival. The low RBE of 1.6 was due to x-ray hypersensitivity of endothelial cells at low doses.

Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 210Po alpha-particles versus X-rays on lethality in bovine endothelial cells.

PubMed

Thomas, P A; Tracy, B L; Ping, T; Wickstrom, M; Sidhu, N; Hiebert, L

2003-02-01

Alpha-radiation from polonium-210 ((210)Po) can elevate background radiation dose by an order of magnitude in people consuming large quantities of meat and seafood, particularly caribou and reindeer. Because up to 50% of the ingested (210)Po body burden is initially found in the blood, a primary target for the short range alpha-particles is the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. This study examined the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of (210)Po alpha-particles versus 250 kVp X-rays in producing injury to cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. Radiation effects on cells were measured in four different ways: the percentage viable cells by trypan blue dye exclusion, the number of live cells, the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release to medium and the ability to form colonies (clonogenic survival). Comparison of dose-response curves yielded RBE values of 13.1+/-2.5 (SEM) for cell viability, 10.3+/-1.0 for live cell number and 11.1+/-3.0 for LDH activity. The RBE values for clonogenic survival were 14.0+/-1.0 based on the ratio of the initial slopes of the dose-response curves and 13.1, 9.9 and 7.7 for 50, 10 and 1% survival rate, respectively. At X-ray doses <0.25 Gy, a pronounced stimulatory effect on proliferation was noted. Exposure to (210)Po alpha-particles was seven to 14 times more effective than X-ray exposure in causing endothelial cell damage.

Illicit Trafficking of Natural Radionuclides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Friedrich, Steinhaeusler; Lyudmila, Zaitseva

2008-08-07

Natural radionuclides have been subject to trafficking worldwide, involving natural uranium ore (U 238), processed uranium (yellow cake), low enriched uranium (<20% U 235) or highly enriched uranium (>20% U 235), radium (Ra 226), polonium (Po 210), and natural thorium ore (Th 232). An important prerequisite to successful illicit trafficking activities is access to a suitable logistical infrastructure enabling an undercover shipment of radioactive materials and, in case of trafficking natural uranium or thorium ore, capable of transporting large volumes of material. Covert en route diversion of an authorised uranium transport, together with covert diversion of uranium concentrate from anmore » operating or closed uranium mines or mills, are subject of case studies. Such cases, involving Israel, Iran, Pakistan and Libya, have been analyzed in terms of international actors involved and methods deployed. Using international incident data contained in the Database on Nuclear Smuggling, Theft and Orphan Radiation Sources (DSTO) and international experience gained from the fight against drug trafficking, a generic Trafficking Pathway Model (TPM) is developed for trafficking of natural radionuclides. The TPM covers the complete trafficking cycle, ranging from material diversion, covert material transport, material concealment, and all associated operational procedures. The model subdivides the trafficking cycle into five phases: (1) Material diversion by insider(s) or initiation by outsider(s); (2) Covert transport; (3) Material brokerage; (4) Material sale; (5) Material delivery. An Action Plan is recommended, addressing the strengthening of the national infrastructure for material protection and accounting, development of higher standards of good governance, and needs for improving the control system deployed by customs, border guards and security forces.« less

Atmospheric emissions from the Windscale accident of October 1957

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garland, J. A.; Wakeford, R.

Although it occurred nearly 50 years ago, the nuclear reactor fire of October 1957 at Windscale Works, Sellafield, England, continues to attract interest. Several attempts have been made to quantify the releases of radionuclides and their radiological consequences, but additional information and a re-analysis of meteorological data encourage a further examination of emissions. The limited instrumentation of the reactor provided little relevant information and, as in previous estimates, the discharges are deduced from environmental evidence, but here the recent meteorological analysis is used. The interpretation of the meteorological and environmental evidence requires both timing and quantity of the emitted radionuclides to be considered together. Significant fission product emission continued from about 15:00 or 16:00 on 10 October 1957 until noon the following day. There were two main peaks in discharge rate, during the evening and early hours and from roughly 06:00 until 10:30, and the amounts emitted during each of these periods were probably comparable. Iodine-131 ( 131I), caesium-137 ( 137Cs) and polonium-210 ( 210Po) activities dominated the radioactive emissions and there is sufficient environmental evidence for releases of these radionuclides to be estimated within a factor of about two. (Some additional 131I may have escaped in a chemical form that was not included in the estimate, but it appears likely that the fraction was small.) There is evidence that the plume extended further east than accepted in previous assessments and the estimates of quantities emitted have been increased to allow for this. For other radionuclides the environmental measurements were fewer and the uncertainties are greater.

Understanding the Radioactive Ingrowth and Decay of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in the Environment: An Analysis of Produced Fluids from the Marcellus Shale.

PubMed

Nelson, Andrew W; Eitrheim, Eric S; Knight, Andrew W; May, Dustin; Mehrhoff, Marinea A; Shannon, Robert; Litman, Robert; Burnett, William C; Forbes, Tori Z; Schultz, Michael K

2015-07-01

The economic value of unconventional natural gas resources has stimulated rapid globalization of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, natural radioactivity found in the large volumes of "produced fluids" generated by these technologies is emerging as an international environmental health concern. Current assessments of the radioactivity concentration in liquid wastes focus on a single element-radium. However, the use of radium alone to predict radioactivity concentrations can greatly underestimate total levels. We investigated the contribution to radioactivity concentrations from naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), including uranium, thorium, actinium, radium, lead, bismuth, and polonium isotopes, to the total radioactivity of hydraulic fracturing wastes. For this study we used established methods and developed new methods designed to quantitate NORM of public health concern that may be enriched in complex brines from hydraulic fracturing wastes. Specifically, we examined the use of high-purity germanium gamma spectrometry and isotope dilution alpha spectrometry to quantitate NORM. We observed that radium decay products were initially absent from produced fluids due to differences in solubility. However, in systems closed to the release of gaseous radon, our model predicted that decay products will begin to ingrow immediately and (under these closed-system conditions) can contribute to an increase in the total radioactivity for more than 100 years. Accurate predictions of radioactivity concentrations are critical for estimating doses to potentially exposed individuals and the surrounding environment. These predictions must include an understanding of the geochemistry, decay properties, and ingrowth kinetics of radium and its decay product radionuclides.

Method for producing nanostructured metal-oxides

DOEpatents

Tillotson, Thomas M.; Simpson, Randall L.; Hrubesh, Lawrence W.; Gash, Alexander

2006-01-17

A synthetic route for producing nanostructure metal-oxide-based materials using sol-gel processing. This procedure employs the use of stable and inexpensive hydrated-metal inorganic salts and environmentally friendly solvents such as water and ethanol. The synthesis involves the dissolution of the metal salt in a solvent followed by the addition of a proton scavenger, which induces gel formation in a timely manner. Both critical point (supercritical extraction) and atmospheric (low temperature evaporation) drying may be employed to produce monolithic aerogels and xerogels, respectively. Using this method synthesis of metal-oxide nanostructured materials have been carried out using inorganic salts, such as of Fe.sup.3+, Cr.sup.3+, Al.sup.3+, Ga.sup.3+, In.sup.3+, Hf.sup.4+, Sn.sup.4+, Zr.sup.4+, Nb.sup.5+, W.sup.6+, Pr.sup.3+, Er.sup.3+, Nd.sup.3+, Ce.sup.3+, U.sup.3+ and Y.sup.3+. The process is general and nanostructured metal-oxides from the following elements of the periodic table can be made: Groups 2 through 13, part of Group 14 (germanium, tin, lead), part of Group 15 (antimony, bismuth), part of Group 16 (polonium), and the lanthanides and actinides. The sol-gel processing allows for the addition of insoluble materials (e.g., metals or polymers) to the viscous sol, just before gelation, to produce a uniformly distributed nanocomposites upon gelation. As an example, energetic nanocomposites of Fe.sub.xO.sub.y gel with distributed Al metal are readily made. The compositions are stable, safe, and can be readily ignited to thermitic reaction.

Illicit Trafficking of Natural Radionuclides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, Steinhäusler; Lyudmila, Zaitseva

2008-08-01

Natural radionuclides have been subject to trafficking worldwide, involving natural uranium ore (U 238), processed uranium (yellow cake), low enriched uranium (<20% U 235) or highly enriched uranium (>20% U 235), radium (Ra 226), polonium (Po 210), and natural thorium ore (Th 232). An important prerequisite to successful illicit trafficking activities is access to a suitable logistical infrastructure enabling an undercover shipment of radioactive materials and, in case of trafficking natural uranium or thorium ore, capable of transporting large volumes of material. Covert en route diversion of an authorised uranium transport, together with covert diversion of uranium concentrate from an operating or closed uranium mines or mills, are subject of case studies. Such cases, involving Israel, Iran, Pakistan and Libya, have been analyzed in terms of international actors involved and methods deployed. Using international incident data contained in the Database on Nuclear Smuggling, Theft and Orphan Radiation Sources (DSTO) and international experience gained from the fight against drug trafficking, a generic Trafficking Pathway Model (TPM) is developed for trafficking of natural radionuclides. The TPM covers the complete trafficking cycle, ranging from material diversion, covert material transport, material concealment, and all associated operational procedures. The model subdivides the trafficking cycle into five phases: (1) Material diversion by insider(s) or initiation by outsider(s); (2) Covert transport; (3) Material brokerage; (4) Material sale; (5) Material delivery. An Action Plan is recommended, addressing the strengthening of the national infrastructure for material protection and accounting, development of higher standards of good governance, and needs for improving the control system deployed by customs, border guards and security forces.

Radionuclides and trace metals in Canadian moose near uranium mines: comparison of radiation doses and food chain transfer with cattle and caribou.

PubMed

Thomas, Patricia; Irvine, James; Lyster, Jane; Beaulieu, Rhys

2005-05-01

Tissues from 45 moose and 4 cattle were collected to assess the health of country foods near uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. Bone, liver, kidney, muscle and rumen contents were analyzed for uranium, radium-226 (226Ra), lead-210 (210Pb), and polonium-210 (210Po). Cesium-137 (137Cs), potassium-40 (40K), and 27 trace metals were also measured in some tissues. Within the most active mining area, Po in liver and muscle declined significantly with distance from tailings, possibly influenced by nearby natural uranium outcrops. Moose from this area had significantly higher 226Ra, 210Pb, 210Po, and 137Cs in some edible soft tissues vs. one control area. However, soil type and diet may influence concentrations as much as uranium mining activities, given that a) liver levels of uranium, 226Ra, and 210Po were similar to a second positive control area with mineral-rich shale hills and b) 210Po was higher in cattle kidneys than in all moose. Enhanced food chain transfer from rumen contents to liver was found for selenium in the main mining area and for copper, molybdenum and cadmium in moose vs. cattle. Although radiological doses to moose in the main mining area were 2.6 times higher than doses to control moose or cattle, low moose intakes yielded low human doses (0.0068 mSv y(-1)), a mere 0.3% of the dose from intake of caribou (2.4 mSv y(-1)), the dietary staple in the area.

210-Polonium studies in some environmental and biological matrices of Domiasiat uranium deposit area, West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India.

PubMed

Marbaniang, Deswyn G; Poddar, Raj K; Nongkynrih, Phlis; Khathing, Darlando T

2010-03-01

The study was performed using a silicon surface barrier alpha spectrometer at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India. Through the study, the observed (210)Po activity in water sample from different locations in the Domiasiat area ranges from 0.04 to 0.69 Bq/l. The daily and annual intake of (210)Po through water was also estimated and the mean value of 0.72 and 263.61 Bq, respectively, were observed. It is observed that the effective doses through water were higher than the World Health Organization recommended dose of 0.05 mSv/year. The total annual effective doses through terrestrial ingestion for all the locations was studied and the mean annual effective dose was observed to be 0.315 mSv, which, when compared to the worldwide and the Indian values, was observed to be slightly higher. The mean activity in soil is found to be 124.8 +/-5.7 Bq/kg and in meat the activity is 0.43 +/-0.05 Bq/kg. In fishes, an activity of 0.48 +/-0.07 Bq/kg in Garra lamta, 0.29 +/-0.02 Bq/kg in Neolissocheilus hexaganolepis, and 3.3 +/-0.1 Bq/kg in Macrobrachium sp. is observed. Activity concentration in plant samples was analyzed and the activity ranges from 0.020 +/-0.002 to 9.69 +/-0.35 Bq/kg. Committed effective dose by the adult population of the Domiasiat area through intake of (210)Po through these food items was also determined and compared with the Indian average value and the worldwide average value.

A review of lung-to-blood absorption rates for radon progeny.

PubMed

Marsh, J W; Bailey, M R

2013-12-01

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 66 Human Respiratory Tract Model (HRTM) treats clearance of materials from the respiratory tract as a competitive process between absorption into blood and particle transport to the alimentary tract and lymphatics. The ICRP recommended default absorption rates for lead and polonium (Type M) in ICRP Publication 71 but stated that the values were not appropriate for short-lived radon progeny. This paper reviews and evaluates published data from volunteer and laboratory animal experiments to estimate the HRTM absorption parameter values for short-lived radon progeny. Animal studies showed that lead ions have two phases of absorption: ∼10 % absorbed with a half-time of ∼15 min, the rest with a half-time of ∼10 h. The studies also indicated that some of the lead ions were bound to respiratory tract components. Bound fractions, f(b), for lead were estimated from volunteer and animal studies and ranged from 0.2 to 0.8. Based on the evaluations of published data, the following HRTM absorption parameter values were derived for lead as a decay product of radon: f(r) = 0.1, s(r) = 100 d(-1), s(s) = 1.7 d(-1), f(b) = 0.5 and s(b) = 1.7 d(-1). Effective doses calculated assuming these absorption parameter values instead of a single absorption half-time of 10 h with no binding (as has generally been assumed) are only a few per cent higher. However, as there is some conflicting evidence on the absorption kinetics for radon progeny, dose calculations have been carried out for different sets of absorption parameter values derived from different studies. The results of these calculations are discussed.

Elevated gas flux and trace metal degassing from the 2014-2015 fissure eruption at the Bárðarbunga volcanic system, Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauthier, Pierre-Jean; Sigmarsson, Olgeir; Gouhier, Mathieu; Haddadi, Baptiste; Moune, Séverine

2016-03-01

The 2014 Bárðarbunga rifting event in Iceland resulted in a 6-month long eruption at Holuhraun. This eruption was characterized by high lava discharge rate and significant gas emission. The SO2 flux for the first 3 months was measured with satellite sensors and the petrologic method. High-resolution time series of the satellite data give 1200 kg/s that concurs with 1050 kg/s obtained from melt inclusion minus degassed lava sulfur contents scaled to the mass of magma produced. A high-purity gas sample, with elevated S/Cl due to limited chlorine degassing, reveals a similar degassing pattern of trace metals as observed at Kīlauea (Hawai'i) and Erta Ale (Ethiopia). This suggests a common degassing mechanism at mantle plume-related volcanoes. The trace metal fluxes, calculated from trace element to sulfur ratios in the gas sample and scaled to the sulfur dioxide flux, are 1-2 orders of magnitude stronger at Holuhraun than Kīlauea and Erta Ale. In contrast, volcanoes at convergent margins (Etna and Stromboli, Italy) have 1-2 orders of magnitude higher trace element fluxes, most likely caused by abundant chlorine degassing. This emphasizes the importance of metal degassing as chlorine species. Short-lived disequilibria between radon daughters, 210Pb-210Bi-210Po measured in the gas, suggest degassing of a continuously replenished magma batch beneath the eruption site. Earlier and deep degassing phase of carbon dioxide and polonium is inferred from low (210Po/210Pb) in the gas, consistent with magma transfer rate of 0.75 m/s.

Evaluation of Cuprimine® and Syprine® for Decorporation of Radioisotopes of Cesium, Cobalt, Iridium, and Strontium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levitskaia, Tatiana G.; Creim, Jeffrey A.; Curry, Terry L.

2011-08-01

Cuprimine and Syprine are therapeutics approved by FDA to treat copper overload in Wilson Disease (a genetic defect in copper transport) by chelation and accelerated excretion of internally deposited copper. These oral therapeutics are based on respective active ingredients D-penicillamine (DPA) and N,N'-bis (2-aminoethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine dihydrochloride (Trien). Cuprimine is considered the primary treatment, although physicians increasingly are turning to Syprine as first-line therapy. Both drugs exhibit oral systemic activity and low toxicity; their biological effects and safety are established. The literature reports that these agents exhibit high affinity for a range of transition and f-metals and metalloids in vitro. Our previousmore » in vivo studies using a rodent animal model established the decorporation potential of Cuprimine and Syprine for cobalt-60 and polonium-210 (Levitskaia et al 2010a). Currently we are expanding these studies to evaluate in vivo decorporation efficacy of these drugs for several additional radionuclides. In this paper, we discuss results of this investigation using gamma-emitting radionuclides including cesium-137 (137Cs), cobalt-60 (60Co), iridium-192 (192Ir), and strontium-85 (85Sr). Short-term 48 hr pilot studies were undertaken to evaluate DPA and Trien for their in vivo decorporation potency using male Wistar-Han rats. In these studies, radionuclide solution was administered to animals by IV injection, followed by a single IV dose of either DPA or Trien. Control animals received the radionuclide alone. Results show highly effective decorporation of 60Co by DPA. DPA and Trien were modestly effective in decorporation 137Cs and 85Sr, respectively. Based on these promising findings, further studies to evaluate the dose-response pharmacokinetic profiles for decorporation are warranted.« less

137Cs and 210Po in Pacific Walrus and Bearded Seal from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hamilton, T F; Seagars, D J; Jokela, T

2005-02-02

The activity concentration of Cesium-137 ({sup 137}Cs) and naturally-occurring Polonium-210 ({sup 210}Po) were measured in the muscle tissue, kidney and liver of Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) collected by native hunters from the Bering Sea. The mean {sup 137}Cs concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney of Pacific walrus were 0.07, 0.09 and 0.07 Bq kg{sup -1} (N= 5, wet weight), respectively, and 0.17, 0.10, and 0.17 Bq kg{sup -1} (N=2, wet weight), respectively, in bearded seal. In general, {sup 137}Cs tissue concentrations are significantly lower than those previously reported for mammals from other regions. Bymore » comparison, {sup 210}Po activity concentrations appear to be higher than those reported elsewhere but a larger variation. The mean {sup 210}Po concentration in the muscle tissue, liver and kidney of Pacific walrus (N=5, wet weight) were 28.7, 189, and 174 Bq kg{sup -1}, respectively. This compares with {sup 210}Po concentration values (N=2, wet weight) of 27, 207, and 68 Bq kg{sup -1} measured in the muscle tissue, liver and kidney, of bearded seal, respectively. Estimated bioaccumulation factors--as defined by the radionuclide concentration ratio between the target tissue to that in sea water--were two to three orders of magnitude higher for {sup 210}Po that those of {sup 137}Cs. We conclude from radiological dose estimates that ingestion of {sup 137}Cs in foods derived from walrus and seal will pose no threat to human health. This work has important implications for assessing health risks to Alaskan coastal communities concerned about the dumping of nuclear waste in the Russia Arctic.« less

(210)Po poisoning as possible cause of death: forensic investigations and toxicological analysis of the remains of Yasser Arafat.

PubMed

Froidevaux, Pascal; Bochud, François; Baechler, Sébastien; Castella, Vincent; Augsburger, Marc; Bailat, Claude; Michaud, Katarzyna; Straub, Marietta; Pecchia, Marco; Jenk, Theo M; Uldin, Tanya; Mangin, Patrice

2016-02-01

The late president of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, died in November 2004 in Percy Hospital, one month after having experienced a sudden onset of symptoms that included severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain and which were followed by multiple organ failure. In spite of numerous investigations performed in France, the pathophysiological mechanisms at the origin of the symptoms could not be identified. In 2011, we found abnormal levels of polonium-210 ((210)Po) in some of Arafat's belongings that were worn during his final hospital stay and which were stained with biological fluids. This finding led to the exhumation of Arafat's remains in 2012. Significantly higher (up to 20 times) activities of (210)Po and lead-210 ((210)Pb) were found in the ribs, iliac crest and sternum specimens compared to reference samples from the literature (p-value <1%). In all specimens from the tomb, (210)Po activity was supported by a similar activity of (210)Pb. Biokinetic calculations demonstrated that a (210)Pb impurity, as identified in a commercial source of 3MBq of (210)Po, may be responsible for the activities measured in Arafat's belongings and remains 8 years after his death. The absence of myelosuppression and hair loss in Mr Arafat's case compared to Mr Litvinenko's, the only known case of malicious poisoning with (210)Po, could be explained by differences in the time delivery-scheme of intake. In conclusion, statistical Bayesian analysis combining all the evidence gathered in our forensic expert report moderately supports the proposition that Mr Arafat was poisoned by (210)Po. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Development of an Ultra-Pure, Carrier-Free 209Po Solution Standard

PubMed Central

Collé, R.; Fitzgerald, R. P.; Laureano-Perez, L.

2015-01-01

Ultra-pure, carrier-free 209Po solution standards have been prepared and standardized for their massic alpha-particle emission rate. The standards, which will be disseminated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as Standard Reference Material SRM 4326a, have a mean mass of (5.169 ± 0.003) g of a solution of polonium in nominal 2.0 mol▪L−1 HCl (having a solution density of (1.032 ± 0.002) g▪ mL−1 at 20 °C) that are contained in 5 mL, flame-sealed, borosilicate glass ampoules. They are certified to contain a 209Po massic alpha-particle emission rate of (39.01 ± 0.18) s−1▪g−1 as of a reference time of 1200 EST, 01 December 2013. This new standard series replaces SRM 4326 that was issued by NIST in 1994. The standardization was based on 4πα liquid scintillation (LS) spectrometry with two different LS counting systems and under wide variations in measurement and counting source conditions. The methodology for the standardization, with corrections for detection of the low-energy conversion electrons from the delayed 2 keV isomeric state in 205Pb and for the radiations accompanying the small 0.45 % electron-capture branch to 209Bi, involves a unique spectral analysis procedure that is specific for the case of 209Po decay. The entire measurement protocol is similar, but revised and improved from that used for SRM 4326. Spectroscopic impurity analyses revealed that no photon-emitting or alpha-emitting radionuclidic impurities were detected. The most common impurity associated with 209Po is 208Po and the activity ratio of 208Po/209Po was < 10−7. PMID:26958444

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

none

This report is the first quarterly report under Contract AT(30-1)-2528 for the decontamination and recovery of precious metals from contaminated scrap. This program encompasses the recovery of gold, platinum, iridium, rhodium and palladium from scrap and contaminated laboratory ware, equipment, etc. which may be contaminated by alpha emitters (i.e., uranium, plutonium and possibly polonium or combinations of these), beta-gamma emitters such as fission products or all three sources of radiation. In addition the scrap can be chemically contaminated by base metals, graphite or other contaminants. Osmium, ruthenium or silver are not to be recovered. Since the scrap can exist inmore » such a great variety of forms such as platinum-rhodium laboratory crucibles, graphite crucibles containing platinum-base metal alloys derived from vacuum fusion baths, insulated thermocouple wires, reactor liners, porous platinum filters, alloys such as Baker alloy 413 (60 Au, 25 Pd, 15 Pt) it may be necessary to devise specific methods for a given type of scrap. Nevertheless the basic chemistry is the same and information and methods applicable to single systems will apply directly to the more complicated ones. Accordingly the relatively simple systems would be investigated first and the more complicated ones later in the program. An essential and major contribution to the success of the program is to devise or adapt accurate and precise analytical chemical techniques for scrap identification, process control, purity of the final products and accountability control. Accordingly, the emphasis on chemical analysis will be proportionally greater during the early stages of the program. The residual activity level to be attained is presently stated at twice the standard deviation obtained in low background counters (alpha {approx}0.1 c/m, beta {approx} 5 c/m) of virgin platinum.« less

Physical setting and natural sources of exposure to carcinogenic trace elements and radionuclides in Lahontan Valley, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seiler, Ralph L.

2012-01-01

In Lahontan Valley, Nevada, arsenic, cobalt, tungsten, uranium, radon, and polonium-210 are carcinogens that occur naturally in sediments and groundwater. Arsenic and cobalt are principally derived from erosion of volcanic rocks in the local mountains and tungsten and uranium are derived from erosion of granitic rocks in headwater reaches of the Carson River. Radon and 210Po originate from radioactive decay of uranium in the sediments. Arsenic, aluminum, cobalt, iron, and manganese concentrations in household dust suggest it is derived from the local soils. Excess zinc and chromium in the dust are probably derived from the vacuum cleaner used to collect the dust, or household sources such as the furnace. Some samples have more than 5 times more cobalt in the dust than in the local soil, but whether the source of the excess cobalt is anthropogenic or natural cannot be determined with the available data. Cobalt concentrations are low in groundwater, but arsenic, uranium, radon, and 210Po concentrations often exceed human-health standards, and sometime greatly exceed them. Exposure to radon and its decay products in drinking water can vary significantly depending on when during the day that the water is consumed. Although the data suggests there have been no long term changes in groundwater chemistry that corresponds to the Lahontan Valley leukemia cluster, the occurrence of the very unusual leukemia cluster in an area with numerous 210Po and arsenic contaminated wells is striking, particularly in conjunction with the exceptionally high levels of urinary tungsten in Lahontan Valley residents. Additional research is needed on potential exposure pathways involving food or inhalation, and on synergistic effects of mixtures of these natural contaminants on susceptibility to development of leukemia.

Occurrence of 210Po and Biological Effects of Low-Level Exposure: The Need for Research

PubMed Central

Wiemels, Joseph L.

2012-01-01

Background: Polonium-210 (210Po) concentrations that exceed 1 Bq/L in drinking-water supplies have been reported from four widely separated U.S. states where exposure to it went unnoticed for decades. The radionuclide grandparents of 210Po are common in sediments, and segments of the public may be chronically exposed to low levels of 210Po in drinking water or in food products from animals raised in contaminated areas. Objectives: We summarized information on the environmental behavior, biokinetics, and toxicology of 210Po and identified the need for future research. Methods: Potential linkages between environmental exposure to 210Po and human health effects were identified in a literature review. Discussion: 210Po accumulates in the ovaries where it kills primary oocytes at low doses. Because of its radiosensitivity and tendency to concentrate 210Po, the ovary may be the critical organ in determining the lowest injurious dose for 210Po. 210Po also accumulates in the yolk sac of the embryo and in the fetal and placental tissues. Low-level exposure to 210Po may have subtle, long-term biological effects because of its tropism towards reproductive and embryonic and fetal tissues where exposure to a single alpha particle may kill or damage critical cells. 210Po is present in cigarettes and maternal smoking has several effects that appear consistent with the toxicology of 210Po. Conclusions: Much of the important biological and toxicological research on 210Po is more than four decades old. New research is needed to evaluate environmental exposure to 210Po and the biological effects of low-dose exposure to it so that public health officials can develop appropriate mitigation measures where necessary. PMID:22538346

Determination of (210)Po in calcium supplements and the possible related dose assessment to the consumers.

PubMed

Strumińska-Parulska, Dagmara I

2015-12-01

The aim of this pioneer study was to investigate the most popular calcium supplements as a potential additional source of polonium (210)Po in human diet. The analyzed calcium pharmaceutics contained organic or inorganic calcium compounds; some from natural sources as mussels' shells, fish extracts, or sedimentary rocks. The objectives of this research were to investigate the naturally occurring (210)Po activity concentrations in calcium supplements, find the correlations between (210)Po concentration in medicament and calcium chemical form, and calculate the effective radiation dose connected to analyzed calcium supplement consumption. As results showed, (210)Po concentrations in natural origin calcium supplements (especially sedimentary rocks) were higher than the other analyzed. Also the results of (210)Po analysis obtained for inorganic forms of calcium supplements were higher. The highest (210)Po activity concentrations were determined in mineral tablets made from sedimentary rocks: dolomite and chalk - 3.88 ± 0.22 and 3.36 ± 0.10 mBq g(-1) respectively; while the lowest in organic calcium compounds: calcium lactate and calcium gluconate - 0.07 ± 0.02 and 0.17 ± 0.01 mBq g(-1). The annual effective radiation doses from supplements intake were estimated as well. The highest annual radiation dose from (210)Po taken with 1 tablet of calcium supplement per day was connected to sample made from chalk - 2.5 ± 0.07 μSv year(-1), while the highest annual radiation dose from (210)Po taken with 1 g of pure calcium per day was connected to dolomite - 12.7 ± 0.70 μSv year(-1). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physical setting and natural sources of exposure to carcinogenic trace elements and radionuclides in Lahontan Valley, Nevada.

PubMed

Seiler, Ralph

2012-04-05

In Lahontan Valley, Nevada, arsenic, cobalt, tungsten, uranium, radon, and polonium-210 are carcinogens that occur naturally in sediments and groundwater. Arsenic and cobalt are principally derived from erosion of volcanic rocks in the local mountains and tungsten and uranium are derived from erosion of granitic rocks in headwater reaches of the Carson River. Radon and 210Po originate from radioactive decay of uranium in the sediments. Arsenic, aluminum, cobalt, iron, and manganese concentrations in household dust suggest it is derived from the local soils. Excess zinc and chromium in the dust are probably derived from the vacuum cleaner used to collect the dust, or household sources such as the furnace. Some samples have more than 5 times more cobalt in the dust than in the local soil, but whether the source of the excess cobalt is anthropogenic or natural cannot be determined with the available data. Cobalt concentrations are low in groundwater, but arsenic, uranium, radon, and 210Po concentrations often exceed human-health standards, and sometime greatly exceed them. Exposure to radon and its decay products in drinking water can vary significantly depending on when during the day that the water is consumed. Although the data suggests there have been no long term changes in groundwater chemistry that corresponds to the Lahontan Valley leukemia cluster, the occurrence of the very unusual leukemia cluster in an area with numerous 210Po and arsenic contaminated wells is striking, particularly in conjunction with the exceptionally high levels of urinary tungsten in Lahontan Valley residents. Additional research is needed on potential exposure pathways involving food or inhalation, and on synergistic effects of mixtures of these natural contaminants on susceptibility to development of leukemia. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Charge radii and electromagnetic moments of At-211195

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cubiss, J. G.; Barzakh, A. E.; Seliverstov, M. D.; Andreyev, A. N.; Andel, B.; Antalic, S.; Ascher, P.; Atanasov, D.; Beck, D.; Bieroń, J.; Blaum, K.; Borgmann, Ch.; Breitenfeldt, M.; Capponi, L.; Cocolios, T. E.; Day Goodacre, T.; Derkx, X.; De Witte, H.; Elseviers, J.; Fedorov, D. V.; Fedosseev, V. N.; Fritzsche, S.; Gaffney, L. P.; George, S.; Ghys, L.; Heßberger, F. P.; Huyse, M.; Imai, N.; Kalaninová, Z.; Kisler, D.; Köster, U.; Kowalska, M.; Kreim, S.; Lane, J. F. W.; Liberati, V.; Lunney, D.; Lynch, K. M.; Manea, V.; Marsh, B. A.; Mitsuoka, S.; Molkanov, P. L.; Nagame, Y.; Neidherr, D.; Nishio, K.; Ota, S.; Pauwels, D.; Popescu, L.; Radulov, D.; Rapisarda, E.; Revill, J. P.; Rosenbusch, M.; Rossel, R. E.; Rothe, S.; Sandhu, K.; Schweikhard, L.; Sels, S.; Truesdale, V. L.; Van Beveren, C.; Van den Bergh, P.; Wakabayashi, Y.; Van Duppen, P.; Wendt, K. D. A.; Wienholtz, F.; Whitmore, B. W.; Wilson, G. L.; Wolf, R. N.; Zuber, K.

2018-05-01

Hyperfine-structure parameters and isotope shifts of At-211195 have been measured for the first time at CERN-ISOLDE, using the in-source resonance-ionization spectroscopy method. The hyperfine structures of isotopes were recorded using a triad of experimental techniques for monitoring the photo-ion current. The Multi-Reflection Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer, in connection with a high-resolution electron multiplier, was used as an ion-counting setup for isotopes that either were affected by strong isobaric contamination or possessed a long half-life; the ISOLDE Faraday cups were used for cases with high-intensity beams; and the Windmill decay station was used for short-lived, predominantly α -decaying nuclei. The electromagnetic moments and changes in the mean-square charge radii of the astatine nuclei have been extracted from the measured hyperfine-structure constants and isotope shifts. This was only made possible by dedicated state-of-the-art large-scale atomic computations of the electronic factors and the specific mass shift of atomic transitions in astatine that are needed for these extractions. By comparison with systematics, it was possible to assess the reliability of the results of these calculations and their ascribed uncertainties. A strong deviation in the ground-state mean-square charge radii of the lightest astatine isotopes, from the trend of the (spherical) lead isotopes, is interpreted as the result of an onset of deformation. This behavior bears a resemblance to the deviation observed in the isotonic polonium isotopes. Cases for shape coexistence have been identified in At,199197, for which a significant difference in the charge radii for ground (9 /2- ) and isomeric (1 /2+ ) states has been observed.

Occurrence of selected radionuclides in ground water used for drinking water in the United States; a reconnaissance survey, 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Focazio, Michael J.; Szabo, Zoltan; Kraemer, Thomas F.; Mullin, Ann H.; Barringer, Thomas H.; dePaul, Vincent T.

2001-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Water Works Association, and the American Water Works Service Company, completed a targeted national reconnaissance survey of selected radionuclides in public ground-water supplies. Radionuclides analyzed included radium-224 (Ra-224), radium-226 (Ra-226), radium-228 (Ra-228), polonium-210 (Po-210) and lead-210 (Pb-210).This U.S. Geological Survey reconnaissance survey focused intentionally on areas with known or suspected elevated concentrations of radium in ground water to determine if Ra-224 was also present in the areas where other isotopes of radium had previously been detected and to determine the co-occurrence characteristics of the three radium isotopes (Ra-224, Ra-226, and Ra-228) in those areas. Ninety-nine raw-water samples (before water treatment) were collected once over a 6-month period in 1998 and 1999 from wells (94 of which are used for public drinking water) in 27 States and 8 physiographic provinces. Twenty-one of the 99 samples exceeded the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water maximum contaminant level of 5 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) for combined radium (Ra-226 + Ra-228). Concentrations of Ra-224 were reported to exceed 1 pCi/L in 30 percent of the samples collected, with a maximum concentration of 73.6 pCi/L measured in water from a nontransient, noncommunity, public-supply well in Maryland. Radium-224 concentrations generally were higher than those of the other isotopes of radium. About 5 percent of the samples contained concentrations of Ra-224 greater than 10 pCi/L, whereas only 2 percent exceeded 10 pCi/L for either Ra-226 or Ra-228. Concentrations of Ra-226 greater than 1 pCi/L were reported in 33 percent of the samples, with a maximum concentration of 16.9 pCi/L measured in water from a public-supply well in Iowa. Concentrations of Ra-228 greater than 1 pCi/L were reported in 22 samples, with a maximum concentration of 72.3 pCi/L measured in water from a non-transient, noncommunity, public-supply well in Maryland.Radium-224, which is a decay product of Ra-228 in the Th-232 decay series, was significantly correlated with Ra-228 (Spearman?s rank correlation coefficient ?r? equals 0.82) and to a lesser degree with Ra-226 (r equals 0.69), which is an isotope in the U-238 decay series. The rank correlation coefficient between Ra-226 and Ra-228 was 0.63. The high correlation between Ra-224 and Ra-228 concentrations and the corresponding isotopic ratios of the two (about 1:1 in 90 percent of the samples) indicates that the two radionuclides occur in approximately equal concentrations in most ground water sampled. Thus, Ra-228 can be considered as a reasonable proxy indicator for the occurrence of Ra-224 in ground water.The maximum concentration of Po-210 was 4.85 pCi/L and exceeded 1 pCi/L in only two samples. The maximum concentration of Pb-210 was 4.14 pCi/L, and about 10 percent of the samples exceeded 1 pCi/L. Areas with known, or suspected, elevated concentrations of polonium and lead were not targeted in this survey.Three major implications are drawn for future radionuclide monitoring on the basis of this information: (1) grossalpha particle analyses of ground water should be done within about 48?72 hours after collection to determine the presence of the short-lived, alpha-particle emitting isotopes, such as Ra-224, which was detected in elevated concentrations in many of the samples collected for this survey; (2) the isotope ratios of Ra-224 to Ra-228 in ground water are variable on a national scale, but the two radioisotopes generally occur in ratios near 1:1, therefore, the more commonly measured Ra-228 can be used as an indicator of Ra-224 occurrence for some general purposes other than compliance; and (3) the isotopic ratios of Ra-226 to Ra-228 were less than 3:2 in many samples. These ratios corroborate results of previous studies that have shown the presence of Ra-228

SU-F-P-24: Radiological Disperse Device

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alam, R

Purpose: We are now living in a society of constant fear of terrorism. This topic is pertaining to give a general knowledge of what is a radiological dispersion device or RDD and in case of its detonation, what are the options open to public for a safe action in terms of reducing the exposure and knowing the proper steps. These RDD are also called dirty bombs. Methods: Compared to nuclear weapons, dirty bombs are easy to make. In order for a terrorist organization to construct and detonate a dirty bomb, it must acquire radioactive material by stealing it or buyingmore » it through legal or illegal channels. Possible RDD material could come from the millions of radioactive sources used in the industry, for medical purposes and in academic applications mainly for researches. These are, americium-{sup 241}, californium-{sup 252}, caesium-{sup 137}, cobalt-{sup 60}, iridium-{sup 192}, plutonium-{sup 238}, polonium-{sup 210}, radium-{sup 226} and strontium-{sup 90}. Results: Prompt detection of the type of radioactive material used will greatly assist advising people on the protective measures, like sheltering in place, or quickly leaving the immediate area. The effects of radiation are determined by:°the amount of radiation absorbed by body°the type of radiation °the distance from the radiation to an individual°the means of exposure absorbed by the skin, inhaled, or ingested; and length of time exposed. Conclusion: In any facility it is now much more important to keep a log list of all radioactive materials in use. In case there is a dirty bomb explosion, the chaos and economic cost could be enormous. The economic cost for the evaluation of the contamination, survey of people and surroundings and the after treatment, decontamination cost and effort will be a big challenge in any country. So awareness and preparation is the start to face this new type of challenge.« less

Natural radionuclide and plutonium content in Black Sea bottom sediments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strezov, A.; Stoilova, T.; Yordanova, I.

1996-01-01

The content of uranium, thorium, radium, lead, polonium, and plutonium in bottom sediments and algae from two locations at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast have been determined. Some parent:progeny ratios for evaluation of the geochemical behavior of the nuclides have been estimated as well. The extractable and total uranium and thorium are determined by two separate radiochemical procedures to differentiate the more soluble chemical forms of the elements and to estimate the potential hazard for the biosphere and for humans. No distinct seasonal variation as well as no significant change in total and extractable uranium (also for {sup 226}Ra) contentmore » is observed. The same is valid for extractable thorium while the total thorium content in the first two seasons is slightly higher. Our data show that {sup 210}Po content is accumulated more in the sediments than {sup 210}Pb, and the evaluated disequilibria suggest that the two radionuclides belong to more recent sediment layers deposited in the slime samples compared to the silt ones for the different seasons. The obtained values for plutonium are in the lower limits of the data cited in literature, which is quite clear as there are no plutonium discharge facilities at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The obtained values for the activity ratio {sup 238}Pu: {sup 239+240}Pu are higher for Bjala sediments compared to those of Kaliakra. The ratio values are out of the variation range for the global contamination with weapon tests fallout plutonium which is probably due to Chernobyl accident contribution. The dependence of natural radionuclide content on the sediment type as well as the variation of nuclide accumulation for two types of algae in two sampling locations for five consecutive seasons is evaluated. No serious contamination with natural radionuclides in the algae is observed. 38 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.« less

210Po in Nevada groundwater and its relation to gross alpha radioactivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seiler, R.L.

2011-01-01

Polonium-210 (210Po) is a highly toxic alpha emitter that is rarely found in groundwater at activities exceeding 1 pCi/L. 210Po activities in 63 domestic and public-supply wells in Lahontan Valley in Churchill County in northern Nevada, United States, ranged from 0.01 ± 0.005 to 178 ± 16 pCi/L with a median activity of 2.88 pCi/L. Wells with high 210Po activities had low dissolved oxygen concentrations (less than 0.1 mg/L) and commonly had pH greater than 9. Lead-210 activities are low and aqueous 210Po is unsupported by 210Pb, indicating that the 210Po is mobilized from aquifer sediments. The only significant contributors to alpha particle activity in Lahontan Valley groundwater are 234/238U, 222Rn, and 210Po. Radon-222 activities were below 1000 pCi/L and were uncorrelated with 210Po activity. The only applicable drinking water standard for 210Po in the United States is the adjusted gross alpha radioactivity (GAR) standard of 15 pCi/L. 210Po was not volatile in a Nevada well, but volatile 210Po has been reported in a Florida well. Additional information on the volatility of 210Po is needed because GAR is an inappropriate method to screen for volatile radionuclides. About 25% of the samples had 210Po activities that exceed the level associated with a lifetime total cancer risk of 1× 10−4 (1.1 pCi/L) without exceeding the GAR standard. In cases where the 72-h GAR exceeds the uranium activity by more than 5 to 10 pCi/L, an analysis to rule out the presence of 210Po may be justified to protect human health even though the maximum contaminant level for adjusted GAR is not exceeded.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marra, J.

The ore pitchblende was discovered in the 1750's near Joachimstal in what is now the Czech Republic. Used as a colorant in glazes, uranium was identified in 1789 as the active ingredient by chemist Martin Klaproth. In 1896, French physicist Henri Becquerel studied uranium minerals as part of his investigations into the phenomenon of fluorescence. He discovered a strange energy emanating from the material which he dubbed 'rayons uranique.' Unable to explain the origins of this energy, he set the problem aside. About two years later, a young Polish graduate student was looking for a project for her dissertation. Mariemore » Sklodowska Curie, working with her husband Pierre, picked up on Becquerel's work and, in the course of seeking out more information on uranium, discovered two new elements (polonium and radium) which exhibited the same phenomenon, but were even more powerful. The Curies recognized the energy, which they now called 'radioactivity,' as something very new, requiring a new interpretation, new science. This discovery led to what some view as the 'golden age of nuclear science' (1895-1945) when countries throughout Europe devoted large resources to understand the properties and potential of this material. By World War II, the potential to harness this energy for a destructive device had been recognized and by 1939, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman showed that fission not only released a lot of energy but that it also released additional neutrons which could cause fission in other uranium nuclei leading to a self-sustaining chain reaction and an enormous release of energy. This suggestion was soon confirmed experimentally by other scientists and the race to develop an atomic bomb was on. The rest of the development history which lead to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 is well chronicled. After World War II, development of more powerful weapons systems by the United States and the Soviet Union continued to advance nuclear science. It was this defense application that formed the basis for the commercial nuclear power industry.« less

Understanding the Radioactive Ingrowth and Decay of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in the Environment: An Analysis of Produced Fluids from the Marcellus Shale

PubMed Central

Nelson, Andrew W.; Eitrheim, Eric S.; Knight, Andrew W.; May, Dustin; Mehrhoff, Marinea A.; Shannon, Robert; Litman, Robert; Burnett, William C.; Forbes, Tori Z.

2015-01-01

Background The economic value of unconventional natural gas resources has stimulated rapid globalization of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, natural radioactivity found in the large volumes of “produced fluids” generated by these technologies is emerging as an international environmental health concern. Current assessments of the radioactivity concentration in liquid wastes focus on a single element—radium. However, the use of radium alone to predict radioactivity concentrations can greatly underestimate total levels. Objective We investigated the contribution to radioactivity concentrations from naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), including uranium, thorium, actinium, radium, lead, bismuth, and polonium isotopes, to the total radioactivity of hydraulic fracturing wastes. Methods For this study we used established methods and developed new methods designed to quantitate NORM of public health concern that may be enriched in complex brines from hydraulic fracturing wastes. Specifically, we examined the use of high-purity germanium gamma spectrometry and isotope dilution alpha spectrometry to quantitate NORM. Results We observed that radium decay products were initially absent from produced fluids due to differences in solubility. However, in systems closed to the release of gaseous radon, our model predicted that decay products will begin to ingrow immediately and (under these closed-system conditions) can contribute to an increase in the total radioactivity for more than 100 years. Conclusions Accurate predictions of radioactivity concentrations are critical for estimating doses to potentially exposed individuals and the surrounding environment. These predictions must include an understanding of the geochemistry, decay properties, and ingrowth kinetics of radium and its decay product radionuclides. Citation Nelson AW, Eitrheim ES, Knight AW, May D, Mehrhoff MA, Shannon R, Litman R, Burnett WC, Forbes TZ, Schultz MK. 2015. Understanding the radioactive ingrowth and decay of naturally occurring radioactive materials in the environment: an analysis of produced fluids from the Marcellus Shale. Environ Health Perspect 123:689–696; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408855 PMID:25831257

An Assessment of the Current Day Impact of Various Materials Associated with the U.S. Nuclear Test Program in the Marshall Island

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robison, W L; Noshkin, V E; Hamilton, T F

2001-05-01

Different stable elements, and some natural and man-made radionuclides, were used as tracers or associated in other ways with nuclear devices that were detonated at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls as part of the U.S. nuclear testing program from 1946 through 1958. The question has been raised whether any of these materials dispersed by the explosions could be of sufficient concentration in either the marine environment or on the coral islands to be of a health concern to people living, or planning to live, on the atolls. This report addresses that concern. An inventory of the materials involved during the testmore » period was prepared and provided to us by the Office of Defense Programs (DP) of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The materials that the DOE and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) ask to be evaluated are--sulfur, arsenic, yttrium, tantalum, gold, rhodium, indium, tungsten, thallium, thorium-230,232 ({sup 230,232}Th), uranium-233,238 ({sup 233,238}U), polonium-210 ({sup 210}Po), curium-232 ({sup 232}Cu), and americium-241 ({sup 241}Am). The stable elements were used primarily as tracers for determining neutron energy and flux, and for other diagnostic purposes in the larger yield, multistage devices. It is reasonable to assume that these materials would be distributed in a similar manner as the fission products subsequent to detonation. A large inventory of fission product and uranium data was available for assessment. Detailed calculations show only a very small fraction of the fission products produced during the entire test series remain at the test site atolls. Consequently, based on the information provided, we conclude that the concentration of these materials in the atoll environment pose no adverse health effects to humans.« less

Monitoring of cave air temperature and humidity in the Niedźwiedzia Cave system (Sudetes, Poland) - a key to understanding tourists activity impact to cave environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasiorowski, M.; Hercman, H.

2012-04-01

The Niedźwiedzia Cave is located in Śnieżnik Massif (the Easter Sudetes, SW Poland) at 800 m a.s.l. The length of known passages is ~3000 m and denivelation is 69 m. The system is composed of 3 levels of passages and chambers. It is a show cave with ~80,000 visitors every year. In 2010 we started monitoring program of cave air temperature and humidity, drip rate, stable isotopes and Uranium and Polonium content in water in selected sites inside the cave and in its vicinity. Changes in dropping rate in upper level are well correlated with precipitation. However, a response of dripping to rainfall depends on former precipitation frequency and intensity - during the humid period the dripping reacts immediately and after long dry period dripping responses with two-weeks delay. There is not so direct correlation between precipitation and dripping in lower level of the system. Air temperature inside the cave is almost stable in lower level (mean annual ~5.3 °C, and annual variation up to 0.7 °C) and more dynamic in the middle level (mean annual ~6.4 °C, and mean annual amplitude up to 4 °C). Daily and weekly measured changes of cave air temperature demonstrate extremely well correlation with number of visitors. In show cave passages (the middle level of the system) temperature increase 0.1-0.2 °C during every day when the cave is open for tourists and such changes is not observed during days without visitors and in lower level of the system closed for tourists. But even short visits of 3-4 cavers are recorded by temperature sensors exposed in the lower level (~0.02 °C increase). It proves very high sensitivity of cave environment to human activity. This study is funded by the National Science Centre and Higher Education grant no. N N306 131038.

210Po in nevada groundwater and its relation to gross alpha radioactivity.

PubMed

Seiler, Ralph L

2011-01-01

Polonium-210 ((210) Po) is a highly toxic alpha emitter that is rarely found in groundwater at activities exceeding 1 pCi/L. (210) Po activities in 63 domestic and public-supply wells in Lahontan Valley in Churchill County in northern Nevada, United States, ranged from 0.01 ± 0.005 to 178 ± 16 pCi/L with a median activity of 2.88 pCi/L. Wells with high (210) Po activities had low dissolved oxygen concentrations (less than 0.1 mg/L) and commonly had pH greater than 9. Lead-210 activities are low and aqueous (210) Po is unsupported by (210) Pb, indicating that the (210) Po is mobilized from aquifer sediments. The only significant contributors to alpha particle activity in Lahontan Valley groundwater are (234/238) U, (222) Rn, and (210) Po. Radon-222 activities were below 1000 pCi/L and were uncorrelated with (210) Po activity. The only applicable drinking water standard for (210) Po in the United States is the adjusted gross alpha radioactivity (GAR) standard of 15 pCi/L. (210) Po was not volatile in a Nevada well, but volatile (210) Po has been reported in a Florida well. Additional information on the volatility of (210) Po is needed because GAR is an inappropriate method to screen for volatile radionuclides. About 25% of the samples had (210) Po activities that exceed the level associated with a lifetime total cancer risk of 1× 10(-4) (1.1 pCi/L) without exceeding the GAR standard. In cases where the 72-h GAR exceeds the uranium activity by more than 5 to 10 pCi/L, an analysis to rule out the presence of (210) Po may be justified to protect human health even though the maximum contaminant level for adjusted GAR is not exceeded. Journal compilation © 2010 National Ground Water Association. No claim to original US government works.

Radionuclides in the lichen-caribou-human food chain near uranium mining operations in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.

PubMed Central

Thomas, P A; Gates, T E

1999-01-01

The richest uranium ore bodies ever discovered (Cigar Lake and McArthur River) are presently under development in northeastern Saskatchewan. This subarctic region is also home to several operating uranium mines and aboriginal communities, partly dependent upon caribou for subsistence. Because of concerns over mining impacts and the efficient transfer of airborne radionuclides through the lichen-caribou-human food chain, radionuclides were analyzed in tissues from 18 barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). Radionuclides included uranium (U), radium (226Ra), lead (210Pb), and polonium (210Po) from the uranium decay series; the fission product (137Cs) from fallout; and naturally occurring potassium (40K). Natural background radiation doses average 2-4 mSv/year from cosmic rays, external gamma rays, radon inhalation, and ingestion of food items. The ingestion of 210Po and 137Cs when caribou are consumed adds to these background doses. The dose increment was 0.85 mSv/year for adults who consumed 100 g of caribou meat per day and up to 1.7 mSv/year if one liver and 10 kidneys per year were also consumed. We discuss the cancer risk from these doses. Concentration ratios (CRs), relating caribou tissues to lichens or rumen (stomach) contents, were calculated to estimate food chain transfer. The CRs for caribou muscle ranged from 1 to 16% for U, 6 to 25% for 226Ra, 1 to 2% for 210Pb, 6 to 26% for 210Po, 260 to 370% for 137Cs, and 76 to 130% for 40K, with 137Cs biomagnifying by a factor of 3-4. These CRs are useful in predicting caribou meat concentrations from the lichens, measured in monitoring programs, for the future evaluation of uranium mining impacts on this critical food chain. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 PMID:10378999

An assessment of the radiological impact of the Windscale reactor fire, October 1957.

PubMed

Crick, M J; Linsley, G S

1984-11-01

On the 10th and 11 October 1957 a fire in the No 1 Pile at the Windscale establishment in Cumbria led to an uncontrolled release of activity to the atmosphere. The resultant cloud subsequently dispersed and radionuclides could be detected over England, Wales and parts of northern Europe. The extensive environmental measurements which were made during and after the release enabled a fairly accurate estimate to be made of the radiation doses to the most exposed individuals in the local population. Until recently, no estimates of the population dose resulting from the release had been published. This paper describes assessments which have been made by the NRPB of the population or collective dose from the release and of the possible associated health impact. In addition to the fission products that escaped, radionuclides were released from materials undergoing irradiation in the pile at the time of the fire. The assessment has included the results of a review of previously unpublished data which established the quantity of these nuclides released and considers their impact on both individual and population doses. The collective effective dose equivalent commitment from the release is estimated to have been 2.0 x 10(3) man Sv. The route of exposure which contributed the most to the collective dose was the inhalation pathway. Iodine-131 was the most important radionuclide, contributing nearly all of the collective dose to the thyroid and a large part of the collective effective dose. Polonium-210 and caesium-137 also made significant contributions; that from caesium-137 came in the longer term via external irradiation from ground deposits and the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs. The methodology used in the study has been validated to a certain degree by comparing the predicted levels of individual thyroid activity and those measured directly in the weeks following the accident in London, Leeds and Cumbria.

The human alimentary tract transfer and body retention of environmental polonium-210.

PubMed

Hunt, G J; Rumney, H S

2007-12-01

This paper presents the results of a 4 year study to investigate the human alimentary tract transfer factor (f(A) value) and body retention of 210 Po in shellfish. In the first 3 years, mussels (Mytilus edulis L.), cockles (Cerastoderma edule L.) and brown meat from crab (Cancer pagurus L.) were successively studied. In each year five volunteers (from a pool of seven) ate a suitable portion of the shellfish and provided 24 h samples of excreta usually for 3 days before and for at least 7 days during and after eating. Subsamples of shellfish were analysed to determine the intakes of 210 Po. Faeces were analysed and the data used to assess apparent fA values. Urine samples were analysed in the mussel and crab studies to provide urinary excretion parameters. Pb-210 was also analysed during the mussel study; the levels were low, leading to large uncertainties, but confirming the negligible effect of radioactive decay to its granddaughter 210 Po in the main study. In the fourth year, larger samples of brown crab meat were eaten by five volunteers and faecal samples were taken at suitable times over periods of up to 43 days to study body retention of 210 Po. The first approximately 7 days provided additional data on fA values. Pooled results for the apparent fA for the whole study lay in the range 0.15-0.65 with a mean of 0.46; corrections for endogenous excretion suggest a true fA value of approximately 0.51, supporting the value of 0.5 currently used by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The retention data suggest a biological half-time of about 40 days, in broad consistency with the 50 days currently used by the ICRP. Thus there is no strong evidence from this study suggesting a change in dose coefficient for 210 Po. Full experimental data are provided to allow independent further interpretation.

Occurrence of ²¹⁰Po and biological effects of low-level exposure: the need for research.

PubMed

Seiler, Ralph L; Wiemels, Joseph L

2012-09-01

Polonium-210 (²¹⁰Po) concentrations that exceed 1 Bq/L in drinking-water supplies have been reported from four widely separated U.S. states where exposure to it went unnoticed for decades. The radionuclide grandparents of ²¹⁰Po are common in sediments, and segments of the public may be chronically exposed to low levels of ²¹⁰Po in drinking water or in food products from animals raised in contaminated areas. We summarized information on the environmental behavior, biokinetics, and toxicology of ²¹⁰Po and identified the need for future research. Potential linkages between environmental exposure to ²¹⁰Po and human health effects were identified in a literature review. ²¹⁰Po accumulates in the ovaries where it kills primary oocytes at low doses. Because of its radiosensitivity and tendency to concentrate ²¹⁰Po, the ovary may be the critical organ in determining the lowest injurious dose for ²¹⁰Po. ²¹⁰Po also accumulates in the yolk sac of the embryo and in the fetal and placental tissues. Low-level exposure to ²¹⁰Po may have subtle, long-term biological effects because of its tropism towards reproductive and embryonic and fetal tissues where exposure to a single alpha particle may kill or damage critical cells. ²¹⁰Po is present in cigarettes and maternal smoking has several effects that appear consistent with the toxicology of ²¹⁰Po. Much of the important biological and toxicological research on ²¹⁰Po is more than four decades old. New research is needed to evaluate environmental exposure to ²¹⁰Po and the biological effects of low-dose exposure to it so that public health officials can develop appropriate mitigation measures where necessary.

Speciation of 210Po and 210Pb in air particulates determined by sequential extraction.

PubMed

Al-Masri, M S; Al-Karfan, K; Khalili, H; Hassan, M

2006-01-01

Speciation of (210)Po and (210)Pb in air particulates of two Syrian phosphate sites with different climate conditions has been studied. The sites are the mines and Tartous port at the Mediterranean Sea. Air filters were collected during September 2000 until February 2002 and extracted chemically using different selective fluids in an attempt to identify the different forms of these two radionuclides. The results have shown that the inorganic and insoluble (210)Po and (210)Pb (attached to silica and soluble in mineral acids) portion was found to be high in both sites and reached a maximum value of 94% and 77% in the mine site and Tartous port site, respectively. In addition, only 24% of (210)Pb in air particulates was found to be associated with organic materials probably produced from the incomplete burning of fuel vehicle and similar activities. Moreover, the (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio in air particulates was higher than that in all samples at both sites and varied between 3.85 in November 2000 at Tartous port site and 20 in April 2001 at the mine area. These activity ratios were also higher than the natural levels. The (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratio was also determined in each portion resulting from the selective extraction and found to be higher than that in most samples. The sources of (210)Po excess in these portions are discussed. Soil suspension, which is common in the dry climate dominant in the area, sea water spray and heating of phosphate ores were considered; polonium is more volatile than the lead compounds at even moderate temperature. Furthermore, variations in the chemical forms of (210)Po and (210)Pb during the year were also investigated. However, the results of this study can also be utilized for dose assessment to phosphate industry workers.

Radiation Protection. Measurement of radioactivity in the environment - Air- radon 222. A proposed ISO standard.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillmore, G.; Woods, M.

2009-04-01

Radon isotopes (222, 220, 219) are radioactive gases produced by the disintegration of radium isotopes 226, 224 and 223, which are decay products of uranium238, thorium232 and uranium235 respectively. All are found in the earth's crust. Solid elements, also radioactive, are produced by radon disintegration. Radon is classed as a rare gas in the periodic table of elements, along with helium, argon, neon, krypton and xenon. When disintegrating, radon emits alpha particles and generates solid decay products, which are also radioactive (polonium, bismuth, lead etc.). The potential danger of radon lies in its solid decay products rather than the gas itself. Whether or not they are attached aerosols, radon decay products can be inhaled and deposited in the bronchopulmonary tree to varying depths according to their size. Radon today is considered to be the main source of human exposure to natural radiation. At the international level, radon accounts for 52% of global average exposure to natural radiation. Isotope 222 (48%) is far more significant than isotope 220 (4%), whilst isotope 219 is considered as negligible. Exposure to radon varies considerably from one region to another, depending on factors such as weather conditions, and underlying geology. Activity concentration can therefore vary by a factor of 10 or even a 100 from one period of time to the next and from one area to another. There are many ways of measuring the radon 222 activity concentration and the potential alpha energy concentration of its short-lived decay products. Measuring techniques fall into three categories: - spot measurement methods; continuous measurement; integrated measurement. The proposed ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) document suggests guidelines for measuring radon222 activity concentration and the potential alpha energy concentration of its short-lived decay products in a free (environment) and confined (buildings) atmosphere. The target date for availability of this work item is 2011. The ISO document here highlighted is a working draft. ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies. Keywords: radon; international standards; measurement techniques.

Radon daughter disequilibria and lead systematics in the western North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, N.; Church, T. M.; VéRon, Alain J.; Larson, R. E.

1998-01-01

Concentrations of 222Rn and 210Pb were measured in the North Atlantic troposphere in 1989 between April 12 and 28, during the Sulfide Experiment (SEX) Cruise I, and those of 222Rn, 210Pb and 210Po, between October 24 and November 9, during the SEX Cruise II. Concentrations of 210Pb and 210Po were also measured in the rain water, surface seawater, and marine microlayer collected during the SEX Cruise II Other data used and published previously include stable lead and its isotopes [Vèron et al., 1992, 1993] on parallel samples. Low 222Rn contents, of the order of 0.1 and 0.3 Bq m-3, were found in the marine air, while continental air showed nearly 10 times higher concentrations of 222Rn. These results corroborate with the air mass trajectory analyses and continental signatures of stable lead isotopes. Significant correlation is found between 222Rn and 210Pb on the aerosol, indicative of excess continental 222Rn supporting the ingrowth of 210Pb from the atmosphere, in spite of its first-order removal by precipitation. Correlation between 210Pb and stable Pb on the aerosol and in the precipitation document the source of pollutant lead from the continental surface. Mean residence times of marine aerosol based on 210Pb is estimated to be 5.4±1.8 days during the April cruise and 19.7±1.9 days during the October cause. Corresponding deposition velocity for 210Pb is estimated to be 1.9±1.9 cm s-1, a value that suggests the dominant role of precipitation scavenging, or aerosol scavenging by larger host phases such as dust or sea salt. Excess 210Po activities are found on the aerosol relative to what would be expected based on 210Pb and the aerosol residence times. In surface seawaters, deficiencies of 210Po are observed. Mechanisms of 210Po enrichment in atmospheric aerosol may include enrichments from the organic components of marine microlayer, sea-salt aerosol, dust, or air-sea exchange of volatile organo-polonium species.

Synthesis, structures, and luminescent and magnetic properties of Ln-Ag heterometal-organic frameworks.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiao-Qing; Zhao, Bin; Wei, Shi; Cheng, Peng

2009-12-07

A series of Ln-Ag heterometal-organic frameworks based on 4-hydroxylpyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H(3)CAM) with formulas {LaAg(2)(CAM)(HCAM)(H(2)O)(2)}(n) (1), {LnAg(HCAM)(2)(H(2)O)(3)}(n) (Ln = Pr, 2; Nd, 3; Sm, 4; Eu, 5), and {LnAg(3)(CAM)(2)(H(2)O)}(n) (Ln = Gd, 6; Tb, 7; Dy, 8; Tm, 9; Yb, 10), have been synthesized with the hydrothermal reaction of Ln(OH)(3), Ag(2)O, and H(3)CAM at 160 degrees C. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that three kinds of structures are exclusively governed by the size of lanthanide ions and the progression of structures is mainly ascribed to the lanthanide contraction effect. Compound 1 consists of a 3D network with an alpha-polonium-like Ag(+)-homometallic net and helical La(3+) chain. Compounds 2-5 display a 2D honeycomb-like structure with 18-membered Ln(3)Ag(3)O(12) motifs, and compounds 6-10 can be described as a sandwich-like 3D framework built of a 3D Ag(+)-homometallic net and 2D Ln(3+)-4(4) layer. In 4 (Sm), 5 (Eu), 7 (Tb), and 8 (Dy) samples, the efficient energy transfer from CAM to Ln(III) ions was observed, which results in the typical intense emissions of corresponding Ln(III) ions in the visible region, and the strongest emissions are (4)G(5/2) --> (6)H(7/2) (602 nm), (5)D(0) --> (7)F(2) (614 nm), (5)D(4) --> (7)F(5) (548 nm), and (4)F(9/2) --> (6)H(13/2) (576 nm) transitions. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of 6-10 show that the ferromagnetic interaction between gadolinium(III) ions appears in 6, whereas the mu(eff) values of 7-10 smoothly decrease on cooling. For the orbital contribution of Ln(III) ions, it is very difficult to determine the intrinsic magnetic interactions between Ln(III) ions.

[Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Piotr Curie an epoch-makingin year 1898].

PubMed

Wielogórski, Zbigniew

2012-01-01

For many reasons the year 1898 was unusual for Maria Skłodowska-Curie and her husband. After defining the subject of the doctoral thesis and choosing Henri Becqerel as thesis supervisor, Maria started intensive experimental work. In the allotted room called storeroom, in conditions that were far too inadequate, they managed to put up a unique measuring equipment composed of instruments whose originator was Pierre Curie. In the ionization chamber and in the piezoelectric quartz charges formed, whose mutual neutralization was shown by the quadrant electrometer. Ionization current, which was measured quantitatively, was proportional to the radiation of the sample. Studying many elements, their compounds and minerals enabled Maria to state that uranium is not the only element endowed with the power of radiation; the second one turned out to be thorium. Anomaly detected in the radiation of uranium minerals made it possible for Maria to draw an extremely important conclusion: radioactive uranium and thorium are not the only elements endowed with such an attribute. Pitchblende, which was studied by the Curie couple, had to contain also other radioactive substances. Gustave Bémont also participated in the chemical analysis of the uranium ore and it is worth reminding that he was involved in the discovery of polonium and uranium. The phenomenon of radioactivity couldn't have been explained if it was not for the sources of strong radioactivity. Those sources undoubtedly could have been the discovered elements but their scanty content in the uranium ore made their isolation very difficult and laborious. Access to industrial remains after procession of pitchblende from Jachymov (Sankt Joachimstahl), obtained owing to the mediation of Eduard Suess, provided the source of this raw material. From it, in a shack also called le hangar, the Curie couple isolated the first samples of the radium salt. This element, later extracted by discoverers on a grand scale and handed over in a various forms to researchers and institutions, became a foundation of physics and chemistry of radioactive elements.

210Po in the marine environment with emphasis on its behaviour within the biosphere.

PubMed

Fowler, Scott W

2011-05-01

The distribution and behaviour of the natural-series alpha-emitter polonium-210 in the marine environment has been under study for many years primarily due to its enhanced bioaccumulation, its strong affinity for binding with certain internal tissues, and its importance as a contributor to the natural radiation dose received by marine biota as well as humans consuming seafoods. Results from studies spanning nearly 5 decades show that (210)Po concentrations in organisms vary widely among the different phylogenic groups as well as between the different tissues of a given species. Such variation results in (210)Po concentration factors ranging from approximately 10(3) to over 10(6) depending upon the organism or tissue considered. (210)Po/(210)Pb ratios in marine species are generally greater than unity and tend to increase up the food chain indicating that (210)Po is preferentially taken up by organisms compared to its progenitor (210)Pb. The effective transfer of (210)Po up the food chain is primarily due to the high degree of assimilation of the radionuclide from ingested food and its subsequent strong retention in the organisms. In some cases this mechanism may lead to an apparent biomagnification of (210)Po at the higher trophic level. Various pelagic species release (210)Po and (210)Pb packaged in organic biodetrital particles that sink and remove these radionuclides from the upper water column, a biogeochemical process which, coupled with scavenging rates of this radionuclide pair, is being examined as a possible proxy for estimating downward organic carbon fluxes in the sea. Data related to preferential bioaccumulation in various organisms, their tissues, resultant radiation doses to these species, and the processes by which (210)Po is transferred and recycled through the food web are discussed. In addition, the main gaps in our present knowledge and proposed areas for future studies on the biogeochemical behaviour of (210)Po and its use as a tracer of oceanographic processes are highlighted in this review. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radioactively-hot particles detected in dusts and soils from Northern Japan by combination of gamma spectrometry, autoradiography, and SEM/EDS analysis and implications in radiation risk assessment.

PubMed

Kaltofen, Marco; Gundersen, Arnie

2017-12-31

After the March 11, 2011, nuclear reactor meltdowns at Fukushima Dai-ichi, 180 samples of Japanese particulate matter (dusts and surface soils) and 235 similar U.S. and Canadian samples were collected and analyzed sequentially by gamma spectrometry, autoradiography, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Samples were collected and analyzed over a five-year period, from 2011 to 2016. Detectable levels of 134 Cs and 137 Cs were found in 142 of 180 (80%) Japanese particulate matter samples. The median radio-cesium specific activity of Japanese particulate samples was 3.2kBqkg -1 ±1.8kBqkg -1 , and the mean was 25.7kBqkg -1 (σ=72kBqkg -1 ). The U.S. and Canadian mean and median radio‑cesium activity levels were <0.03kBqkg -1 . U.S. and Canadian samples had detectable 134 Cs and 137 Cs in one dust sample out of 32 collected, and four soils out of 74. The maximum US/Canada radio-cesium particulate matter activity was 0.30±0.10kBqkg -1 . The mean in Japan was skewed upward due to nine of the 180 (5%) samples with activities >250kBqkg -1 . This skewness was present in both the 2011 and 2016 sample sets. >300 individual radioactively-hot particles were identified in samples from Japan; composed of 1% or more of the elements cesium, americium, radium, polonium, thorium, tellurium, or strontium. Some particles reached specific activities in the MBqμg -1 level and higher. No cesium-containing hot particles were found in the U.S. sample set. Only naturally-occurring radionuclides were found in particles from the U.S. background samples. Some of the hot particles detected in this study could cause significant radiation exposures to individuals if inhaled. Exposure models ignoring these isolated hot particles would potentially understate human radiation dose. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marie Curie: Physicist and Woman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howes, Ruth

Marie Sklodowska was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867. Girls were not allowed to attend college in Poland, so Marie found a well-paying post as a governess in rural village which she held for three years while helping her older sister complete medical school in Paris. Then Marie moved to Paris and graduated first in her class at the Sorbonne with a master's degree in physics in 1893. In 1895, she married the talented young physicist, Pierre Curie. Marie decided to investigate the radioactive components of the mineral pitchblende for her dissertation. The work involved chemical analysis of a ton of material in an unheated shed. Pierre joined her and at the end of 1898, the Curies announced the discovery of radium and polonium. Through 1899, Marie labored to measure the atomic weight of radium. In 1903, Marie earned her doctorate, the first for a woman in France, and the Curies split the Nobel Prize in Physics with Henri Becquerel. They became widely known, besieged by the press and frequently invited to make presentations and be awarded honors. They hated fame and both suffered bad health. In April, 1906, Pierre Curie was struck by a wagon and killed instantly. Marie was left as a single mother with two young daughters. Fortunately, the Sorbonne hired her to fill Pierre's position. In 1911, she was rejected for membership in the French Academy of Science because she was a woman. Also in 1911, she was accused of having an affair with a married French physicist Paul Langevin. The resulting scandal hit the press and brought angry mobs to her home. In the middle of this hullaballoo, she was informed that she had won a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry. When World War I broke out, Marie mounted x-ray units on cars and became a heroine. She visited the United States in 1921 where President Harding presented her with a gram of radium. She continued her scientific studies in spite of declining health until her death in 1934. Professor Emerita.

Magnetic iron oxide and manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection of alpha-emitting radionuclides from aqueous solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Hara, Matthew J.; Carter, Jennifer C.; Warner, Cynthia L.

Magnetic nanoparticles are well known to possess chemically active surfaces and large surface areas that can be employed to extract a range of ions from aqueous solutions. In addition, their superparamagnetic properties provide a convenient means for bulk collection of the material from solution after the targeted ions have been adsorbed. We evaluated two nanoscale amphoteric metal oxides, each possessing useful magnetic attributes for their ability to collect trace levels of a chemically diverse range of alpha emitting radioactive isotopes (polonium (Po), radium (Ra), uranium (U), and americium (Am)) from a wide range of aqueous solutions. The nanomaterials include commerciallymore » available magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetite modified to incorporate manganese (Mn) into the crystal structure. The chemical stability of these nanomaterials was evaluated in Hanford Site, WA ground water between the natural pH (~8) and pH 1. Whereas the magnetite was observed to have good stability over the pH range, the Mn-doped material was observed to leach Mn at low pH. The materials were evaluated in parallel to characterize their uptake performance of the alpha-emitting radionuclide spikes from ground water across a range of pH (from ~8 down to 2). In addition, radiotracer uptake experiments were performed on Columbia River water, seawater, and human urine at their natural pH and at pH 2. Despite the observed leaching of Mn from the Mn-doped nanomaterial in the lower pH range, it exhibited generally superior analyte extraction performance compared to the magnetite, and analyte uptake was observed across a broader pH range. We show that the uptake behavior of the various radiotracers on these two materials at different pH levels can generally be explained by the amphoteric nature of the nanoparticle surfaces. Finally, the rate of sorption of the radiotracers on the two materials in unacidified ground water was evaluated. The uptake curves generally indicate that equilibrium is obtained within a few minutes, which is attributed to the high surface areas of the nanomaterials and the high level of dispersion in the liquids. In sum, our results indicate that these nanomaterials may have the potential to be employed for a range of applications to extract radionuclides from aqueous solutions.« less

Magnetic iron oxide and manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection of alpha-emitting radionuclides from aqueous solutions

DOE PAGES

O'Hara, Matthew J.; Carter, Jennifer C.; Warner, Cynthia L.; ...

2016-10-31

Magnetic nanoparticles are well known to possess chemically active surfaces and large surface areas that can be employed to extract a range of ions from aqueous solutions. In addition, their superparamagnetic properties provide a convenient means for bulk collection of the material from solution after the targeted ions have been adsorbed. We evaluated two nanoscale amphoteric metal oxides, each possessing useful magnetic attributes for their ability to collect trace levels of a chemically diverse range of alpha emitting radioactive isotopes (polonium (Po), radium (Ra), uranium (U), and americium (Am)) from a wide range of aqueous solutions. The nanomaterials include commerciallymore » available magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetite modified to incorporate manganese (Mn) into the crystal structure. The chemical stability of these nanomaterials was evaluated in Hanford Site, WA ground water between the natural pH (~8) and pH 1. Whereas the magnetite was observed to have good stability over the pH range, the Mn-doped material was observed to leach Mn at low pH. The materials were evaluated in parallel to characterize their uptake performance of the alpha-emitting radionuclide spikes from ground water across a range of pH (from ~8 down to 2). In addition, radiotracer uptake experiments were performed on Columbia River water, seawater, and human urine at their natural pH and at pH 2. Despite the observed leaching of Mn from the Mn-doped nanomaterial in the lower pH range, it exhibited generally superior analyte extraction performance compared to the magnetite, and analyte uptake was observed across a broader pH range. We show that the uptake behavior of the various radiotracers on these two materials at different pH levels can generally be explained by the amphoteric nature of the nanoparticle surfaces. Finally, the rate of sorption of the radiotracers on the two materials in unacidified ground water was evaluated. The uptake curves generally indicate that equilibrium is obtained within a few minutes, which is attributed to the high surface areas of the nanomaterials and the high level of dispersion in the liquids. In sum, our results indicate that these nanomaterials may have the potential to be employed for a range of applications to extract radionuclides from aqueous solutions.« less

ICRP Publication 137: Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides: Part 3.

PubMed

Paquet, F; Bailey, M R; Leggett, R W; Lipsztein, J; Marsh, J; Fell, T P; Smith, T; Nosske, D; Eckerman, K F; Berkovski, V; Blanchardon, E; Gregoratto, D; Harrison, J D

2017-12-01

The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP, 2007) introduced changes that affect the calculation of effective dose, and implied a revision of the dose coefficients for internal exposure, published previously in the Publication 30 series (ICRP, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988) and Publication 68 (ICRP, 1994). In addition, new data are now available that support an update of the radionuclide-specific information given in Publications 54 and 78 (ICRP, 1988a, 1997b) for the design of monitoring programmes and retrospective assessment of occupational internal doses. Provision of new biokinetic models, dose coefficients, monitoring methods, and bioassay data was performed by Committee 2, Task Group 21 on Internal Dosimetry, and Task Group 4 on Dose Calculations. A new series, the Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides (OIR) series, will replace the Publication 30 series and Publications 54, 68, and 78. OIR Part 1 has been issued (ICRP, 2015), and describes the assessment of internal occupational exposure to radionuclides, biokinetic and dosimetric models, methods of individual and workplace monitoring, and general aspects of retrospective dose assessment. OIR Part 2 (ICRP, 2016), this current publication and upcoming publications in the OIR series (Parts 4 and 5) provide data on individual elements and their radioisotopes, including information on chemical forms encountered in the workplace; a list of principal radioisotopes and their physical half-lives and decay modes; the parameter values of the reference biokinetic model; and data on monitoring techniques for the radioisotopes encountered most commonly in workplaces. Reviews of data on inhalation, ingestion, and systemic biokinetics are also provided for most of the elements. Dosimetric data provided in the printed publications of the OIR series include tables of committed effective dose per intake (Sv Bq−1 intake) for inhalation and ingestion, tables of committed effective dose per content (Sv Bq−1 measurement) for inhalation, and graphs of retention and excretion data per Bq intake for inhalation. These data are provided for all absorption types and for the most common isotope(s) of each element. The electronic annex that accompanies the OIR series of publications contains a comprehensive set of committed effective and equivalent dose coefficients, committed effective dose per content functions, and reference bioassay functions. Data are provided for inhalation, ingestion, and direct input to blood. This third publication in the series provides the above data for the following elements: ruthenium (Ru), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), iodine (I), caesium (Cs), barium (Ba), iridium (Ir), lead (Pb), bismuth (Bi), polonium (Po), radon (Rn), radium (Ra), thorium (Th), and uranium (U).

Overview of naturally occurring Earth materials and human health concerns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, W. G.

2012-10-01

The biosphere and the Earth's critical zone have maintained a dynamic equilibrium for more than 3.5 billion years. Except for solar energy, almost all terrestrial substances necessary for life have been derived from near-surface portions of the land, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. If aggregate biological activities are less than the rate of nutrient supply and/or resource renewal, sustained population growth is possible. Where the replenishment rate of a life-sustaining Earth material is finite, usage may reach a condition of dynamic equilibrium in which biological consumption equals but on average cannot exceed the overall supply. Although large, most natural resources are present in finite abundances; for such commodities, excessive present-day human utilization reduces future availability, and thus the ultimate planetary carrying capacity for civilization. Intensive use of Earth materials has enhanced the quality of life, especially in the developed nations. Still, natural background levels, and Earth processes such as volcanic eruptions, as well as human activities involving agriculture, construction, and the extraction, refining, and transformation of mineral resources have led to harmful side effects involving environmental degradation and public health hazards. Among naturally and anthropogenically induced risks are bioaccessible airborne dusts and gases, soluble pollutants in agricultural, industrial, and residential waters, and toxic chemical species in foods and manufactured products. At appropriate levels of ingestion, many Earth materials are necessary for existence, but underdoses and overdoses have mild to serious consequences for human health and longevity. This overview briefly sketches several natural resource health hazards. Included are volcanic ash + aerosols + gases, mineral dusts, non-volcanic aerosols + nanoparticles, asbestos + fibrous zeolites, arsenic, fluorine, iodine, uranium + thorium + radium + radon + polonium, selenium, mercury, copper, lead, chromium, and cadmium. Also noted are health effects of natural disasters, and an obligatory future sustainable consumption of natural resources. Not treated are the overwhelming adverse effects of malnutrition, lack of potable water, inadequate sanitation, fossil fuel usage, mining, manufacturing, and agricultural pollution, or environmental pathogens, nor are the important impacts of complex mixtures of Earth materials considered. With rise of the worldwide information network, economic globalization, and the industrial thrust of Developing Nations, the achievement of natural resource sustainability has emerged as a strategic imperative. Accompanying increased rates of Earth materials consumption and attendant environmental change, substantially improved, universal public health will require a major global effort, integrating collaborations among geoscientists, medical researchers, and epidemiologists. Governments and NGOs must provide important support of such cooperative efforts, and both health and Earth scientists must cross disciplinary and national boundaries.

Magnetic iron oxide and manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection of alpha-emitting radionuclides from aqueous solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Hara, Matthew J.; Carter, Jennifer C.; Warner, Cynthia L.

Magnetic nanoparticles are well known to possess chemically active surfaces and high surface areas that can be employed to extract a range of ions from aqueous solutions. Additionally, their paramagnetic property provides a convenient means for bulk collection of the material from solution after the targeted ions have been adsorbed. Herein, two nanoscale amphoteric metal oxides, each possessing useful magnetic attributes, were evaluated for their ability to collect both naturally occurring radioactive isotopes (polonium (Po), radium (Ra), and uranium (U)) as well as the transuranic element americium (Am) from a suite of naturally occurring aqueous matrices. The nanomaterials include commerciallymore » available paramagnetic magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetite that was modified to incorporate manganese (Mn) into the crystal structure. The chemical stability of these nanomaterials was evaluated in Hanford Site, WA ground water between the natural pH (~8) and pH 1 (acidified with HCl). Whereas the magnetite was observed to have good stability over the pH range, the Mn-doped material was observed to leach Mn at low pH. The materials were evaluated in parallel to characterize their uptake performance of the aforementioned alpha-emitting radionuclide spikes from Hanford Site ground water across a range of pH (from ~8 down to 2). In addition, radiotracer uptake experiments were performed on Columbia River water, seawater, and human urine at their natural pH and at pH 2. Despite the observed leaching of Mn from the Mn-doped nanomaterial in the lower pH range, it exhibited generally superior analyte extraction performance compared to the magnetite, and analyte uptake was observed across a broader pH range. The uptake behavior of the various radiotracers on these two materials at different pH levels can generally be explained by the amphoteric nature of the nanoparticle surfaces. Finally, the rate of sorption of the radiotracers on the two materials in unacidified groundwater was evaluated. The uptake curves generally indicate that equilibrium is obtained within a few minutes, which is attributed to the high surface areas of the nanomaterials and the high level of dispersion in the liquids. Overall, the results indicate that these nanomaterials may have the potential to be employed for a range of applications to extract radionuclides from aqueous solutions. These applications may include analytical chemistry, waste water treatment and remediation, mining, and in vitro radiobioassay.« less

Polonium-210 and Caesium-137 in lynx (Lynx lynx), wolverine (Gulo gulo) and wolves (Canis lupus).

PubMed

Gjelsvik, Runhild; Holm, Elis; Kålås, John Atle; Persson, Bertil; Asbrink, Jessica

2014-12-01

Wolves, lynx and wolverines are on the top of the food-chain in northern Scandinavia and Finland. (210)Po and (137)Cs have been analysed in samples of liver, kidney and muscle from 28 wolves from Sweden. In addition blood samples were taken from 27 wolves. In 9 of the wolves, samples of muscle, liver and blood were analysed for (210)Po. Samples of liver and muscle were collected from 16 lynx and 16 wolverines from Norway. The liver samples were analysed for (210)Po and (137)Cs. Only (137)Cs analyses were carried out for the muscle samples. The wolves were collected during the winter 2010 and 2011, while the samples for lynx and wolverines were all from 2011. The activity concentrations of (210)Po in wolves were higher for liver (range 20-523 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) and kidney (range 24-942 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) than muscle (range 1-43 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) and blood (range 2-54 Bq kg(-1) d.w.). Activity ratios, (210)Po/(210)Pb, in wolf samples of muscle, liver and blood were in the ranges 2-77, 9-56 and 2-54. Using a wet weight ratio of 3.8 the maximal absorbed dose from (210)Po to wolf liver was estimated to 3500 μGy per year. Compared to wolf, the ranges of (210)Po in liver samples were lower in lynx (range 22-211 Bq kg(-1) d.w.) and wolverine (range16-160 Bq kg(-1) d.w.). Concentration of (137)Cs in wolf samples of muscle, liver, kidney and blood were in the ranges 70-8410 Bq kg(-1) d.w., 36-4050 Bq kg(-1) d.w., 31-3453 Bq kg(-1) d.w. and 4-959 Bq kg(-1) d.w., respectively. (137)Cs in lynx muscle and liver samples were in the ranges 44-13393 Bq kg(-1) d.w. and 125-10260 Bq kg(-1) d.w. The corresponding values for (137)Cs in wolverine were 22-3405 Bq kg(-1) d.w. for liver and 53-4780 Bq kg(-1) d.w. for muscle. The maximal absorbed dose from (137)Cs to lynx was estimated to 3000 μGy per year. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scientific Research in the Lunar Orbiting Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, S.; Iijima, Y.; Tanaka, K.; Kato, M.; Hashimoto, M.; Mizutani, H.; Takizawa, Y.

2002-01-01

and technology development. The launch was rescheduled last summer in the rearrangement of HII-A launch schedule. The main objective of the mission is to study the origin and evolution of the Moon. The spacecraft consists of a main orbiter at about 100 km altitude in the polar circular orbit and two subsatellites in the elliptical orbits with the apolune at 2400 km and 800 km. The main orbiter will carry instruments for scientific investigation including mapping of lunar topography and surface composition, measurement of the magnetic fields, and observation of lunar and solar terrestrial plasma environment. The mission period will be one year. If extra fuel is available, the mission will be extended. The elemental abundances are measured by the x-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers. Alpha particles from the radon gas and polonium are detected by an alpha particle spectrometer. The mineralogical characterization is performed by a multi-band imager. The mineralogical composition is identified by a spectral profiler, a continuous spectral analyzer. The surface topographic data are obtained by a high resolution terrain camera and a laser altimeter. The inside structure up to 5 km below the lunar surface is observed by the radar sounder experiment using a 5 MHz radio wave. The magnetometer provides data on the lunar surface magnetic field which will be used to understand the origin of lunar paleomagnetism and paleomagnetism. Doppler tracking of the orbiter via the relay satellite when the orbiter is in the far side is used to determine the gravity field of the far side. Radio sources on the two subsatellites are used to conduct the differential VLBI observation from ground stations. The lunar environment of high energy particles, electromagnetic fields, and plasma, is also measured by the main orbiter. The radio science using coherent x and s band carriers from the orbiter will be conducted to detect the tenuous lunar ionosphere. For the solar-terrestrial plasma observation, an imaging observation of the earth will be made to clarify the macroscopic dynamics of the terrestrial plasma environment and aurora activities. The observation of planetary radiation from the Jupiter and Saturn is also planned. Besides the scientific instruments, a high definition camera system to observe the earth and lunar surface will be onboard for publicity. A mission operation and data analysis center for SELENE is now under development. All scientific data are stored and some of them are transmitted to the PI team members outside the center for operation monitor and data analysis. Data will be open to the public one year after completion of the nominal mission.

210Pb and 210Po Abundances in Dacites Erupted May, 2003 From Anatahan Volcano: Implications for the Time-scales of Magma Generation and Degassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reagan, M. K.; Matthew, W.; Brian, H.

2003-12-01

Six samples of dacite pumice and scoria erupted in May, 2003 and collected from a number of sites around Anathan by Tobias Fischer and David Hilton were analyzed for 210Po activities on three occasions between early June and the time of this writing. With two exceptions, all scoria and pumice samples have 210Po activities that plot on a single growth curve indicating initial (210Po)=0.15 +/-0.07 (1σ ) dpm/g and (210Pb)=1.08+/-0.20 dpm/g. More precise values for these initial activities will be presented at the meeting after further analyses are performed in November. Preliminary alpha spectrometry analyses for U and Th, and ICPMS analyses distributed by Terry Plank suggest that the average (238U) is about 0.53 dpm/g. Equilibrium (228Th)/( 232Th) ratios indicate that these samples do not have excess 228Ra. Assuming that (210Pb )< (226Ra) because of minor degassing of 210Pb (see Gauthier and Condomines, 1999, EPSL, v. 172), the degassing efficiency factor for 210Po is greater than or equal to about 0.85, which is identical to the value calculated for a basaltic andesitic lava from Arenal volcano in Costa Rica (Gill et al., 1985, GRL, v. 12). This is surprising, as the May 10 plinian eruption of Anatahan should have resulted in more closed-system degassing than a lava eruption. This and the similar 210Po values for the scoria and pumice samples suggest that the shallow-level degassing history has little impact on the efficiency of polonium degassing. The scoria and pumice samples from sample 8-1e both have significant excesses of 210Po over the calculated initial (210Pb) value for the other samples. These excesses were partially leachable, indicating that 210Po was sublimated onto these samples, and that these ejecta resided in the vent before being ejected and redeposited The high inferred (226Ra)/( 230Th) for the Anatahan dacites despite the nearly equilibrium (238U)/( 230Th) value measured for one sample contrasts with the values for these ratios in more mafic Mariana samples, which are characterized by a direct correlation between radium and uranium excesses (Turner et al., 2001, Science, v. 292). Assuming that these trends hold up after additional analysis, the most straightforward interpretation of our alpha spectrometry data is that the dacite was generated by distillation of more mafic intrusives over a period of time that is significant compared to the half-life of 230Th, and that radium was added to the dacite recently either by inmixing a Ra-enriched basalt or a crust-derived fluid.

Aspects on the analysis of 210Po.

PubMed

Henricsson, F; Ranebo, Y; Holm, E; Roos, P

2011-05-01

There has been little development regarding analysis of polonium (Po) in environmental samples since the 1960 ies. This is due to the straightforward spontaneous deposition of this element on silver (Ag), nickel (Ni) or copper (Cu) without any radiochemical separation. For many years, no radiochemical yield determinant was used and it was generally supposed that the yield was 100% after two depositions. Counting was often done using ZnS scintillation counter coupled to a photomultiplier tube. However, the use of the yield determinants (208)Po and (209)Po and the development of alpha spectrometry showed that the yield was lower. Furthermore, the tendency of Po to volatilize at low temperatures constrains the sample preparation techniques; dry-ashing cannot be used. But during the wet-ashing procedure, there are still some losses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Po losses during wet-ashing by the use of a double-tracer technique. We have found that the losses were about 30% when open glass beakers were used and about 17% when the samples were digested in microwave oven. When long-necked bottles (Kjeldahl flasks) were used, a loss of about 20% was registered. It has also been observed that (210)Pb to some extent is plating out together with its daughter nuclide Po during the electrochemical deposition. This will result in a systematic error since an unknown amount of supported (210)Po will be produced from the (210)Pb decay depending on the fraction of (210)Pb being deposited on the disc and the waiting time between deposition and measurement of the sample. A further consequence of this is that in the assessment of the (210)Pb content in the sample, very often the remaining liquid is stored after deposition for build-up of (210)Po. Since some (210)Pb is lost on the disc, the result for (210)Pb will be too low. Both these systematic errors give rise to a too high (210)Po/(210)Pb ratio. The fraction of (210)Pb which is plating out has been assessed in this study for different matrices and is about 50-90%. During the measurement by solid state Si-detectors, some Po is evaporated in the vacuum conditions contaminating the detectors. Experiments have here been done by heating the discs after deposition which indicate that less Po is evaporated from Ag than from Ni. The losses from Ag are less than that from the other metals probably due to a deeper penetration into the surface of Po. We conclude that in most aspects, Ag is better to use than the other plating metals. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occurrence and hydrogeochemistry of radiochemical constituents in groundwater of Jefferson County and surrounding areas, southwestern Montana, 2007 through 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Caldwell, Rodney R.; Nimick, David A.; DeVaney, Rainie M.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Jefferson County and the Jefferson Valley Conservation District, sampled groundwater in southwestern Montana to evaluate the occurrence and concentration of naturally-occurring radioactive constituents and to identify geologic settings and environmental conditions in which elevated concentrations occur. A total of 168 samples were collected from 128 wells within Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Madison, Powell, and Silver Bow Counties from 2007 through 2010. Most wells were used for domestic purposes and were primary sources of drinking water for individual households. Water-quality samples were collected from wells completed within six generalized geologic units, and analyzed for constituents including uranium, radon, gross alpha-particle activity, and gross beta-particle activity. Thirty-eight wells with elevated concentrations or activities were sampled a second time to examine variability in water quality throughout time. These water-quality samples were analyzed for an expanded list of radioactive constituents including the following: three isotopes of uranium (uranium-234, uranium-235, and uranium-238), three isotopes of radium (radium-224, radium-226, and radium-228), and polonium-210. Existing U.S. Geological Survey and Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology uranium and radon water-quality data collected as part of other investigations through 2011 from wells within the study area were compiled as part of this investigation. Water-quality data from this study were compared to data collected nationwide by the U.S. Geological Survey through 2011. Radionuclide samples for this study typically were analyzed within a few days after collection, and therefore data for this study may closely represent the concentrations and activities of water being consumed locally from domestic wells. Radioactive constituents were detected in water from every well sampled during this study regardless of location or geologic unit. Nearly 41 percent of sampled wells had at least one radioactive constituent concentration that exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards or screening levels. Uranium concentrations were higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 30 micrograms per liter in samples from 14 percent of the wells. Radon concentrations exceeded a proposed MCL of 4,000 picocuries per liter in 27 percent of the wells. Combined radium (radium-226 and radium-228) exceeded the MCL of 5 picocuries per liter in samples from 10 of 47 wells. About 40 percent (42 of 104 wells) of the wells had gross alpha-particle activities (72-hour count) at or greater than a screening level of 15 pCi/L. Gross beta-particle activity exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 50 picocuries per liter screening level in samples from 5 of 104 wells. Maximum radium-224 and polonium-210 activities in study wells were 16.1 and 3.08 picocuries per liter, respectively; these isotopes are constituents of human-health concern, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not established MCLs for them. Radioactive constituent concentrations or activities exceeded at least one established drinking-water standard, proposed drinking-water standard, or screening level in groundwater samples from five of six generalized geologic units assessed during this study. Radioactive constituent concentrations or activities were variable not only within each geologic unit, but also among wells that were completed in the same geologic unit and in close proximity to one another. Established or proposed drinking-water standards were exceeded most frequently in water from wells completed in the generalized geologic unit that includes rocks of the Boulder batholith and other Tertiary through Cretaceous igneous intrusive rocks (commonly described as granite). Specifically, of the wells completed in the Boulder batholith and related rocks sampled as part of this study, 24 percent exceeded the MCL of 30 micrograms per liter for uranium, 50 percent exceeded the proposed alternative MCL of 4,000 picocuries per liter for radon, and 27 percent exceeded the MCL of 5 micrograms per liter for combined radium-226 and radium-228. Elevated radioactive constituent values were detected in samples representing a large range of field properties and water types. Correlations between radioactive constituents and pH, dissolved oxygen, and most major ions were not statistically significant (p-value > 0.05) or were weakly correlated with Spearman correlation coefficients (rho) ranging from -0.5 to 0.5. Moderate correlations did exist between gross beta-particle activity and potassium (rho = 0.72 to 0.82), likely because one potassium isotope (potassium-40) is a beta-particle emitter. Total dissolved solids and specific conductance also were moderately correlated (rho = 0.62 to 0.71) with gross alpha-particle and gross beta-particle activity, indicating that higher radioactivity values can be associated with higher total dissolved solids. Correlations were evaluated among radioactive constituents. Moderate to strong correlations occurred between gross alpha-particle and beta-particle activities (rho = 0.77 to 0.96) and radium isotopes (rho = 0.78 to 0.92). Correlations between gross alpha-particle activity (72-hour count) and all analyzed radioactive constituents were statistically significant (p-value Radiochemical results varied temporally in samples from several of the thirty-eight wells sampled at least twice during the study. The time between successive sampling events ranged from about 1 to 10 months for 29 wells to about 3 years for the other 9 wells. Radiochemical constituents that varied by greater than 30 percent between sampling events included uranium (29 percent of the resampled wells), and radon (11 percent of the resampled wells), gross alpha-particle activity (38 percent of the resampled wells), and gross beta-particle activity (15 percent of the resampled wells). Variability in uranium concentrations from two wells was sufficiently large that concentrations were less than the MCL in the first set of samples and greater than the MCL in the second. Sample holding times affect analytical results in this study. Gross alpha-particle and gross beta-particle activities were measured twice, 72 hours and 30 days after sample collection. Gross alpha-particle activity decreased an average of 37 percent between measurements, indicating the presence of short-lived alpha-emitting radionuclides in these samples. Gross beta-particle activity increased an average of 31 percent between measurements, indicating ingrowth of longer-lived beta-emitting radionuclides.

Epidemiologic Study of One Million U.S. Radiation Workers and Veterans

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boice, John D.

The single most important question in radiation epidemiology is determining the level of health risks associated with radiation exposures that occur gradually over time. The study of one million early U.S. radiation workers and veterans has been designed to provide information on risk following chronic exposures by focusing on occupational groups with differing radiation exposure patterns, including intakes of radionuclides. The cost-efficient study builds on the investments made and foundations laid by investigators and government agencies over the past 30-40 years, which have established early worker cohorts that can now provide answers to questions on the lifetime human health risksmore » associated with low-level radiation exposures. Within the overall goal of the epidemiologic study of one million U.S. radiation workers and veterans, this project had a total of nine specific aims which included studies of six populations for multiple endpoints including cancer overall mortality, leukemia and non-cancer mortality. The six populations included: Mound, Ohio, workers exposed to polonium, tritium and plutonium; nuclear power plant workers within the Landauer dosimetry and Nuclear Regulatory Commission data files; industrial radiographers; Mallinckrodt uranium workers; uranium workers who linked with the US Renal Data System; and nuclear weapons test participants. Over 400,000 workers and atomic veterans are included in these populations, with vital status being determined and analyses of all causes of death undertaken. A critical, integral component of the studies has been comprehensive evaluations of dosimetry involving, in many cases, complex dose reconstructions, and assessments of uncertainties. The work has also involved development of state-of-the art statistical approaches and modeling. All nine aims were accomplished successfully, resulting in publication of two NCRP documents, 13 literature papers, numerous Boice Reports in Health Physics News and many presentations of the work at scientific meetings. Furthermore, recommendations have been developed for an approach to integrate epidemiologic observations with radiation biology for risk assessment and biological models of radiation effect. The results of this project, as well as ongoing epidemiology studies of US radiation workers and veterans, are providing much-needed insights into complex issues regarding cancer and non-cancer health risks from low dose irradiation, how to apply a "dose and dose rate effectiveness factor" to scale the risks from the A-bomb survivor data to current occupational and environmental circumstances, and how to evaluate risk following intakes of radioactive substances. In addition to application to radiation workers, the results of the studies can provide guidance as society debates the role of nuclear energy and deals with nuclear waste, threats of terrorist attacks with nuclear/radiological devices, the remarkable increase in medical exposures to CT scans and nuclear imaging, and to NASA as radiation protection for astronauts on long-duration mission beyond low-Earth orbit is planned.« less

[Maria Skłodowska-Curie--her chemistry at the centenary of the second Nobel Prize].

PubMed

Zagórski, Zbigniew Paweł; Kornacka, Ewa Maria

2012-01-01

The article presents from the perspective of one hundred years the work of Maria Curie-Skłodowska, which in many cases was ahead of the state of knowledge of the time. It opened new horizons and for this reason we made many digressions. The fact of awarding her the Nobel Prize twice is a sensation enough to present the values of careful activity of the Nobel Prize Committee that emphasizes the importance of Maria's achievements. A significant element of Maria Skłodowska-Curie's achievements was still mysterious character of the radiation in her time, and only chemical approach made it possible to organise the phenomena and explain the origin of the radiation. The essence of the research was an arduous separation of components following the track of growing radiation of successive fractions of preparations. This research was a start of the technology of educement of dispersed elements in great mass of materials. We underline the paramount role of the chemical research Maria Skłodowska conducted while still in Warsaw in the laboratories of the Museum of Industry and Agriculture under the guidance of an excellent chemist Józef Jerzy Boguski. Her research in Paris was the origin of the semi-commercial scale in chemistry and setting aside a special shed outside the university building was the beginning of the institutes that now function beyond universities and are key element of scientific and technical progress. Technology of splitting developed by Maria Skłodowska-Curie was applied also by other radiochemists, e.g. By Otto Hahn. Lively movement in radiochemistry of her lifetime resulted in Maria's disputes with e.g. German chemist Marckwald, who questioned the originality of polonium. The scientific disputes like this one Maria won triumphantly although in several others she had to accept opponents' argument, as in the case of radon. Her experiments were planned with utmost rationality as it was with the rejection of the hypothesis saying that radioactivity was transferred from the outer space or from the sun. A great part of Maria Skłodowska-Curie's work was connected with biology which was demonstrated by describing in mathematical terms, for the first time in the history of radiobiology, nonexistent at that time, of the phenomenon of inactivation of bacteria by ionizing radiation. We emphasize difficult conditions for the health of the radiochemists of the time but we don't find any proof that there was any influence of ionizing radiation on Maria's health. She must have absorbed much greater doses of radiation during her heroic work in the mobile radiological surgery at the front of the 1st World War. We don't think it's appropriate to speculate rashly about contamination with alpha emitters. Unfortunately, due to her family's protest it was impossible to collect samples of remains before their relocation to the Pantheon in Paris.

SPRAY CALCINATION REACTOR

DOEpatents

Johnson, B.M.

1963-08-20

A spray calcination reactor for calcining reprocessin- g waste solutions is described. Coaxial within the outer shell of the reactor is a shorter inner shell having heated walls and with open regions above and below. When the solution is sprayed into the irner shell droplets are entrained by a current of gas that moves downwardly within the inner shell and upwardly between it and the outer shell, and while thus being circulated the droplets are calcined to solids, whlch drop to the bottom without being deposited on the walls. (AEC) H03 H0233412 The average molecular weights of four diallyl phthalate polymer samples extruded from the experimental rheometer were redetermined using the vapor phase osmometer. An amine curing agent is required for obtaining suitable silver- filled epoxy-bonded conductive adhesives. When the curing agent was modified with a 47% polyurethane resin, its effectiveness was hampered. Neither silver nor nickel filler impart a high electrical conductivity to Adiprenebased adhesives. Silver filler was found to perform well in Dow-Corning A-4000 adhesive. Two cascaded hot-wire columns are being used to remove heavy gaseous impurities from methane. This purified gas is being enriched in the concentric tube unit to approximately 20% carbon-13. Studies to count low-level krypton-85 in xenon are continuing. The parameters of the counting technique are being determined. The bismuth isotopes produced in bismuth irradiated for polonium production are being determined. Preliminary data indicate the presence of bismuth207 and bismuth-210m. The light bismuth isotopes are probably produced by (n,xn) reactions bismuth-209. The separation of uranium-234 from plutonium-238 solutions was demonstrated. The bulk of the plutonium is removed by anion exchange, and the remainder is extracted from the uranium by solvent extraction techniques. About 99% of the plutonium can be removed in each thenoyltrifluoroacetone extraction. The viscosity, liquid density, and selfdiffusion coefficient for lanthanum, cerium, and praseodymium were determined. The investigation of phase relationships in the plutonium-cerium-copper ternary system was continued on samples containing a high concentration of copper. These analyses indicate that complete solid solution exists between the binary compounds CeCu/sub 2/ and PuCu/sub 2/, thus forming a quasi-binary system. The study of high temperature ceramic fuel materials has continued with the homogenization and microspheroidization of binary mixtures of plutonium dioxide and zirconium dioxide. Sintering a die-pressed pellet of the mixed powders for one hour at 1450 deg C was not sufficient to completely react the constituents. Complete homogenization was obtained when the pellet was melted in the plasma flame. In addition to the plutonium dioxide-zirconium dioxide microspheres, pure beryllium oxide microspheres were produced in the plasma torch. The electronic distribution functions for the 10% by weight PuO/sub 2/ dissolved in a silicate glass were determined. The plutonium-oxygen interaction at about 2.2A is less than the plutonium-oxygen distance for the 5% PuO/sub 2/. The decrease in the interionic distance is indicative of a stronger plutonium-oxygen association for the more concentrated composition. Potassium plutonium sulfate is being evaluated as a reagent to quantitatively separate plutonium from aqueous solutions. The compound containing two waters of hydration was prepared for thermogravimetric studies using analytically pure plutonium-239. Because of the stability of this compound, it is being evaluated as a calorimetric standard for plutonium-238. (auth)

Accelerator-Driven Subcritical System for Disposing of the U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Inventory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gohar, Yousry; Cao, Yan; Kraus, Adam R.

The current United States inventory of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is ~80,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM), including ~131 tons of minor actinides (MAs) and ~669 tons of plutonium. This study describes a conceptual design of an accelerator-driven subcritical (ADS) system for disposing of this SNF inventory by utilizing the 131 tons of MAs inventory and a fraction of the plutonium inventory for energy production, and transmuting some long-lived fission products. An ADS system with a homogeneous subcritical fission blanket was first examined. A spallation neutron source is used to drive the blanket and it is produced frommore » the interaction of a 1-GeV proton beam with a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) target. The blanket has a liquid mobile fuel using LBE as the fuel carrier. The fuel materials are dissolved, mixed, or suspended in the liquid fuel carrier. Monte Carlo analyses were performed to determine the overall parameters of the concept. Steady-state Monte Carlo simulations were performed for three similar fission blankets. Except for, the loaded amount of actinide materials in the LBE is either 5, 7, or 10% of the total volume of the blanket, respectively. The neutron multiplication factors of the three blankets are ~0.98 and the initial MAs blanket inventories are ~10 tons. In addition, Monte Carlo burnup simulations using the MCB5 code were performed to analyze the performance of the three conceptual ADS systems. During operation, fresh fuel was fed into the fission blanket to adjust its reactivity and to control the system power. The burnup analysis shows that the three ADS concepts consume about 1.2 tons of actinides per full power year and produce 3 GW thermal power, with a proton beam power of 25 MW. For the blankets with 5, 7, or 10% actinide fuel particles loaded in the LBE, assuming that the ADS systems can be operated for 35 full-power years, the total MA materials consumed in the three ADS systems are about 30.6, 35.3, and 37.2 tons, respectively. Thus, the corresponding numbers of ADS systems to utilize the 131 tons of MA materials of the SNF inventory are 4.3, 3.7, or 3.5, respectively. ADS concepts with tube bundles inserted in the fission blanket were analyzed to overcome the disadvantages of the homogeneous blanket concept. The liquid lead is used as the target material, the mobile fuel carrier, and the primary coolant to avoid the polonium production from bismuth. Reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic analyses were coupled to determine the parameters of the heterogeneous fission blanket. The engineering requirements for a satisfactory operation performance of the HT-9 ferritic steel structure material have been realized. Two heterogeneous concepts of the subcritical fission blanket with the liquid lead mobile fuel inside or outside the tube bundles were considered. The heterogeneous configuration with the mobile fuel inside the tubes showed better performance than the configuration with mobile fuel outside the bundle tubes. The Monte Carlo burnup codes, MCB5 and SERPENT were both used to simulate the fuel burnup in the ADS concepts with the mobile fuels inside the tubes. The burnup analyses were carried out for 35 full power years. The results show that 5 ADS systems can dispose of the total United States inventory of the spent nuclear fuel.« less

Polonium-210 and lead-210 in the terrestrial environment: a historical review.

PubMed

Persson, Bertil R R; Holm, Elis

2011-05-01

The radionuclides (210)Po and (210)Pb widely present in the terrestrial environment are the final long-lived radionuclides in the decay of (238)U in the earth's crust. Their presence in the atmosphere is due to the decay of (222)Rn diffusing from the ground. The range of activity concentrations in ground level air for (210)Po is 0.03-0.3 Bq m(-3) and for (210)Pb 0.2-1.5 Bq m(-3). In drinking water from private wells the activity concentration of (210)Po is in the order of 7-48 mBq l(-1) and for (210)Pb around 11-40 mBq l(-1). From water works, however, the activity concentration for both (210)Po and (210)Pb is only in the order of 3 mBq l(-1). Mosses, lichens and peat have a high efficiency in capturing (210)Po and (210)Pb from atmospheric fallout and exhibit an inventory of both (210)Po and (210)Pb in the order of 0.5-5 kBq m(-2) in mosses and in lichens around 0.6 kBq m(-2). The activity concentrations in lichens lies around 250 Bq kg(-1), dry mass. Reindeer and caribou graze lichen which results in an activity concentration of (210)Po and (210)Pb of about 1-15 Bq kg(-1) in meat from these animals. The food chain lichen-reindeer or caribou, and Man constitutes a unique model for studying the uptake and retention of (210)Po and (210)Pb in humans. The effective annual dose due to (210)Po and (210)Pb in people with high consumption of reindeer/caribou meat is estimated to be around 260 and 132 μSv a(-1) respectively. In soils, (210)Po is adsorbed to clay and organic colloids and the activity concentration varies with soil type and also correlates with the amount of atmospheric precipitation. The average activity concentration levels of (210)Po in various soils are in the range of 20-240 Bq kg(-1). Plants become contaminated with radioactive nuclides both by absorption from the soil (supported Po) and by deposition of radioactive fallout on the plants directly (unsupported Po). In fresh leafy plants the level of (210)Po is particularly high as the result of the direct deposition of (222)Rn daughters from atmospheric deposition. Tobacco is a terrestrial product with high activity concentrations of (210)Po and (210)Pb. The overall average activity concentration of (210)Po is 13 ± 2 Bq kg(-1). It is rather constant over time and by geographical origin. The average median daily dietary intakes of (210)Po and (210)Pb for the adult world population was estimated to 160 mBq day(-1) and 110 mBq day(-1), corresponding to annual effective doses of 70 μSv a(-1) and 28 μSv a(-1), respectively. The dietary intakes of (210)Po and (210)Pb from vegetarian food was estimated to only 70 mBq day(-1) and 40 mBq day(-1) corresponding to annual effective doses of 30.6 μSv a(-1) and 10 μSv a(-1), respectively. Since the activity concentration of (210)Po and (210)Pb in seafood is significantly higher than in vegetarian food the effective dose to populations consuming a lot of seafood might be 5-15 fold higher. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biological pathways of exposure and ecotoxicity values for uranium and associated radionuclides: Chapter D in Hydrological, geological, and biological site characterization of breccia pipe uranium deposits in Northern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinck, Jo E.; Linder, Greg L.; Finger, Susan E.; Little, Edward E.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Kuhne, Wendy

2010-01-01

This chapter compiles available chemical and radiation toxicity information for plants and animals from the scientific literature on naturally occurring uranium and associated radionuclides. Specifically, chemical and radiation hazards associated with radionuclides in the uranium decay series including uranium, thallium, thorium, bismuth, radium, radon, protactinium, polonium, actinium, and francium were the focus of the literature compilation. In addition, exposure pathways and a food web specific to the segregation areas were developed. Major biological exposure pathways considered were ingestion, inhalation, absorption, and bioaccumulation, and biota categories included microbes, invertebrates, plants, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These data were developed for incorporation into a risk assessment to be conducted as part of an environmental impact statement for the Bureau of Land Management, which would identify representative plants and animals and their relative sensitivities to exposure of uranium and associated radionuclides. This chapter provides pertinent information to aid in the development of such an ecological risk assessment but does not estimate or derive guidance thresholds for radionuclides associated with uranium. Previous studies have not attempted to quantify the risks to biota caused directly by the chemical or radiation releases at uranium mining sites, although some information is available for uranium mill tailings and uranium mine closure activities. Research into the biological impacts of uranium exposure is strongly biased towards human health and exposure related to enriched or depleted uranium associated with the nuclear energy industry rather than naturally occurring uranium associated with uranium mining. Nevertheless, studies have reported that uranium and other radionuclides can affect the survival, growth, and reproduction of plants and animals. Exposure to chemical and radiation hazards is influenced by a plant’s or an animal’s life history and surrounding environment. Various species of plants, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals found in the segregation areas that are considered species of concern by State and Federal agencies were included in the development of the site-specific food web. The utilization of subterranean habitats (burrows in uranium-rich areas, burrows in waste rock piles or reclaimed mining areas, mine tunnels) in the seasonally variable but consistently hot, arid environment is of particular concern in the segregation areas. Certain species of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals in the segregation areas spend significant amounts of time in burrows where they can inhale or ingest uranium and other radionuclides through digging, eating, preening, and hibernating. Herbivores may also be exposed though the ingestion of radionuclides that have been aerially deposited on vegetation. Measured tissues concentrations of uranium and other radionuclides are not available for any species of concern in the segregation areas. The sensitivity of these animals to uranium exposure is unknown based on the existing scientific literature, and species-specific uranium presumptive effects levels were only available for two endangered fish species known to inhabit the segregation areas. Overall, the chemical toxicity data available for biological receptors of concern were limited, although chemical and radiation toxicity guidance values are available from several sources. However, caution should be used when directly applying these values to northern Arizona given the unique habitat and life history strategies of biological receptors in the segregation areas and the fact that some guidance values are based on models rather than empirical (laboratory or field) data. No chemical toxicity information based on empirical data is available for reptiles, birds, or wild mammals; therefore, the risks associated with uranium and other radionuclides are unknown for these biota.

Mortality of employees of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, 1951-82.

PubMed Central

Beral, V.; Fraser, P.; Carpenter, L.; Booth, M.; Brown, A.; Rose, G.

1988-01-01

A total of 22,552 workers employed by the Atomic Weapons Establishment between 1951 and 1982 were followed up for an average of 18.6 years. Of the 3115 who died, 865 (28%) died of cancer. Mortality was 23% lower than the national average for all causes of death and 18% lower for cancer. These low rates were consistent with the findings in other workforces in the nuclear industry and reflect, at least in part, the selection of healthy people to work in the industry and the disproportionate recruitment of people from the higher social classes. At some time during their employment 9389 (42%) of the workers were monitored for exposure to radiation, the average cumulative whole body exposure to external radiation being 7.8 mSv. Their mortality was generally similar to that of other employees, even when exposures were lagged by 10 years. The rate ratio after a 10 year lag in workers with a radiation record compared with other workers was 1.01 (95% confidence interval 0.92 to 1.10) for all causes of death and 1.06 (0.89 to 1.27) for all malignant neoplasms. The only significant differences were for prostatic cancer (rate ratio 2.23; 95% confidence interval 1.13 to 4.40) and for cancers of ill defined and secondary sites (rate ratio 2.37; 1.23 to 4.56). Cancers of lymphatic and haemopoietic tissues were notable for their low occurrence in the study population, with only four deaths from leukaemia and two from multiple myeloma in workers with a radiation record, 9.16 and 3.55 deaths respectively being expected on the basis of national rates. Among workers who had a radiation record 3742 (40%) were also monitored for possible internal exposure to plutonium, 3044 (32%) to uranium, 1562 (17%) to tritium, 638 (7%) to polonium, and 281 (3%) to actinium. In these workers mortality from malignant neoplasms as a whole was not increased, but after a 10 year lag death rates from prostatic and renal cancers were generally more than twice the national average, these excesses arising in a small group of workers monitored for exposure to multiple radionuclides. Though mortality from lung cancer in workers monitored for exposure to plutonium was below the national average, it was some two thirds higher than in other radiation workers, the excess being of borderline statistical significance. Mortality from malignant neoplasms as a whole showed a weak and non-significant increasing trend with increasing level of cumulative whole body exposure to external radiation. When the exposures were lagged by 10 years the trend became stronger and significant, the estimated increase in relative risk per 10 mSv being 7.6% (95% confidence interval 0.4% to 15.3%). This trend was confined almost entirely to workers who were also monitored for exposure to radionuclides (p<0.001), the main contributions coming from lung cancer and prostatic cancer. Exposures of the lung and prostate from internal sources of radiation were not quantified, except for the contribution from tritium. It was therefore not possible to assess the extent to which the associations were due to internally deposited radionuclides rather than external exposure. The finding for prostatic cancer taken in conjunction with the results of other studies suggest a specific occupational hazard in a small group of workers in the nuclear industry who had comparatively high exposures to external radiation and who were also monitored for internal exposure to multiple radionuclides. Research is needed to discover whether any of the radionuclides and other substances concerned are concentrated in the prostate. The occurrence of lung cancer in this workforce requires further investigation taking into account smoking habits and tissue doses from inhaled radionuclides. PMID:3142540

U.S. Space Radioisotope Power Systems and Applications: Past, Present and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, Robert L.; Bennett, Gary L.

2011-01-01

Radioisotope power systems (RPS) have been essential to the U.S. exploration of outer space. RPS have two primary uses: electrical power and thermal power. To provide electrical power, the RPS uses the heat produced by the natural decay of a radioisotope (e.g., plutonium-238 in U.S. RPS) to drive a converter (e.g., thermoelectric elements or Stirling linear alternator). As a thermal power source the heat is conducted to whatever component on the spacecraft needs to be kept warm; this heat can be produced by a radioisotope heater unit (RHU) or by using the excess heat of a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). As of 2010, the U.S. has launched 41 RTGs on 26 space systems. These space systems have ranged from navigational satellites to challenging outer planet missions such as Pioneer 10/11, Voyager 1/2, Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini and the New Horizons mission to Pluto. In the fall of 2011, NASA plans to launch the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) that will employ the new Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) as the principal power source. Hundreds of radioisotope heater units (RHUs) have been launched to provide warmth to Apollo 11, used to provide heating of critical components in a seismic experiment package, Pioneer 10/11, Voyager 1/2, Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, MER rovers, etc. to provide temperature control to critical spacecraft electronics and other mechanical devices such as propulsion system propellant valves. A radioisotope (electrical) power source or system (RPS) consists of three basic elements: (1) the radioisotope heat source that provides the thermal power, (2) the converter that transforms the thermal power into electrical power and (3) the heat rejection radiator. Figure 1 illustrates the basic features of an RPS. The idea of a radioisotope power source follows closely after the early investigations of radioactivity by researchers such as Henri Becquerel (1852-1908), Marie Curie (1867-1935), Pierre Curie (1859-1906) and R. J. Strut. Almost 100 years ago, in 1913, English physicist H. G. J. Moseley (1887-1915) constructed the first nuclear battery using a vacuum flask and 20 mCi of radium (Corliss and Harvey, 1964, Proceedings of the Royal Society, 1913). After World War II, serious interest in radioisotope power systems in the U.S. was sparked by studies of space satellites such as North American Aviation s 1947 report on nuclear space power and the RAND Corporation s 1949 report on radioisotope power. (Greenfield, 1947, Gendler and Kock, 1949). Radioisotopes were also considered in early studies of nuclear-powered aircraft (Corliss and Harvey, 1964). In 1951, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) signed several contracts to study a 1-kWe space power plant using reactors or radioisotopes. Several of these studies, which were completed in 1952, recommended the use of RPS. (Corliss and Harvey, 1964). In 1954, the RAND Corporation issued the summary report of the Project Feedback military satellite study in which radioisotope power was considered (Lipp and Salter, 1954, RAND). Paralleling these studies, in 1954, K. C. Jordan and J. H. Birden of the AEC s Mound Laboratory conceived and built the first RTG using chromel-constantan thermocouples and a polonium-210 (210Po or Po-210) radioisotope heat source (see Figure 2). While the power produced (1.8 mWe) was low by today s standards, this first RTG showed the feasibility of RPS. A second thermal battery was built with more Po-210, producing 9.4 mWe. Jordan and Birden concluded that the Po-210 thermal battery would have about ten times the energy of ordinary dry cells of the same mass (Jordan and Birden, 1954). The heat source consisted of a 1-cm-diameter sphere of 57 Ci (1.8 Wt) of Po-210 inside a capsule of nickel-coated cold-rolled steel all inside a container of Lucite. The thermocouples were silver-soldered chromel-constantan. The thermal battery produced 1.8 mWe.

A comprehensive dose reconstruction methodology for former rocketdyne/atomics international radiation workers.

PubMed

Boice, John D; Leggett, Richard W; Ellis, Elizabeth Dupree; Wallace, Phillip W; Mumma, Michael; Cohen, Sarah S; Brill, A Bertrand; Chadda, Bandana; Boecker, Bruce B; Yoder, R Craig; Eckerman, Keith F

2006-05-01

Incomplete radiation exposure histories, inadequate treatment of internally deposited radionuclides, and failure to account for neutron exposures can be important uncertainties in epidemiologic studies of radiation workers. Organ-specific doses from lifetime occupational exposures and radionuclide intakes were estimated for an epidemiologic study of 5,801 Rocketdyne/Atomics International (AI) radiation workers engaged in nuclear technologies between 1948 and 1999. The entire workforce of 46,970 Rocketdyne/AI employees was identified from 35,042 Kardex work histories cards, 26,136 electronic personnel listings, and 14,189 radiation folders containing individual exposure histories. To obtain prior and subsequent occupational exposure information, the roster of all workers was matched against nationwide dosimetry files from the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Landauer dosimetry company, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force. Dosimetry files of other worker studies were also accessed. Computation of organ doses from radionuclide intakes was complicated by the diversity of bioassay data collected over a 40-y period (urine and fecal samples, lung counts, whole-body counts, nasal smears, and wound and incident reports) and the variety of radionuclides with documented intake including isotopes of uranium, plutonium, americium, calcium, cesium, cerium, zirconium, thorium, polonium, promethium, iodine, zinc, strontium, and hydrogen (tritium). Over 30,000 individual bioassay measurements, recorded on 11 different bioassay forms, were abstracted. The bioassay data were evaluated using ICRP biokinetic models recommended in current or upcoming ICRP documents (modified for one inhaled material to reflect site-specific information) to estimate annual doses for 16 organs or tissues taking into account time of exposure, type of radionuclide, and excretion patterns. Detailed internal exposure scenarios were developed and annual internal doses were derived on a case-by-case basis for workers with committed equivalent doses indicated by screening criteria to be greater than 10 mSv to the organ with the highest internal dose. Overall, 5,801 workers were monitored for radiation at Rocketdyne/AI: 5,743 for external exposure and 2,232 for internal intakes of radionuclides; 41,169 workers were not monitored for radiation. The mean cumulative external dose based on Rocketdyne/AI records alone was 10.0 mSv, and the dose distribution was highly skewed with most workers experiencing low cumulative doses and only a few with high doses (maximum 500 mSv). Only 45 workers received greater than 200 mSv while employed at Rocketdyne/AI. However, nearly 32% (or 1,833) of the Rocketdyne/AI workers had been monitored for radiation at other nuclear facilities and incorporation of these doses increased the mean dose to 13.5 mSv (maximum 1,005 mSv) and the number of workers with >200 mSv to 69. For a small number of workers (n=292), lung doses from internal radionuclide intakes were relatively high (mean 106 mSv; maximum 3,560 mSv) and increased the overall population mean dose to 19.0 mSv and the number of workers with lung dose>200 mSv to 109. Nearly 10% of the radiation workers (584) were monitored for neutron exposures (mean 1.2 mSv) at Rocketdyne/AI, and another 2% were monitored for neutron exposures elsewhere. Interestingly, 1,477 workers not monitored for radiation at Rocketdyne/AI (3.6%) were found to have worn dosimeters at other nuclear facilities (mean external dose of 2.6 mSv, maximum 188 mSv). Without considering all sources of occupational exposure, an incorrect characterization of worker exposure would have occurred with the potential to bias epidemiologic results. For these pioneering workers in the nuclear industry, 26.5% of their total occupational dose (collective dose) was received at other facilities both prior to and after employment at Rocketdyne/AI. In addition, a small number of workers monitored for internal radionuclides contributed disproportionately to the number of workers with high lung doses. Although nearly 12% of radiation workers had been monitored for neutron exposures during their career, the cumulative dose levels were small in comparison with other external and internal exposure. Risk estimates based on nuclear worker data must be interpreted cautiously if internally deposited radionuclides and occupational doses received elsewhere are not considered.