• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.51-53
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• 2003

The results of the measured specific activities of Rn-222 in water for public water supply pump houses (wells) of Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia using the HP-Ge gamma-spectrometer, are described. The average of the specific radioactivies for the Rn-222 were for the station “Centre” 82.59 Bq/l, station “Combinat” 91.35 Bq/l and station “Makh” 158.25 Bq/l, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.8
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• pp.2013-2017
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• 2019

The radon concentrations in soil air were measured before and after a rainfall. ²²⁶Ra concentration, porosity, moisture content and temperature in soil were measured at Kyungpook National University in Daegu. As the results of measurement and analysis, the arithmetic mean of measured ²²²Rn concentration increased from 12100 ± 500 Bq/㎥ to 16200 ± 600 Bq/㎥ after the rainfall. And the measured ²²⁶Ra concentration was 61.4 ± 5.7 Bq/kg and the measured porosity was 0.5 in soil. The estimated values of ²²⁶Ra concentration and porosity using diffusion model of ²²²Rn in soil were 60.3 Bq/kg and 0.509, respectively. The estimated values were similar to the measured values. ²²²Rn concentration in soil increased with depth and moisture content. The estimations were obtained through fitting based on the diffusion model of ²²²Rn using the measurement values. The measured depth profiles of ²²²Rn were similar to the calculated depth profiles of ²²²Rn in soil. We hope that the results of this study will be useful for environmental radiation analysis.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2013

Derived Investigation levels(DILs) were calculated to protect the workers from the effects of both radiological hazard and chemical toxicity by uranium intake. Investigation Levels(ILs) of committed effective dose of 2 mSv $y^{-1}-6$ mSv $y^{-1}$ and uranium concentration of 0.3 ${\mu}g$ $g^{-1}$ in kidney, based on Korean Nuclaer Safety Act, Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act and current scientific studies of uranium intake were assumed. DILs of radiological hazard and chemical toxicity were then calculated based on the concentration of uranium in air of workplace, the lung monitoring and urine analysis, respectively. As a result, in case of the nuclear fuel fabrication plant where 3.5% enriched uranium is handled, derived investigation level(DIL) for the control of the concentration of uranium in the air of workplace assumed with 15-min acute inhalation was 0.6 mg $m^{-3}$ for all types of uranium. DILs for the control of the average concentration of uranium in air of workplace, assuming an 8-hour workday, were 15.21 ${\mu}g$ $m^{-3}$ of Type F uranium, 0.41-1.23 Bq $m^{-3}$ and 0.13-0.39 Bq $m^{-3}$ for Type M and Type S uranium, respectively. DILs for the lung monitoring assumed with a period of 6-month interval were 0.37-1.11 Bq and 0.39-1.17 Bq in acute and chronic inhalation for Type M, respectively and 0.30- 0.91 Bq and 0.19-0.57 Bq in acute and chronic inhalation for Type S, respectively. Since a detection limit of typical germanium detector for the measurement of 235U activity is 4 Bq, DILs calculated for the lung monitoring were not appropriate. DILs for urine analysis, for which an interval was assumed to be 1 month, were 14.57 ${\mu}g$ $L^{-1}$ based on chemical toxicity after acute inhalation. In addition, acute and chronic inhalation of Type M were calculated 2.85-8.58 ${\mu}g$ $L^{-1}$ and 1.09-3.27 ${\mu}g$ $L^{-1}$ based on the radiological hazard, respectively.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 2007

In this study, domestic regulatory requirement was investigated for self-disposal of concrete waste from nuclear fuel processing facility. And after self-disposal as landfill or recycling/reuse, the exposure dose was evaluated by RESRAD Ver. 6.3 and RESRAD BUILD Ver.3.3 computing code for radiological assessments of the general public. Derived clearance level by the result of assessments for the exposure dose of the general public is 0.1071Bq/g (3.5% enriched uranium) for landfill and $0.05515Bq/cm^2$ (5% enriched uranium) for recycling/reuse respectively. Also, residual radioactivity of concrete waste after decontamination was investigated in this study. The result of surface activity is $0.01Bq/cm^2\;for\;{\alpha}-emitter$ and the result of radionuclide analysis for taken concrete samples from surface of concrete waste is 0.0297Bq/g for concentration of $^{238}U$, below 2w/o for enrichment of $^{235}U$ and 0.0089Bq/g for artificial contamination of $^{238}U$ respectively. Therefore, radiological hazard of concrete waste by self-disposal as landfill and recycling/reuse is below clearance level to comply with clearance criterion provided for Notice No.2001-30 of the MOST and Korea Atomic Energy Act.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.86-96
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• 2013

The realtime monitoring of radon ($^{222}Rn$) concentrations has been carried out from Gosan site, Jeju Island for three years of 2006~2008, in order to evaluate the background level and timely variational characteristics of atmospheric radon. The mean concentration of radon measured during the studying period was $2965mBq/m^3$ with its annual mean values in the range of $2768{\sim}3124mBq/m^3$. The relative ordering of the seasonal mean concentrations was seemed to vary such as winter ($3578mBq/m^3$) > fall ($3351mBq/m^3$) > spring ($2832mBq/m^3$) > summer ($2073mBq/m^3$). The monthly mean concentrations were in the order of Jan>Feb>Oct>Nov>Dec>Mar> Sep>Apr>May>Jun>Aug>Jul, so that the highest January value ($3713mBq/m^3$) exceeded almost twice as the July minimum ($1946mBq/m^3$). The hourly concentrations in a day showed the highest level ($3356mBq/m^3$) at around 7 a.m., increasing during nighttime, while reaching the lowest ($2574mBq/m^3$) at around 3 p.m. From the backward trajectory analysis for a continental fetch of radon, the high concentrations (10%) of radon matched with the air mass moving from the Asia continent to Jeju area. In contrast, the low concentrations (10%) of radon were generally correlated with the air mass of the North Pacific Ocean. In comparison by sectional inflow pathways of air mass, the radon concentrations were relatively high from the north China and the Korean peninsula.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.1781-1795
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• 2024

This study investigated the levels of radioactivity in soil surrounding a phosphate fertilizer factory in Egypt, aiming to assess potential risks to the population exposed to radiation. Concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were measured in soil samples collected from two subsites: one near the factory (subsite 1) and another further away (subsite 2). Two different systems were used for measuring radioactivity, a high-purity gamma ray spectroscopy system with an HPGe detector for gamma-emitting isotopes and a CR-39 solid nuclear track detector for alpha-emitting radon gas. Subsite 1, located close to the factory, displayed significantly elevated levels of ²²⁶Ra compared to global background levels (514 and 456 Bq/kg vs. 35 Bq/kg). Additionally, the concentrations of ²³⁸U (241.06 Bq/kg vs. global average 35 Bq/kg), ²³²Th (16.15 Bq/kg vs. global average 30 Bq/kg), and ⁴⁰K (146.36 Bq/kg vs. global average 400 Bq/kg) were all above global averages. Furthermore, a high concentration of radon gas (337.06 μSv/y) was measured at subsite 1. The strong positive correlation observed between ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁸U (0.96256) provides further evidence of potentially elevated radioactivity levels near the factory. In contrast, subsite 2, situated farther from the factory, exhibited natural radioactive background levels within international limits. Quantitative analysis revealed that gamma ray absorbed doses for ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th exceeded global averages in some samples. Specifically, ²²⁶Ra doses ranged from 7.8 to 46.26 ppm (exceeding the 20 ppm global average in some cases), and ²³²Th doses ranged from 1.98 to 9.14 ppm (exceeding the 10 ppm global average in some cases). The concentration of ⁴⁰K, however, remained within the global range (0.07%-0.69 %). The observed imbalances in the ratios of Th/U (0.17-0.24 Bq/kg and 0.73-0.24 ppm) and U/Ra (0.81-0.73 Bq/kg and 0.73-0.17 ppm), both of which are significantly lower than their respective global averages of 4 and 2.4, point towards the presence of fertilizer-derived contamination. This conclusion is further supported by the high phosphate concentrations detected in the samples. Overall, this study suggests that radioactive contamination near the phosphate fertilizer factory significantly exceeds global background levels and international limits in some cases. This raises concerns about potential risks posed to surrounding agricultural land and crops.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.637-642
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• 2014

The pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) related to habitual betel quid (BQ) chewing is unclear. Risk of HCCis increased with adverse hepatic fibrosis. This study aimed to assess the impact of chronic viral hepatitis on adverse hepatic fibrosis in HCC related to BQ chewing. This hospital-based case-control study enrolled 200 pairs of age- and gender-matched patients with HCC and unrelated healthy controls. Serologic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein (AFP), and surrogate markers for significant hepatic fibrosis were measured. Information on substance-use habits was obtained with a questionnaire. By analysis of surrogate markers for hepatic fibrosis, the prevalence of significant hepatic fibrosis in patients chewing BQ was between 45.8% and 91.7%, whereas that for patients without BQ chewing was between 18.4% and 57.9%. The difference was significant (P <0.05 for each surrogate marker). Multivariate analysis indicated that cirrhosis with Child-Pugh C (odds ratio (OR) = 3.28; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29-8.37), thrombocytopenia (OR = 3.92, 95% CI, 1.77-8.68), AFP >400 mg/L (OR = 2.21, 95% CI, 1.05-4.66) and male gender (OR = 4.06, 95% CI, 1.29-12.77) were independent factors associated with habitual BQ chewing. In conclusion, adverse hepatic fibrosis and severe liver damage play important roles in the pathogenesis of BQ-related HCC, which could be aggravated by chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. BQ-cessation programs and prevention of chronic HBV/HCV infection are needed to prevent HCC related to BQ chewing.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.149-158
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• 2012

In this paper, we measured the variations of radon concentrations in groundwater using low-level Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC), an instrument for analyzing the alpha and beta radionuclides at its 10 sites around the Kumjung-Gu, north-western of Busan. Optimization of Pulse Shape Analyzer (PSA) to determinate the highest value of figure of merit (FM) was decided using Quantulus 1200 LSC with radium-226 source, the optimal PSA level was shown in the range of 100 to 110. The results show that the Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) of radon concentrations is 0.61 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$ for 20 minutes in PSA level. We find that the average radon concentration in groundwater is high in granitic rock area and low in volcanic rock area. (Biotite granite : 191.39 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$, Micro graphic granite : 141.88 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$, Adamellite : 92.94 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$, Andesite (volcanic) : 35.35 $Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$). No significant seasonal variation pattern is observed from the long-term variation analysis from 10 selected sites. We have not seen the significant correlation of radon concentration to groundwater temperature, atmospheric temperature, atmospheric pressure and rainfall. The concentration variation is probably caused by more complex factors and processes.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2012

The real-time monitoring of radon ($^{222}Rn$) concentrations has been carried out to evaluate the background concentration level of atmospheric radon in Gosan site, Jeju Island. The mean concentration of radon for the recent 10 years was 2831 $mBq/m^3$ (0.077 pCi/L), which was 19.5 time lower than that of indoor radon in Korea. The seasonal concentrations were 2657, 2071, 3249, 3384 $mBq/m^3$ respectively for spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons. In monthly comparison, the radon concentrations were high in October and low in July. The hourly concentrations have increased during the nighttime, showing 3666 $mBq/m^3$ at 7 a.m., and decreased relatively during the daytime, showing 2755 $mBq/m^3$ at 2~3 p.m. From the back trajectory analysis, the radon concentrations showed higher values when the air mass was moved from the Asia continent to Jeju area, on the other hand, it showed low values when it was moved from the North Pacific Ocean.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.1752-1757
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to evaluate the radioactivity levels and radiological impacts of representative black sand samples collected from different locations in the Rashid area, Egypt. These samples were prepared and then analyzed using the high-resolution gamma ray spectroscopy technique with a high-purity germanium detector. The activity concentration ($A_c$), minimum detectable activity, absorbed gamma dose rate, external hazard index ($H_{ex}$), annual effective dose rate equivalent, radium equivalent, as well as external and internal hazard index ($H_{ex}$ and $H_{in}$, respectively) were estimated based on the measured radionuclide concentration of the $^{238}U$($^{226}Ra$) and $^{232}Th$ decay chains and $^{40}K$. The activity concentrations of the $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ decay series and $^{40}K$ of these samples varied from $45.11{\pm}3.1Bq/kg$ to $252.38{\pm}34.3Bq/kg$, from $64.65{\pm}6.1Bq/kg$ to $579.84{\pm}53.1Bq/kg$, and from $403.36{\pm}20.8Bq/kg$ to $527.47{\pm}23.1Bq/kg$, respectively. The activity concentration of $^{232}Th$ in Sample 1 has the highest value compared to the other samples; this value is also higher than the worldwide mean range as reported by UNSCEAR 2000. The total absorbed gamma dose rate and the annual effective dose for these samples were found to vary from 81.19 nGy/h to 497.81 nGy/h and from $99.86{\mu}Sv/y$ to $612.31{\mu}Sv/y$, which are higher than the world average values of 59 nGy/h and $70{\mu}Sv/y$, respectively. The $H_{ex}$ values were also calculated to be 3.02, 0.47, 0.63, 0.87, 0.87, 0.51 and 0.91. It was found that the calculated value of $H_{ex}$ for Sample 1 is significantly higher than the international acceptable limit of <1. The results are tabulated, depicted, and discussed within national and international frameworks, levels, and approaches.