Estimation of the annual effective dose from exposure to radon in drinking water in Croatia

Radon is known as the main source of radiation for the general public. Results of extensive measurements of radon in water samples collected from private wells, natural springs and public water supply in Croatia are presented and annual effective doses are estimated. Measurements were performed by two different methods: the emanometry method (by using the AlphaGUARD instrument with additional AquaKIT module) and/or the liquid scintillation method (by using LSC TriCarb 2900). Water samples were collected in public water supplies in urban areas as well as private wells and springs in rural areas. The obtained average radon activity concentration based on the extensive measurement of almost 1000 water samples is 4.1 ± 1.9 Bq/l, with a minimum value of 0.2 and maximum value of 36 Bq/l respectively. The wide range of measured values is a consequence of the source of the water sample (ground/natural water versus treated water) as well as the geological structures around the water source. All estimated ingestion doses due to radon assuming consumption of 2 l of water per day from the observed source were within the interval 6.3-36.8 μSv (with calculated average and standard deviation 19.3 ± 10.3 μSv) for the water consumption from private wells and natural springs and 2.4-40.0 μSv (with calculated average and standard deviation 13.0 ± 10.5 μSv) for the water consumption from the public water supplies.

Assessing the radiological load on the environment in the middle Danube river basin on the basis of a study of the Kopački Rit Nature Park, Croatia

A study of the environmental radioactivity in the Kopački Rit Nature Park, Croatia, is presented. This wildlife reserve is part of the Middle Danube River Basin, and it is exposed to various pollutants due to a number of human activities in the surroundings, where there is a nuclear power plant and also urban centres and areas of intense agricultural production. Results for the activity concentrations of soil and surface water samples do not indicate any elevated radioactivity level, which is confirmed by on-site measurements of ambient dose rate equivalent. An assessment of the radiological load on the local biota, carried out using the ERICA tool, implies an overall low radiological risk even if conservative values of the risk quotient are used. Therefore, human activities do not have a significant effect on the radiological load on the Kopački Rit area. A similar conclusion might be made with regard to numerous similar environments in the Middle Danube River Basin.

Current radiological situation in Slavonski Brod, Croatia: is there a reason for concern?

For years, the town of Slavonski Brod in Croatia has been facing serious problems with air pollution, which is usually attributed to an oil refinery across the Sava River in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While the air quality is being monitored rigorously with regard to nonradioactive matter, no attention has been paid to the possibility of a coincidental radioactive pollution. This study is the first to have addressed this issue. We measured ambient dose rate equivalents at 150 sites and found that none exceeded 120 nSv h-1, while the average was 80 nSv h-1. Gamma-ray spectrometry of the collected river water and soil samples did not reveal any unusual radioactivity either. In other words, we have found no evidence of radioactive pollution that would endanger the health of the residents of Slavonski Brod.

Neutron radiation measurements on several international flights

The earth is continually exposed to cosmic radiation of both solar and galactic origin. High-energy particles interact with the constituents in the atmosphere producing secondary particles that create radiation fields at aircraft altitudes. These secondary particles consist mainly of photons, protons, neutrons, charged and uncharged pions, and muons. The neutron component dominates the hadron cascade at lower altitudes as a result of its longer mean free path. Since air transportation has become more available to a greater number of people, this has led to an increase in the number of persons exposed to ionizing radiation of cosmic origin. This concerns pilots and cabin crews as well as frequent flyers. A neutron component of cosmic radiation was measured using an LR 115/CR-39 track detector associated with a 10B converter foil. The measurement of the neutron dose is a good approximation of the total dose since neutrons carry about 50% of the total ambient dose equivalent at aircraft altitudes. Also, the results of the measurements were compared with the data obtained by EPCARD software simulation. The measured neutron dose rate had a span from 0.36 to 8.83 μSv h(-1) (dose enhancement due to high solar activity in the flight period).

Efficiency of colored modified box traps for sampling of tabanids

The efficiency of ten differently colored modified box traps for collecting tabanids was studied in the Monjoroš Forest in eastern Croatia. A total of 5,436 specimens belonging to 16 species of tabanids grouped into six genera were collected. The genus Tabanus was the most represented with 98% of all collected tabanids. Tabanus bromius comprised 90% of tabanids collected, and was the most abundant species collected in all box traps. The majority of tabanids (74%) were collected from black, brown, bordeaux, red, and blue traps (dark group), whereas 26% were collected from green, light violet, white, orange, and yellow traps (light group). The black modified trap was the most successful and collected 20% of all collected tabanids, whereas the yellow trap was the least effective with 1%. The number of collected specimens of species T. bromius differed significantly between the dark and light group of traps. Traps with lower reflectance from green color collected 77% of T. bromius. The most species of tabanids (12) was collected in the brown trap, whereas the least number of species (6) was collected in the yellow trap.

Identification and mapping of radon-prone areas in Croatia-preliminary results for Lika-Senj and the southern part of Karlovac counties

Long-term indoor radon measurements performed by LR 115 track etched detectors in Croatian homes during 2003-04 showed that the arithmetic means of radon concentrations in Lika-Senj and the southern part of Karlovac counties were three times higher (198 Bq m(-3)) than in houses at national level (68 Bq m(-3)). Recently, indoor radon measurements in randomly selected houses were investigated. The obtained values in these new measurements have confirmed the values obtained 10 y ago (the average radon value in 225 investigated houses in this area is 223 Bq m(-3)). Radon concentrations in soil gas were measured in September and October 2012 and 2013 with the AlphaGUARD measuring system. Areas with both elevated indoor radon levels and radon in soil gas were identified (some micro locations in Korenica, Ličko Lešće, Generalski Stol, Slunj and Ogulin) and visually presented in the form of maps using the inverse distance weighting approach.

Mapping of cosmic radiation dose in Croatia

The Earth is continually bombarded by high-energy particles coming from the outer space and the sun. These particles, termed cosmic radiation, interact with nuclei of atmospheric constituents and decrease in intensity with depth in the atmosphere. Measurements of photon and gamma radiation, performed with a Radiameter at 1 m above the ground, indicated dose rates of 50-100 nSv/h. The neutron dose rate was measured with the CR-39 track etch detector calibrated by the CERN-EU high-energy Reference Field (CERF) facility. Correlation between neutron dose rates and altitudes at 36 sites was examined in order to obtain a significant positive correlation coefficient; the resulting linear regression enabled estimation of a neutron dose at particular altitude. The measured neutron dose rate in Osijek (altitude of 89 m, latitude of 45.31° N) was 110 nSv/h.

Measurements of neutron radiation in aircraft

Radiation environment is a complex mixture of charged particles of the solar and galactic origin, as well as of secondary particles created in an interaction of galactic cosmic particles with the nuclei of the Earth's atmosphere. A radiation field at aircraft altitude consists of different types of particles, mainly photons, electrons, positrons and neutrons, with a large energy range. In order to measure a neutron component of the cosmic radiation, we investigated a few combinations of a track etch detector (CR-39, LR-115) with a plastic converter or boron foil. Detector calibration was performed on neutrons coming from the nuclear reactor, as well as in the CERN-EU high-energy Reference Field (CERF) facility. From November 2007 to September 2008, the neutron dose equivalent was measured by the track detectors during five aircraft flights, in the north geographical latitude from 21° to 58°; the respective average dose rate, determined by using the D-4 detector (CR-39/B), was Ḣ(n)=5.9 μSv/h. The photon dose rate, measured by the electronic dosimeter RAD-60 SE, had the average value of Ḣ(f)=1.4 μSv/h.

Some cosmic radiation dose measurements aboard flights connecting Zagreb Airport

When primary particles from space, mainly protons, enter the atmosphere, they produce interactions with air nuclei, and cosmic-ray showers are induced. The radiation field at aircraft altitude is complex, with different types of particles, mainly photons, electrons, positrons and neutrons, with a large energy range. The non-neutron component of cosmic radiation dose aboard A320 and ATR40 aircraft was measured with TLD-100 (LiF:Mg,Ti) detectors and the Mini 6100 semiconductor dosimeter; the neutron dose was measured with the neutron dosimeter consisted of LR-115 track detector and boron foil BN-1 or 10B converter. The estimated occupational effective dose for the aircraft crew (A320) working 500 h per year was 1.64 mSv. Another experiment was performed at the flights Zagreb-Paris-Buenos Aires and reversely, when one measured non-neutron cosmic radiation dose; for 26.7 h of flight, the MINI 6100 dosimeter gave an average dose rate of 2.3 microSv/h and the TLD dosimeter registered the dose equivalent of 75 microSv or the average dose rate of 2.7 microSv/h; the neutron dosimeter gave the dose rate of 2.4 microSv/h. In the same month, February 2005, a traveling to Japan (24-h-flight: Zagreb-Frankfurt-Tokyo and reversely) and the TLD-100 measurement showed the average dose rate of 2.4microSv/h; the neutron dosimeter gave the dose rate of 2.5 microSv/h. Comparing dose rates of the non-neutron component (low LET) and the neutron one (high LET) of the radiation field at the aircraft flight level, we could conclude that the neutron component carried about 50% of the total dose, that was near other known data.

Cosmic radiation dose in aircraft--a neutron track etch detector

Cosmic radiation bombards us at high altitude by ionizing particles. The radiation environment is a complex mixture of charged particles of solar and galactic origin, as well as of secondary particles produced in interaction of the galactic cosmic particles with the nuclei of atmosphere of the Earth. The radiation field at aircraft altitude consists of different types of particles, mainly photons, electrons, positrons and neutrons, with a large energy range. The non-neutron component of cosmic radiation dose aboard ATR 42 and A 320 aircrafts (flight level of 8 and 11 km, respectively) was measured with TLD-100 (LiF:Mg,Ti) detectors and the Mini 6100 semiconductor dosimeter. The estimated occupational effective dose for the aircraft crew (A 320) working 500 h per year was 1.64 mSv. Other experiments, or dose rate measurements with the neutron dosimeter, consisting of LR-115 track detector and boron foil BN-1 or 10B converter, were performed on five intercontinental flights. Comparison of the dose rates of the non-neutron component (low LET) and the neutron one (high LET) of the radiation field at the aircraft flight level showed that the neutron component carried about 50% of the total dose. The dose rate measurements on the flights from the Middle Europe to the South and Middle America, then to Korea and Japan, showed that the flights over or near the equator region carried less dose rate; this was in accordance with the known geomagnetic latitude effect.

Indoor radon and lung cancer: a case-control study

Lung-cancer risk to the general population from indoor radon remains controversial, although studies of radon exposure have established that radon decay products have been a cause of lung cancer among miners. For the case group of patients, suffering from lung cancer, and the control group distributions of the number of homes with high indoor levels of radon were compared with the log-normal distribution, the empirical frequency distribution of the control group obeyed the theoretical log-normal distribution. Using the ratio of frequencies of the case group to the control groups, or the relative frequencies, an association between the relative frequencies and indoor radon concentrations was found, and a positive correlation coefficient was obtained, thus enabling the rate of lung cancer to be estimated for certain indoor radon concentrations. The significant difference between the mean radon levels for the case sample and the control led to the conclusion that patients with lung cancer lived in homes with radon concentrations which were significantly higher than those of Osijek's inhabitants for the control sample.

Radon in the spas of Croatia

Radon concentrations in air and geothermal water of the spa pools in Croatia were measured and the average values of 40.3 and 4.5 kBq/m3 were obtained, respectively. Great difference between radon concentrations in pool and spring water was considered as a result of mixing normal and geothermal water in the pool as well as the radon decay. Estimation of an effective dose, received by the personnel in the Bizovac spa, gave the value of 0.27 mSv/y. At the location Stubica, the transfer factor of the radon for air and thermal water in the pool was calculated, and the value of 4.9+/-0.7 x 10(-3) was obtained.

Radon time variations and deterministic chaos

Radon concentrations were continuously measured outdoors, in the living room and in the basement at 10 min intervals for a month. Radon time series were analyzed by comparing algorithms to extract phase space dynamical information. The application of fractal methods enabled exploration of the chaotic nature of radon in atmosphere. The computed fractal dimensions, such as the Hurst exponent (H) from the rescaled range analysis, Lyapunov exponent (lambda) and attractor dimension, provided estimates of the degree of chaotic behavior. The obtained low values of the Hurst exponent (0 < H < 0.5) indicated anti-persistent behavior (non-random changes) of the time series, but the positive values of lambda pointed out the grate sensitivity on initial conditions and the deterministic chaos that appeared due to radon time variations. The calculated fractal dimensions of attractors indicated more influencing (meteorological) parameters on radon in the atmosphere.

Temporal variations of radon in soil related to earthquakes

A radon detector with LR-115 nuclear track film was constructed for radon concentration measurements in soil. Temporal radon variations, as well as the barometric pressure, precipitation and temperature were measured for two years. Negative correlation between radon concentration in soil and barometric pressure was found. For some of the recorded earthquakes that occurred during the observation period, soil radon anomalies may be noticed one month before the quakes.

Methodology of radon monitoring and dose estimates in Postojna Cave, Slovenia

Due to the specific work regime in the Postojna Cave, which depends primarily on the daily number of visitors, and on seasonal variations in air radon concentrations, an optimal methodology for radon and progeny measurement and dose calculation was sought. The program of measurement throughout the years was optimized, and now comprises 3-mo exposures of etched-track detectors, and twice a year, 8-10-d measurements using continuous monitors. Radon concentrations range from about 500 Bq m(-3) in winter to about 6,000 Bq m(-3) in summer, and equilibrium factors range from 0.42 to 0.69 in winter and from 0.33 to 0.86 in summer. Radiation doses from radon decay products for employees in the cave were calculated according to the ICRP 65 methodology. The basic input data are radon concentrations and equilibrium factors at two selected locations in the cave and the records of the time spent by a worker in the cave. Effective doses received by employees annually ranged from 0.02 to 8.4 mSv.