• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.261-271
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• 2000

In order to evaluate the environmental impact of U anormaly in the drainage system around the Shinbo talc mine area, U contents, their distribution patterns, bioaccumulation and a-radioactivity in stream water, stream sediments and aquatic organisms were investigated. The U contents of stream water attenuated with increasing distance from the mine area. The same attenuation pattern is shown in stream sediments from mine to 0.75 km downstream, although these contain highly enriched U contents (24~83 mg/kg) comparing with the international average concentration of surface soils (0.79~11 mg/kg). However, U content increases abruptly in sediment at 1.5 km downstream, probably due to detrital migration and rediposition of U enriched sediments. Futhermore, enriched U in downstream sediments occur in high proportions of carbonate and Fe-Mn oxide bounded forms, which show high potential of a secondary pollution source. For aquatic organisms, bio accumulation degree of U are in the order: aquatic larvae>black snail>mountain frog>crawfish. Cultured trout by the U enrich groundwater (387 ${\mu}g$/l) shows U accumulation in the part of branchia (CRs 5.25) and bones (CRs 11.2) but not in flesh (CRs 0.03). Total a-radioactivity have been measured in the level as 0.47 nCi/l for groundwater, 2.94~18 nCi/kg${\cdot}$DW for organisms and 93~328 nCi/kg${\cdot}$DW for sediments.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.262-269
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• 2017

The concentration of natural radioactivity in the sediment of the Geum River was investigated. The river and lake sediment samples were collected at 23 points during September to November, 2015 and March to April, 2015, respectively. The gamma-rays emitted from the $^{226}Ra$ and $^{232}Th$ decay series and $^{40}K$ were measured with a high purity germanium (HPGe) gamma detector. The average radioactivity concentrations of the $^{226}Ra$, $^{232}Th$ decay series and $^{40}K$ for the river sediment was found to be $15.6{\pm}0.6$, $33.8{\pm}1.2$, $789.8{\pm}26.0Bq/kg$, respectively, while for the lake sediment, the concentrations were $17.1{\pm}0.5$, $37.8{\pm}1.1$, $269.4{\pm}9.6Bq/kg$, respectively. Spearman's correlation was conducted to compare the radioactivity concentration and properties of the sediment. The radioactivity concentration of the $^{232}Th$ decay series showed a negative correlation with the particle size of the sediment, and was measured to be higher than the $^{226}Ra$ decay series according to mobility of the radionuclides. The radioactivity concentration of $^{40}K$ showed a negative correlation with organic matter content. The concentration of $^{40}K$ in the lake sediment was lower than that in the river sediment.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.118-128
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• 1984

The analysis of radiological protection at Kori Nuclear Unit #1, which started commercial operation on April 29, 1978, has been carried out in three areas, namely, radiation exposure, radioactive waste disposal and environmental management. The analysis results for radiation exposure and radioactive effluent releases appear to increase gradually with plant operating years. On the other hand, the apex of radiation exposure and radioactive effluent releases was in 1983 and 1982 respectively and then decreased or stabilized. Also, the operation environmental radioactivity seems to be no higher than preoperation environmental radioactivity.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.543-558
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• 2023

Currently, Japan is undertaking a nationwide project to measure and map radioactive contamination around Fukushima, as part of the efforts to restore normalcy following the nuclear accident. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) manages the Fukushima Environmental Safety Center, located approximately 20 km north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Minamisōma City, Fukushima Prefecture. In collaboration with the JAEA, this study involved conducting comparison experiments and analyses with radiation detectors in high radiation environments, a challenging task in Korean environments. Environmental radiation surveys were conducted using three types of detectors: CZT, NaI(Tl), and LaBr₃(Ce), across two contaminated areas. Dose rate values were converted using dose rate conversion factors for each detector type, and dose rate maps were subsequently created and compared. The detectors yielded similar results, demonstrating their feasibility and reliability in high radiation environments. The findings of this study are expected to be a crucial reference for enhancing the verification and supplementation of procedures and methods in future radiation measurements and mobile surveys in high-radiation environments, using these three types of radiation instruments.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.22-30
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• 1987

Maize plants, grown on a German soil and a Korean soil which had treated with benzene-ring-labelled $^{14}C-Bentazon$ (5.02mg/kg) immediately before planting (T-0), took up $36.0{\sim}42.8%$ of the radioactivity present during a 21 day growing period. Plants grown on the same soils $(4.79{\sim}4.84mg/kg)$ which had been treated with Bentazon and pre-incubeted for 105days absorbed $8.2{\sim}14.2%$ (T-1) of the radioactivity. Plants grown in soils $(5.56{\sim}7.95mg/kg)$ treated with Bentazon which had been incubated for 105 days and then exhaustively extracted with distilled water and/or 0.01 M $CaCl_2$ to produce non-extractable residues (T-2) took up $1.8{\sim}2.3%$ of the radioactivity. The distribution of the absorbed radioactivity ranged from 2.7 to 9.7% in shoots and from 90.3 to 97.3% in roots. Extraction of maize roots revealed that $39.1{\sim}51.3%$ of the radioactivity was bound in T-0 and $55.7{\sim}63.1%$ was bound in T-1, This suggests hat polar metabolites and parent Bentazon might be present as conjugates.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.149-160
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• 2018

A large number of functional living products are being produced for eco-friendly or health-promoting purposes. In the manufacturing process, such products could be adulterated with raw materials with high radioactivity, such as monazite and tourmaline. Thus, it is essential to manage raw materials and products closely related to the public living. For proper management, an accurate radioactivity data of the processed products are needed. Therefore, it is essential to develop a rapid and validated analytical method. In this study, the concentration of the radioactive $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ in building materials (e.g., tile, cement, paint, wall paper, and gypsum board) and living products (e.g., health products, textiles, and minerals) were determined and compared by ED-XRF and ICP-MS. By comparing the results of both methods, we confirmed the applicability of the rapid screening and precise analysis of ED-XRF and ICP-MS. In addition, $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ levels were relatively lower in building materials than in living products. Particularly, $^{232}Th$ content in 6 of 47 living products exceeded (maximum $8.2Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$) the standard limit of $^{232}Th$ content in raw material ($1.0Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$).

• Clean Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.122-131
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• 2016

Caesium radioisotopes, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs which come from the atmospheric nuclear tests and discharges from nuclear power plants, are very important to study artificial radioactivity. In this work, in order to lower the minimum detection activity (MDA) we investigated environmental radioactivity according to the Environment Measurement Laboratory procedure by ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs which is similar to chemical and environmental behaviors of ¹³⁷Cs. The environmental soils in high mountain areas near nuclear power plant were collected, and an Ammonium Molybdophosphate (AMP) precipitation method, which showed high selectivity toward Cs⁺ ions, was applied to chemically extract and concentrate Caesium radioisotopes. Radioactivity was estimated by a gamma-ray spectrometry. In gamma energy spectrum, with an increasing of ⁴⁰K radioactivity, it increased the MDA of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs. Therefore, if the natural radionuclides were removed from the soil samples, the MDA of Caesium may be reduced, and the contents of ¹³⁷Cs of in the environmental soils can effectively be estimated. In the standard soil sample of Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, radioactivity of ⁴⁰K was removed more than 84% on average, and the MDA of ¹³⁴Cs was reduced 2 times. The content of ¹³⁷Cs was recovered over 84%. On the other hand, in environmental soils, AMP precipitation method showed removal ratio of ⁴⁰K up to 180 times, which reduced the MDA about 5 times smaller than those of Direct method. ¹³⁷Cs recovery ratio showed from 54.54% to 70.06%. When considering the MDA and recovery ratio, AMP precipitation method is effective for detection of Caesium radioisotopes in low concentration.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.1638-1649
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• 2019

Top soil samples across the state of Kuwait numering ninety were collected and analysed using gamma-ray spectrometry, to evaluate the elemental concentration of $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$ and their depletion/enrichment. Results of elemental concentration ranges from 0.48 to 2.61 mg/kg, 0.87-5.23 mg/kg, and 0.24-2.23%, with a mean values of 1.39 mg/kg, 3.47 mg/kg, and 1.18%, for the $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$, respectively. Further analysis was conducted amongst the five identified soil types, i.e. Aquisalids (S1), Calcigypsids (S2), Petrocalcids (S3), Petrogypsids (S4), and torripsamment (S5). The highest radioactivity concentrations from both uranium and thorium were recorded in the S2 (Calcigypsids) soil, with a value of 1.71 (mg/kg) and 4.45 (mg/kg), respectively. Minimum and maximum values of $^{40}K$ are 1.1(%) and 1.27(%) and is prevalent in Aquisalids (S1) and Petrocalcids (S3) soil types, respectively. Ratios of elemental concentration for $^{232}Th/^{238}U$, $^{40}K/^{238}U$, $^{40}K/^{232}Th$ across the soil types are 2.53, 0.09 and 0.03, with a correlation coefficient of 0.92, 0.34, and 0.38, respectively. A progressively higher $^{232}Th/^{238}U$ ratio is observed moving south-wards, indicating lower $^{238}U$ content in soils from the south relative to the northern part. Overall results indicate Kuwait to be relatively an area with low level of natural radioactivity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2017.10a
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• pp.309-310
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• 2017

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.05b
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• pp.464-469
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• 1998

A coincidence gamma-ray spectroscopy method was applied to reduce the background radioactivity for measuring the activity of radioisotopes in a sample in the presence of environmental natural radioactivity. A HPGe detector was used for the coincident spectrum as a main detector and a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector for gating purposes as an associated detector. For coincidence spectroscopy the whole energy spectrum of associated detector was used instead of gate signals. The coincident events obtained from the gating spectrum was evaluated by a coincidence computer program in this study instead of timing circuit. In this work, the background of detection environment was reduced to factor 100 and peaks to be determined was reduced to factor 30 using the coincidence gamma-ray spectroscopy.