• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.658-667
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• 2019

Objective: This study was designed to compare construction types and seasonal radon concentrations in dwellings in Jeollabuk-do Province in Korea. Methods: The measurement of indoor radon concentrations in 79 dwellings using alpha-track detectors was performed every three months (seasonally) over one year between 2015 and 2016. Also, Radon concentrations in soil were measured in spring to investigate the correlations between the concentrations in soil and indoor air. Results: The annual average concentration of indoor radon for dwellings was 89.7±72.1(GM: 72.4) Bq/㎥, with a range (min-max) of 17.2 to 505.4 Bq/㎥. The highest indoor radon concentration was measured in winter and the lowest was shown in summer. The geometric mean of radon concentration in winter was 1.03-2.58 times higher than other seasons. Radon concentrations in soil were investigated at the depth of 1 m, and the concentrations ranged from 1,780 Bq/㎥ to 123,264 Bq/㎥. This showed low correlations with indoor radon concentrations.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.75-78
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• 2003

The organically bound tritium(OBT) concentrations of the marine organisms(seaweed and shellfish) around Wolsung nuclear power plants were measured. The OBT concentrations of seaweeds were in the range of $0.372{\sim}2.72$ Bq/kg-fresh. The OBT concentrations of shellfish were in the range of $0.239{\sim}2.02$ Bq/kg-fresh. The internal dose due to the OBT concentration of seaweed was estimated as $3.4{\times}10^{-7}$ mSv/year.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate airborne radon and thoron levels and estimate the effective doses of workers who made household goods and mattresses using monazite. Methods: Airborne radon and thoron concentrations were measured using continuous monitors (Rad7, Durridge Company Inc., USA). Radon and thoron concentrations in the air were converted to radon doses using the dose conversion factor recommended by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Korea. External exposure to gamma rays was measured at the chest height of a worker from the source using real-time radiation instruments, a survey meter (RadiagemTM 2000, Canberra Industries, Inc., USA), and an ion chamber (OD-01 Hx, STEP Co., Germany). Results: When using monazite, the average concentration range of radon was $13.1-97.8Bq/m^3$ and thoron was $210.1-841.4Bq/m^3$. When monazite was not used, the average concentration range of radon was $2.6-10.8Bq/m^3$ and the maximum was $1.7-66.2Bq/m^3$. Since monazite has a higher content of thorium than uranium, the effects of thoron should be considered. The effective doses of radon and thoron as calculated by the dose conversion factor based on ICRP 115 were 0.26 mSv/yr and 0.76 mSv/yr, respectively, at their maximum values. The external radiation dose rate was $6.7{\mu}Sv/hr$ at chest height and the effective dose was 4.3 mSv/yr at the maximum. Conclusions: Regardless of the use of monazite, the total annual effective doses due to internal and external exposure were 0.03-4.42 mSv/yr. Exposures to levels higher than this value are indicated if dose conversion factors based on the recently published ICRP 137 are applied.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.3046-3053
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• 2023

Radon is a naturally occurring carcinogenic agent, poses a serious health hazard when inhaled or ingested in significant amounts. The water of the Padma river will be used as a tertiary coolant for the soon-to-be-commissioned 'Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant'. Hence, it is important to assess the radiological status of the river prior to the commission of this power plant. Therefore, for the first time, 25 samples of water were collected from various locations of the Padma River and analyzed for radon concentration using the RAD H₂O (DURRIDGE) radon monitoring device. The radon concentrations were found in the range from 0.077 ± 0.036 to 0.494 ± 0.211 Bq/L with a mean of 0.250 ± 0.093 Bq/L. All the concentrations were found to be below the recommended limits of WHO (100 Bq/L) and USEPA (11.1 Bq/L). The mean annual effective dose due to the radon exposure via inhalation and ingestion pathways were 0.638 µSv/y and 0.629 µSv/y, respectively, which were all well below the annual effective dose recommended by WHO (0.1 mSv/y). Since Bangladesh lacks a national safety limit of radon in water, this pioneering study provides baseline data on radon levels for the environment around Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.4265-4271
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• 2022

Determination of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K and ²¹⁰Po in water, bottom sediments and suspended matter of river systems of the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam was carried out. The average activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in waters of Ca Gau and Long Tau was 0.89 ± 0.14 and 1.08 ± 0.15 Bq m^-3 and was comparable to the levels of this radioisotope in waters of the East Sea. The activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in bottom sediments was 2.23 ± 0.81 and 3.63 ± 1.24 Bq kg^-1. The activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in water and bottom sediments could be characterized as low. So, the water areas of the Ca Gau and Long Tau rivers could be attributed to areas with insignificant pollution by technogenic radionuclides. The ²¹⁰Po activity concentration in bottom sediments of the Ca Gau and Long Tau rivers ranged from 9.2 ± 1.2 to 25.5 ± 2.1 Bq kg^-1, which is typical for river bottom sediments. Such values indicate the absence of anthropogenic enhancement of the entry of this radionuclide into the Can Gio river systems. The ⁴⁰K activity concentration varied within 467 ± 42-651 ± 39 Bq kg^-1 and represented typical values of potassium content in the bottom sediments of coastal water bodies, subject to a significant influence of the lithogenic component of suspended matter.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.84-89
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• 2023

Background: Food consumption is one of the most important routes for radionuclide intake for the public; therefore, there is the need to have a comprehensive understanding of the amount of radioactivity in food products. Consumption of radionuclide-contaminated food could increase potential health risks associated with exposure to radiation such as cancers. The present study aims to determine radioactivity levels in some food products (milk, rice, sugar, and wheat flour) consumed in Mali and to evaluate the radiological effect on the public health from these radionuclides. Materials and Methods: The health impact due to ingestion of radionuclides from these foods was evaluated by the determination of activity concentration of radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs using gamma spectrometry system with high-purity germanium detector and radiological hazards index in 16 samples collected in some markets, mall, and shops of Bamako-Mali. Results and Discussion: The average activity concentrations were 9.8±0.6 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, 8.7±0.5 Bq/kg for ²³²Th, 162.9±7.9 Bq/kg for ⁴⁰K, and 0.0035±0.0005 Bq/kg for ¹³⁷Cs. The mean values of radiological hazard parameters such as annual committed effective dose, internal hazard index, and risk assessment from this work were within the dose criteria limits given by international organizations (International Commission on Radiological Protection and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) and national standards. Conclusion: The results show low public exposure to radioactivity and associated radiological impact on public health. Nevertheless, this study stipulates vital data for future research and regulatory authorities in Mali.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2016

Background: For the purpose of baseline data collection and enhancement of environmental monitoring the distribution studies of $^{137}Cs$ and $^{90}Sr$ in the soil of Uljin province was performed and the relation between surface soil activities and soil properties (pH, TOC and median of the surface soil) was analyzed. Materials and Methods: For 14 spots within 10 km from the NPP surface soil samples were collected and soils for depth profile were sampled for 3 spots in April 2011. Using ${\gamma}$-ray spectrometry with HPGe detector, the concentrations of $^{137}Cs$ were determined and the concentrations of $^{90}Sr$ were measured by counting ${\beta}$-activity of $^{90}Y$ (in equilibrium with $^{90}Sr$) in a gas flow proportional counter. Results and Discussion: The concentration ranges of $^{137}Cs$ and $^{90}Sr$ were $<0.479-39.6Bq{\cdot}(kg-dry)^{-1}$ (avg. $7.51Bq{\cdot}(kg-dry)^{-1}$) and $0.209-1.85Bq{\cdot}(kg-dry)^{-1}$ (avg. $0.74Bq{\cdot}(kg-dry)^{-1}$) which were similar to the reported values from other regions in Korea. The activity ratio of $^{137}Cs$ to $^{90}Sr$ in surface soils was around 9.67, which is much bigger than the initial value of 1.75 for worldwide fallouts because of faster downward movement of $^{90}Sr$ after fallout than that of $^{137}Cs$. For depth profile studies soils were collected down to 40 cm depth for the locations of Deokgu, Hujeong and Maehwa. The $^{137}Cs$ concentration distribution of the first two showed maximum values at top soils and decreased rapidly in exponential manner, while $^{90}Sr$ showed two local maximum values for soils near top and about 30 cm depth. Through linear fittings between the $^{137}Cs$ and $^{90}Sr$ concentrations of surface soil and pH, TOC and median of the surface soil, the only probable relationship obtained was between $^{137}Cs$ and TOC (determination coefficient $R^2=0.6$). Conclusion: The concentration ranges of $^{137}Cs$ and $^{90}Sr$ in Uljin were similar to the reported values from other regions in Korea. The only probable relationship obtained between activities and soil properties was between $^{137}Cs$ and TOC.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.631-643
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• 2018

Uranium and radon concentrations in groundwater from 80 wells from Daejeon area were measured to determine the range of concentrations according to the geology. The median uranium content of groundwater was $11.14{\mu}g/L$ for the two-mica granite, $0.90{\mu}g/L$ for the biotite granite, and $0.47{\mu}g/L$ for the Ogcheon group. The median radon content of groundwates was 114.3 Bq/L for the two-mica granite, 61.6 Bq/L for the biotite granite, and 42.2 Bq/L for the Ogchon group, respectively. The uranium content of two-mica granite is 3.78 mg/ kg, which is slightly higher than that of biotite granite 3.20 mg/kg. However, the uranium content in groundwatewr of two-mica granite groundwater is much higher than that of biotite granite. This can be explained by the fact that the two-mica granite is vulnerable to weathering than biotite granite, so uranium in mineral is easily leached into groundwater. The exceeding rate of samples having uranium content above $30{\mu}g/L$ in granite area was 23.8%, which is higher than that of 6.7% in Jurassic granite in Korea. On the other hand, the exceeding rate of samples having radon content above 148 Bq/L in granite rate area was 31.0% which is similar to that of Jurassic granite area of 31.7%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.167-167
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• 1996

A series of 6-[(N-Halophenyl)amino] -7-Bromo-5,8-quinolinediones (BQs) newly synthesized were tested for antifungal activities, in vitro, against Candida sp., Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The MIC values were determined by the twofold dilution method. Among these derivatives, BQ4 and 7 showed more potent antifungal activities than fluconazole and ketoconazole. BQ 4 and 7 were compared with fluconazole in the treatment of established systemic infections with Candida albicans in normal rats. Intraperitoneally administered BQs for 7 days and 14 days reduced Candida albicans colony count in kidneys and livers as well as fluconazole. The therapeutic potential of BQs has been assessed by evaluating their activities (survival rate) against systemic infections in normal mice with Candida albicans. These compounds, particularly showed activities comparable with fluconazole. BQ4 and 7 had about EO$\_$50/, 0.05, 0.06mg/kg but fluconazole had ED$\_$50/, 6.0mg/kg respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.165-169
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• 2018

An assessment for determining N-16 activity concentrations during the operation condition of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission TRIGA Research Reactor was performed employing several governing equations. The radionuclide N-16 is a high energy (6.13 MeV) gamma emitter which is predominately created by the fast neutron interaction with O-16 present in the reactor core water. During reactor operation at different power level, the concentration of N-16 at the reactor bay region may increase causing radiation risk to the reactor operating personnel or the general public. Concerning the safety of the research reactor, the present study deals with the estimation of N-16 activity concentrations in the regions of reactor core, reactor tank, and reactor bay at different reactor power levels under natural convection cooling mode. The estimated N-16 activity concentration values with 500 kW reactor power at the reactor core region was $7.40{\times}10^5Bq/cm^3$ and at the bay region was $3.39{\times}10^5Bq/cm^3$. At 3 MW reactor power with active forced convection cooling mode, the N-16 activity concentration in the decay tank exit water was also determined, and the value was $4.14{\times}10^{-1}Bq/cm^3$.