• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.99-105
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• 2005

A model for evaluating radioactive contamination in the urban environment, named METRO-K, was developed as a basic step for accident consequence analysis in case of an accidental release. The three kind of radionuclides $(^{137}Cs,\;^{106}Ru,\;^{131}I)$ and the different chemical forms of iodine (particulate, organic and elemental forms) are considered in the model. The radioactive concentrations are evaluated for the five types of surface (roof, paved road, wall, lawn/soil, tree) as a function of time. Using the model, the contaminative impacts of the surfaces were intensively investigated with respect to with and without precipitation during the measurement periods of radionuclides in air. In addition, a practical application study was conducted using $^{137}Cs$ concentration in air and precipitation measured in an European country at the Chernobyl accident. As a result precipitation was an influential factor in surface contamination. The degree of contamination was strongly dependent on the types of radionuclide and surface. Precipitation was more influential in contamination of $^{137}Cs$ than that of $^{131}I$ (elemental form).

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2012

In spite of colossal efforts taken for safe handling and storage of radioactive waste, the uncontrolled release of radiocesium ($^{137}Cs$ and $^{134}Cs$ isotopes) into the natural environment is inevitable. $^{137}Cs$ is of particular concern because of its long half-life, ability to transfer into biota through food chains, as well as its great mobility, bioavailability, and chemical and ecophysiological similarity with potassium. Radiocesium is released anthropogenically into the environment. Mushrooms are known for their ability to accumulate radionuclides, particularly radiocesium, which is heterogeneously distributed in the individual parts of mushrooms, and it is found that mushrooms are a hyper-accumulator of radiocesium from their environment than other vegetation. Mushrooms play a major role in the mobilization, accumulation, and translocation of cesium, i.e., decontamination of soils (mycoextraction) polluted with cesium radioisotopes, and this capacity appears to be a relevant bioindicator of cesium contamination in the environment. Moreover, the extension of mycelium into the soil makes the use of mushrooms as bioindicators of radiocesium possible. This paper reviews the potential of mushrooms in the accumulation of radiocesium from the environment, and dissertates the salient features to support the employment of mushrooms in environmental biomonitoring as a sensitive bioindicator of radiocesium contamination.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.161-166
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• 2005

In KAERI, about 3,100 drums containing soil have been stored. The soils were generated from the decommissioning process of Seoul office in 1988. Those soils occupy about $27\%$ of the capacity of the radioactive waste storage facility and make it difficult to maintain the storage facility. The major radioactive nuclides contained in the soils were expected to be Co-60 and Cs-137. As 16 years have passed, the radioactivity of those nuclides have decayed a lot. In this study, as a basis of regulatory clearance, radionuclides and radioactivity concentration of soils were analyzed. As a result, there are only Co-60 and Cs-137 in soils as ${\gamma}-emitters$. The total concentration of ${\gamma}-emitters$ in soil is analyzed as about $0.01\;{\sim}\;0.12$ Bq/g. As the soils are expected to be regulatory cleared in 2009, those concentrations will decay to be less than 0.1 Bq/g. This concentration can be meet the regulatory criteria suggested by IAEA. The regulatory clearance will be proceeded based on not only the assessment results of environmental influence but also related regulations.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.118-126
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• 2019

Background: Government conducts environmental radioactivity surveillance for verification purpose around nuclear facilities based on the Nuclear Safety Law and issues a surveillance report every year. This study aims to evaluate the short and the long-term fluctuation of radionuclides detected above MDC and their origins using concentration ratios between these radionuclides. Materials and Methods: Sample media for verification surveillance are air, rainwater, groundwater, soil, and milk for terrestrial samples, and seawater, marine sediment, fish, and seaweed for marine samples. Gamma-emitting radionuclides including $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, $^3H$, and $^{14}C$ are evaluated in these samples. Results and Discussion: According to the result of the environmental radioactivity verification surveillance in the vicinity of nuclear power facilities in 2017, the anthropogenic radionuclides were not detected in most of the environmental samples except for the detection of a trace level of $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, and $^{131}I$ in some samples. Radioactivity concentration ratios between the anthropogenic radionuclides ($^{137}Cs/^{90}Sr$, $^{137}Cs/^{239+240}Pu$, $^{90}Sr/^{239+240}Pu$) were similar to those reported in the environmental samples, which were affected by the global fallout of the past nuclear weapon test, and Pu atomic ratios ($^{240}Pu/^{239}Pu$) in the terrestrial sample and marine sample showed significant differences due to the different input pathway and the Pu source. Radioactive iodine ($^{131}I$) was detected at the range of < $5.6-190mBq{\cdot}kg-fresh^{-1}$ in the gulfweed and sea trumpet collected from the area of Kori and Wolsong intake and discharge. A high level of $^3H$ was observed in the air (Sangbong: $0.688{\pm}0.841Bq{\cdot}m^{-3}$) and the precipitation (Meteorology Post: $199{\pm}126Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$) samples of the Wolsong nuclear power plant (NPP). $^3H$ concentration in the precipitation and pine needle samples showed typical variation pattern with the distance and the wind direction from the stack due to the gaseous release of $^3H$ in Wolsong NPP. Conclusion: Except for the detection of a trace level of $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, and $^{131}I$ in some samples, anthropogenic radionuclides were below MDC in most of the environmental samples. Overall, no unusual radionuclides and abnormal concentration were detected in the 2017's surveillance result for verification. This research will be available in the assessment of environment around nuclear facilities in the event of radioactive material release.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 1973

The present report concerns measurement of environmental radioactivity in the Ko-ri nuclear power plant site area. Gross beta measurements have been performed on soil, water, pine needle, and fallout samples collected during the period of December 1970-November 1972. Radioactivities of Strontium-90 and Cesium-137 have been measured by radiochemical analyses on samples of vegetables and marine products collected in 1972. Apparent seasonal variations and overall decrease by the year was also observed from the results of soil, pine needle, and fallout sample measurements respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.275-280
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• 2015

In order to measure the Radionuclides and Concentration, the directly grinded land samples (river soil, pine leaves and mugwort) among the environment samples around the nuclear power plant were filled in a 450 mL Marinelli beaker and weighed to obtain the dry mass ratio of the samples. Then the background and land samples were measured for 80,000 sec. The analysis of the collected land samples showed that most of them contained less radiation nuclide than the detection minimum limit in the 'Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Public Notice No. 2010-32.'In others, the natural radionuclides $^{40}K$ were detected. Of the products of nuclear reaction discharged by a nuclear reaction, $^{134}Cs$ and $^{137}Cs$ are more easily detected, and their discharge sources can be traced using the relative ratio. Although the radioactive concentration in the vicinity of Kori Nuclear Power Plant, which is more than 1,100km away from Fukushima, the Japanese nuclear accident site, continuous monitoring is needed as the radionuclides can still be accumulated in the soil or animals and plants.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2802-2811
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• 2023

In a first-of-its-kind study, terrestrial radionuclide concentrations were measured in 35 topsoil samples from the outskirts of Dhaka using HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry to assess the radiological consequences of such a vast number of brick kilns on the plant workers, general as well as dwelling environment. The range of activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K is found at 19 ± 3.04 to 38 ± 4.94, 39 ± 5.85 to 57 ± 7.41, and (430 ± 51.60 to 570 ± 68.40) Bq/kg, respectively. ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K concentrations were higher than the global averages. Bottom ash deposition in lowlands, fly ash buildup in soils, and the fallout of micro-particles are all probable causes of the elevated radioactivity levels. ¹³⁷Cs was found in the sample, which indicates the migration of ¹³⁷Cs from nuclear accidents or nuclear fallout, or the contamination of feed coal. Although the effective dose received by the general public was below the recommended dose limit but, most estimates of hazard parameters surpass their respective population weighted global averages, indicating that brick kiln workers and nearby residents are not safe due to prolonged exposures to terrestrial radiation. In addition, the soil around sampling sites is found to be unsuitable for agricultural purposes.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.299-309
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• 2003

In an accidental release of radioactive materials to the environment the contaminative influence of animal products due to the inhalation of air and the ingestion of soil of livestock, both of which are dealt with as minor contaminative pathways in most radioecological models but may not be neglected, was investigated with the improvement of the Korean dynamic food chain model DYNACON Although mathematical models for both contaminative pathways have been established for considering all animal products and incorporated into the model, investigation was limited to milk. As a result, it was found that both pathways are influential in the contamination of milk in the case of an accidental release during the non-grazing period of dairy cows. In the case of an accidental release during the non-grazing period, the inhalation of air was more influential than the ingestion of soil in the early days following an accidental release. While, it was the opposite with the lapse of time. If precipitation is encountered during an accidental release, contaminative influence due to the ingestion of soil was greater compared with the cases of no precipitation, in general, because of a stealer deposition of radionuclides onto the ground. Precipitation during an accidental release was a less influential factor in $^{131}I$ (elemental iodine) contamination compared with the $^{137}Cs\;and\;^{90}Sr$ contaminations. In the case of an accidental release during the grazing period of dairy cows, the contaminative influence due to the inhalation of air was negligible.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate the humification grade of compost, based on physico-chemical property and phyto-toxicity during the composting with three kinds of livestock manures and saw dust. The ratios of the compost, which was mixed with pig manure(P) and sawdust(S) were 4 : 6(PS-1), 5 : 5(PS-2) and 6 : 4(PS-3); poultry manure(PO) and sawdust(S) were 4 : 6(POS-1), 5 : 5(POS-2) and 6 : 4(POS-3); cow manure(C) and sawdust(S) were 4 : 6(CS-1), 5 : 5(CS-2) and 6 : 4(CS-3) by volume to volume, and they were decomposed for 60 days. In the result, the temperature in all treatments during composting rapidly increased above $65.4^{\circ}C$, and then gradually decreased to around $40^{\circ}C$. At 60 day, after the treatment, pH 5.9 ~ 8.0 at the incipient stage increased to 7.6 ~ 8.5, and the C/N ratio was 13.8 ~ 21.1 at the final composting stage. Germination Index(G.I.) showed in the range of 75.1 ~ 94.6 in all treatments at day 60. Therefore, it is likely recommended to take the best humification grade when the temperature maintains above $65^{\circ}C$ longer than a day at minimum, in the range of pH 6.5 ~ 8.5 for the final compost, under 20 of C/N ratio, and G.I. above 80. The level of G.I. above 80 should be the mature compost which could be used in the field without gas demage to crops.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.304-313
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• 2016

One of the issues currently facing nuclear power plants is how to store spent nuclear waste materials which are contaminated with radionuclides such as $^{134}Cs$, $^{135}Cs$, and $^{137}Cs$. Bioremediation processes may offer a potent method of cleaning up radioactive cesium. However, there have only been limited reports on $Cs^+$ tolerant bacteria. In this study, we report the isolation and identification of $Cs^+$ tolerant bacteria in environmental soil and sediment. The resistant $Cs^+$ isolates were screened from enrichment cultures in R2A medium supplemented with 100 mM CsCl for 72 h, followed by microbial community analysis based on sequencing analysis from 16S rRNA gene clone libraries(NCBI's BlastN). The dominant Bacillus anthracis Roh-1 and B. cereus Roh-2 were successfully isolated from the cesium enrichment culture. Importantly, B. cereus Roh-2 is resistant to 30% more $Cs^+$ than is B. anthracis Roh-1 when treated with 50 mM CsCl. Growth experiments clearly demonstrated that the isolate had a higher tolerance to $Cs^+$. In addition, we investigated the adsorption of $0.2mg\;L^{-1}$ $Cs^+$ using B. anthracis Roh-1. The maximum $Cs^+$ biosorption capacity of B. anthracis Roh-1 was $2.01mg\;g^{-1}$ at pH 10. Thus, we show that $Cs^+$ tolerant bacterial isolates could be used for bioremediation of contaminated environments.