Measurement of (222)Rn concentration in drinking water in Sakarya, Turkey

Assessment of internal radiation exposure caused by radon in commercially bottled spring waters consumed in Turkey

The variation of dissolved radon levels in water supplies remains of interest since radon ingested through drinking water can give considerable radiation to the lining of the stomach. This study aims to determine the radon concentration levels in bottled spring drinking water (BSW) brands commercially sold in Turkey using a radon gas monitor and to assess the internal radiation exposure caused by the ingestion and inhalation of radon. The activity concentrations of radon analyzed in 77 BSW brands varied from 7.1±0.8 to 28.7±2.7 mBq/L with an average of 15.7±5.1 mBq/L. The total annual effective dose was estimated to assess the radiological risk for three age groups in four different scenarios based on annual drinking water intake. All estimated dose values are well below the recommended reference dose of 100 µSv for drinking water. Therefore, radon gas in the investigated BSW samples poses no significant radiological risk to the public.

Evaluation of radon gas concentration in indoor air of spas and in spring water in the central Anatolia region of Turkey

The present study aimed to determine the concentration of radon (²²²Rn) levels of indoor air of spas and of spring water sites in the Turkish cities of Nigde and Aksaray, both located in Cappadocia, Anatolia, which is a well-known tourist area. In this area there are a lot of spring water and thermal water sites providing both drinking water and water for spas, which are used for therapeutic treatments of diseases and for health services. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify radon gas concentrations in the air of sites that use geothermal waters and spring water. Consequently, radon measurements were carried out using CR-39 detectors placed at different locations within each investigated thermal spa and spring water site. The results obtained indicate that, in the air of spring water at Helvadere, there is a high radon concentration. The average radon concentrations obtained for the air of Ciftehan and Ziga thermal spas were 12.5 ± 1.4 Bq/m³ and 15.5 ± 2.1 Bq/m³, respectively, while in the air of Kemerhisar, Helvadere, and Okcu village spring water sites the average radon concentrations were 32 ± 4.2 Bq/m³, 265 ± 37.9 Bq/m³, and 35 ± 5.1 Bq/m³, respectively. The corresponding average effective doses were calculated both for patients and workers for Ciftehan and Ziga thermal spas, and for workers 0.09 and 0.11 mSv/year for Ciftehan and Ziga, respectively, were obtained. Doses for patients were 0.0007 and 0.0008 mSv/year for Ciftehan and Ziga, respectively. It is concluded that based on the measured radon concentrations and corresponding effective doses no radiation protection measures must be implemented.

Risk assessment of radon in drinking water in Khetri Copper Belt of Rajasthan, India

Exceptionally high concentrations of radon have been found in drinking water originating from hand pumps in Khetri Copper Belt of Rajasthan. Radon concentration was determined using Durridge RAD7 professional electronic radon detector. The measured radon concentration ranged from 12.5 ± 1.5 to 862 ± 38 Bq l^-1. About 35% of the drinking water samples showed radon concentrations above the European Union's parametric value of 100 Bq l^-1. The high radon concentration obtained in groundwater is due to local natural geology. The total annual effective doses due to ingestion and inhalation of radon in drinking water varied from 0.10 to 6.7 mSv y^-1 for infants, 0.06-3.8 mSv y^-1 for children and 0.06-4.4 mSv y^-1 for adults.

Age-dependent ingestion and inhalation doses due to intake of uranium and radon in water samples of Shiwalik Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, India

The research work involved the ingestion and inhalation doses due to the intake of radon and uranium through water samples used by the inhabitants, measured in the villages of the Shiwalik Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The uranium concentration in collected water samples was assessed by LED fluorimetric technique. All values of doses were found to be below the proposed limit of 100 μSv year^-1 for all age categories except for infants due to the high-dose conversion factor. The annual effective doses for the various body organs due to the intake of radon was also calculated and found the maximum dose for lungs than other organs. The concentration of radon in water samples was assessed by Smart Rn Duo portable monitor and compared with RAD7. Statistical analysis was carried out and the Shapiro and Wilk (Biometrika, 52(3/4), 591-611, 1965) test has been also used for the distribution of the data. The physicochemical parameters were also measured in the collected water samples.

SOIL GAS RADON MEASUREMENT AROUND FAULT LINES ON THE WESTERN SECTION OF THE NORTH ANATOLIAN FAULT ZONE IN TURKEY

Soil gas radon activity measurements were made around the western section of the North Anatolian Fault Zone. In the study, the variation of radon concentration at 12 different locations along the fault line was monitored by using LR-115 (solid-state nuclear track detectors) detectors for 12-monthly periods. Twelve radon stations were determined in the study region, and in each station, LR-115 films were installed in the borehole of ∼50 cm. The recorded radon concentration varies from 29 to 7059 Bqm-3 with an average value of 1930 Bqm-3. The influence of meteorological parameters such as temperature, pressure, total rainfall and humidity on soil radon concentrations in the study area was also investigated. The positive and poor correlation was observed between average value of 222Rn concentration and temperature. There is a reverse proportion between radon level with other meteorological factors (humidity, pressure and rainfall). The results show that the measured soil gas radon activity concentration shows seasonal variation in a highly permeable sandy-gravelly soil with definite seasons without obvious long transitional periods. The summer (from June 2013 to September 2013) is characterised by 1.8 times higher average soil gas radon activity concentration (median is 2.372 kBqm-3) than the winter (from December 2012 to March 2013) (median is 1.298 kBqm-3).

Nanomedicine as an innovative therapeutic strategy for pediatric cancer

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of mortality in children between 1 and 14 years of age. Malignancy accounts for 18 % of overall childhood mortality. Therapeutic advances in the field of pediatric oncology have helped to increase survival. Nanotechnology is the modification of materials at a nanoscale and can be used to deliver therapeutic agents. Examples of nanotechnology applications are organic self-assembled amphiphilic polymers, non-organic nanocarriers such as nanotubes and quantum dots. Each of these has their own utility in different settings. Application of nanotechnology in medicine has been extensively studied. Examples of pediatric tumors that received special attention are: neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, central nervous system tumors and musculoskeletal tumors. This review will summarize the application of nanomedicine as an innovative management strategy in pediatric oncology.

Radon and radium concentration in water from North-West of Romania and the estimated doses

In the present study, the measurements of radon were carried out using the LUK-VR system based on radon gas measurements with Lucas cells. The radium concentration in water was determined, with the same device, immediately after was established the radon equilibrium with radium. The results presented here are from a survey carried out in the N-W region of Transylvania (Romania) in which were investigated the radon concentrations in natural (spring, well and surface) and drinking (tap) waters. The results showed radon concentrations within the range of 0.4-187.3 Bq l(-1) with an average value of 15.9 Bq l(-1) whereas radium concentration varied between 0.05 and 0.825 Bq l(-1) with an average value of 0.087 Bq l(-1) for all types of water covered within this survey. The corresponding annual effective ingestion dose due to radon and radium from water was determined from drinking water used by the population inhabiting the area.