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Kranrod C, Chanyotha S, Tokonami S, Ishikawa T. A simple technique for measuring the activity size distribution of radon and thoron progeny aerosols. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 229-230:106506. [PMID: 33472114 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a portable cascade impactor was developed to more efficiently determine the activity size distribution of attached radon and thoron progeny in a natural environment. The developed impactor consisted of four stages with a backup filter stage for collection of the aerosol samples. The aerosol cut points were set for 10, 2.5, 1, and 0.5 μm at a sampling rate of 4 L min-1. Five CR-39 chips were used as alpha detectors for each stage. To separate the alpha particles emitted from radon and thoron progeny, the CR-39 detectors were covered with aluminium-vaporized Mylar films. The thickness of each film was adjusted to allow alpha particles emitted from radon and thoron progeny to reach the surface of the CR-39 detectors. The particle cut-off characteristics of each stage were determined by mono-dispersive aerosols with particle sizes ranging from 0.1 to 1.23 μm from the collection efficiency curve. The test results showed that the respective cut-off size of stages 3 and 4 were close to the designed cut-points. Validation of the technique by comparison with two commercial devices confirmed that the developed technique could provide the necessary information to estimate the activity size distribution of attached radon and thoron progeny for dose assessment, especially, in a field survey where direct electric power is not available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chutima Kranrod
- Natural Radiation Survey and Analysis Research Unit, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, 10330, Bangkok, Thailand; Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 0368564, Aomori, Japan
| | - Supitcha Chanyotha
- Natural Radiation Survey and Analysis Research Unit, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, 10330, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Shinji Tokonami
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 0368564, Aomori, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Ishikawa
- Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, 960-1247, Hikarigaoka, Japan
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Papatheodorou S, Gold DR, Blomberg AJ, Hacker M, Wylie BJ, Requia WJ, Oken E, Fleisch AF, Schwartz JD, Koutrakis P. Ambient particle radioactivity and gestational diabetes: A cohort study of more than 1 million pregnant women in Massachusetts, USA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 733:139340. [PMID: 32464573 PMCID: PMC7472683 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to ionizing radiation increases the risk of chronic metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Internal ionizing radiation from inhaled radioactive aerosol may contribute to the associations between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS We used the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records to study 1,061,937 pregnant women from 2001 to 2015 with a singleton pregnancy without pre-existing diabetes. Gross β activity measured by seven monitors of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's RadNet monitoring network was utilized to represent ambient particle radioactivity (PR). We obtained GDM status from birth certificates and used logistic regression analyses adjusted for socio-demographics, maternal comorbidities, PM2.5, temperature and relative humidity. We also examined effect modification by smoking habits. RESULTS Ambient particle radioactivity exposure during first and second trimester of pregnancy was associated with higher odds of GDM (OR: 1.18 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.22). Controlling for PM2.5 did not substantially change the effects of PR on GDM. In women that reported being former or current smokers, the association between PR and GDM was null. In the full cohort, the overall effect of PM2.5 on GDM without adjusting for PR was not significant. CONCLUSION This is the first population-based study to examine the association between particle radioactivity and gestational diabetes mellitus - one of the most common pregnancy-related diseases with lifelong effects for the mother and the fetus. This finding has important public health policy implications because it enhances our understanding about the toxicity of PR, a modifiable risk factor, which to date, has been considered only as an indoor and occupational air quality risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diane R Gold
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Annelise J Blomberg
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michele Hacker
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Blair J Wylie
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Weeberb J Requia
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily Oken
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Abby F Fleisch
- Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA; Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Portland, ME, USA
| | - Joel D Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Petros Koutrakis
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Mohery M, Abdallah AM, Al-Amoudi ZM, Baz SS. Activity size distribution of some natural radionuclides. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2014; 158:435-441. [PMID: 24106329 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/nct250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the results concerning the activity size distribution of the long-lived ((210)Pb) radon decay product aerosols and the thoron decay product aerosols ((212)Pb) and ((7)Be) of the outdoor atmosphere are presented. Also, the mass size distribution of the aerosol particles is determined. The low-pressure Berner cascade impactor Model 20/0.015 was used as a sampling device. The activity size distribution of these radionuclides was determined by one log-normal distribution (accumulation mode) whereas the mass size distribution was by two log-normal distributions (accumulation and coarse mode). The activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of (212)Pb was found to be 305 nm with a geometric standard deviation (σg) of 2.41. The specific air activity concentration of (212)Pb was found to be 0.14 ± 0.012 Bq m(-3). An AMAD of (210)Pb of 610 nm with σg of 1.8 was determined, whereas that of 550 nm with σg of 1.97 was determined for (7)Be. The specific air activity concentration of (210)Pb and (7)Be was found to be 0.0016±2.5×10(-4) and 0.00348 ± 4×10(-4) Bq m(-3), respectively. Using a dosimetric model, the total deposition fraction as well as the total equivalent dose has been evaluated considering the observed parameters of the activity size distribution of (212)Pb. At a total deposition fraction of ∼21 %, the total equivalent dose was found to be 0.41 µSv.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mohery
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, North Jeddah, King Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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