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- Radon and Thoron gases, Natural Radioactivity Mining Activitis and Helth Effects, Natural Radioactivity,minining Activities, Naturally occurring Radioactive Materials and effects to life forms and environmental, Natural Radionuclides, Ionising Radiation Metallurgical Industry, and 44 moreGamma Spectrometry, Alpha Spectrometry, Liquid scintillation, Environmental Radioactivity, Radon, Geology and Indoor Radon Mapping, Radon Science, Radon mapping, Radon, Technology, Informatics, Indoor radon, Radium and Radon in Earth Sciences, Energy, Radon, Building Materials, Radon As Hydrogeologic Tracer, Radiochemical Separation of Uranium, Thorium, Radium and Polonium, Liquid Scintillation Counting, Natural Radiation, High background radiation areas, Ramsar site, Iran, Prevention and Control of Major Chemical, Radiological, Hazardous Materials, Industrial, Other Technological and Natural Emergencies, Physics, Radon, Radioactivity, Natural Radioactivity, Radium, Uranium, Environmental Radioactivity, Isotope Geochronology, Stable Isotope Applied to Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironment, Speleothems, Travertine and Tufa formation, Radiation Physics, Radiation Biology, Background Radiation, Nonlinearity, High Background Radiation Areas (HBRAs), LNT, Statistics, and Data Analysisedit
The publication of the new European Union Basic Safety Standards represents a remarkable mile- stone in the field of radiological protection in terms of adding radon exposure to this framework. Therefore, the coming years will bring the... more
The publication of the new European Union Basic Safety Standards represents a remarkable mile- stone in the field of radiological protection in terms of adding radon exposure to this framework. Therefore, the coming years will bring the need to measure radon not only in the workplaces but also in the living spaces as a direct outcome of the application of the new EU Directive. So, the importance of having reliable instruments is evident and interlaboratory exercises are becoming more and more popular. However, most of them are car- ried out under constant conditions of meteorological variables. We present in this paper a facility to broaden the interlaboratory comparisons further by adding the study of radon exposures under real conditions of changes in climatic parameters. In addition, the facility has the possibility to verify the response of radon monitors when the radon concentration changes several orders of magnitude in a short period of time. Our work shows some results of one of the interlaboratory exercises carried out in the premises, where the radon levels were rather homogeneous in the testing room.
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One of the requirements of the recently approved EU-BSS (European Basic Safety Standards Directive, EURATOM, 2013) is the design and implementation of national radon action plans in the member states (Annex XVIII). Such plans require... more
One of the requirements of the recently approved EU-BSS (European Basic Safety Standards Directive, EURATOM, 2013) is the design and implementation of national radon action plans in the member states (Annex XVIII). Such plans require radon surveys. The analysis of indoor radon data is supported by the existing knowledge about geogenic radiation. With this aim, we used the terrestrial gamma dose rate data from the MARNA project. In addition, we considered other criterion regarding the surface of Spain, population, permeability of rocks, uranium and radium contain in soils because currently no data are available related to soil radon gas concentration and permeability in Spain. Given that, a Spanish radon map was produced which will be part of the European Indoor Radon Map and a component of the European Atlas of Natural Radiation. The map indicates geographical areas with high probability of finding high indoor radon concentrations. This information will support legislation regarding prevention of radon entry both in dwellings and workplaces. In addition, the map will serve as a tool for the development of strategies at all levels: individual dwellings, local, regional and national administration.
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Background: Environmental gamma ray refers to the gamma radiation from terrestrial sources and building materials. In enclosed spaces radiation can become a health hazard leading to potential increase in the rates of lung cancer. The... more
Background: Environmental gamma ray refers to the gamma radiation from terrestrial sources and building materials. In enclosed spaces radiation can become a health hazard leading to potential increase in the rates of lung cancer. The goal of this study is to assess the exposure to natural gamma radiation of children in the schools of Zanjan province. Method: The natural gamma radiation was assessed in 46 primary schools of Zanjan province. A total number of 75 classrooms were studied. The measurements were performed in classrooms and schoolyards using a Geiger–Muller detector (RDS-110). Alongside radiation measurements, all the data corresponding to the characteristics of each school building were collected.
Results: The results showed that the outdoor dose rate ranged from 82 to 106nSv h-1 while gamma dose rate due to inside classrooms ranged from 106 to 137nSvh-1. The findings represented that the highest indoor gamma dose rate belonged to the buildings of more than 30 years and metal frame and brick (P<0.05).
Conclusion: We concluded that the effective dose due to gamma radiation from terrestrial sources and building materials for students of primary schools in Zanjan province (0.83 mSv) was higher than worldwide average of the annual effective dose (0.48 mSv).
Results: The results showed that the outdoor dose rate ranged from 82 to 106nSv h-1 while gamma dose rate due to inside classrooms ranged from 106 to 137nSvh-1. The findings represented that the highest indoor gamma dose rate belonged to the buildings of more than 30 years and metal frame and brick (P<0.05).
Conclusion: We concluded that the effective dose due to gamma radiation from terrestrial sources and building materials for students of primary schools in Zanjan province (0.83 mSv) was higher than worldwide average of the annual effective dose (0.48 mSv).
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Research Interests:
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The amount of natural radionuclides in the environment differs between the Nordic countries as shown by previous investigations and also by this study. Agricultural areas of high natural background are predominantly found in Sweden,... more
The amount of natural radionuclides in the environment differs between the Nordic countries as shown by previous investigations and also by this study. Agricultural areas of high natural background are predominantly found in Sweden, Southern Finland and Norway while low background areas are typical for Iceland and Denmark. Thus, this study offers possibilities for studying behaviour of natural radionuclides under different conditions such as the influence of different soil types as well as the husbandry. Furthermore the areas also enable studying environmental behaviour of radium and other natural radionuclides under seemingly steady state conditions. However, migration and accumulation of natural radionuclides in cultivated soil is complex involving various processes. Thus, a long term goal of this study was to identify the implications of some of these processes by determining the soil to plant transfer for pasture land under the different conditions that prevail in the Nordic cou...
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Radon is a natural radioactive gas and it is currently accepted as being responsible for lung cancer in some cases. One of the most important sources of indoor radon is from the soil. The radium content of soil is also a very important... more
Radon is a natural radioactive gas and it is currently accepted as being responsible for lung cancer in some cases. One of the most important sources of indoor radon is from the soil. The radium content of soil is also a very important factor to be taken into account. The natural radiation map of Spain (MARNA) classifies the country into three regions with different levels of natural gamma radiation. There are some areas in Spain with high levels of natu- ral radiation one of those is the province of Salamanca. Western part of this province presents a population of 20 000 inhabitants and 7% of the houses have an indoor radon concentration above 400 Bq·m–3. In this high risk area, the village of Villar de la Yegua is of special interest: 11% of the houses in this village have an indoor radon level below 400 Bq·m–3, 89% have above 400 Bq·m–3 and 71% of the houses have a radon concentration above 1000 Bq·m–3. An old uranium mine site close to this village has been selected for the construction of an experimental pilot house. It is a two story house located in the place with a very high 226Ra concentration in soil. Radon in soil at 1 m depth has an average level of 250 kBq·m–3. We present in this work the characteristics of the experimental unit located in this high risk area and we describe the zone where one of the Spanish villages with the highest radon concentration is located. This is a very interesting place for further research on indoor radon concentration and it is a unique opportunity of testing radon monitors, radon passive detectors and remedial actions for the mitigation of radon in real conditions. It is common to carry out intercomparison exercises under laboratory conditions. Nonetheless, it is not so common to develop these exercises in real conditions as we have in the experimental unit we present here. We offer in this work the possibility for other research groups of testing their equipments in this unit and we also show the evolution of the works carried out in the locality of Villar de la Yegua.
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People working with ionising radiation are receiving radiation coming from artificial and natural sources. In Spain, as in many other countries , there is a serious control by the national authorities, Spanish Nuclear Safety Council, of... more
People working with ionising radiation are receiving radiation coming from artificial and natural sources. In Spain, as in many other countries , there is a serious control by the national authorities, Spanish Nuclear Safety Council, of the dose the workers receive from artificial sources. However, until the publication of the European Basic Safety Standards Directive, 96/29/EURATOM, the old criteria referring to the " above natural background " were widely used. This directive was incorporated to the Spanish legislation in July 2001 (BOE 178); in its Title VII it recommends to evaluate the dose coming from natural sources and take it into account for establishing the safety criteria. It is noteworthy to assess the natural doses received at homes and the dose received by workers of radioactive installations subject to regulations, and to compare the two results. The social and economical implications of the results derived can be important in the practical application of the recommendations included in the above-mentioned BOE 178 Directive.
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Research Interests: Data Analysis, Gamma Spectrometry, LaTeX, Environmental Radioactivity, Energy, Radon, Building Materials, and 13 moreLiquid scintillation, Geology and Indoor Radon Mapping, Radon, Radon mapping, Radium and Radon in Earth Sciences, Environmental Radiation, Radiation Protection, Environmental Radioactivity; and Law Anf Regulation of Ionizinhg Radiation, Environmental Radioactivity, Radon, Indoor radon, Radon and Thoron gases, Efficiency Calibration of HPGe and LSC counter, Environmental Radiation Monitoring, and Gamma Dose Rate
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New results of radiocarbon concentration in tree rings from the City of Valladolid (Spain) covering a growth period of 22 year have been measured using an AMS. Samples were taken using a hollow drill from a living tree, and α-cellulose... more
New results of radiocarbon concentration in tree rings from the City of Valladolid (Spain) covering a growth period of 22 year have been measured using an AMS. Samples were taken using a hollow drill from a living tree, and α-cellulose was extracted from each of annual rings (early and late wood separately). The set of data shows lower radiocarbon concentration than that reported for “clean air” at the reference station, indicating a remarkable input of “dead” CO2 of fossil fuel origin. Using data of carbon dioxide and 14C concentrations from Schauinsland, the corresponding summer and winter values of the fossil component (cf) in carbon dioxide were calculated for the City of Valladolid. By fitting exponential and linear functions to the experimental data, the exchange time was calculated, and the expected future 14C concentration in the atmosphere was estimated.
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Research Interests:
In situ gamma spectrometry provides a fast method to determine 137 Cs inventories in soils. To improve the accuracy of the estimates, one can use not only the information on the photopeak count rates but also on the peak to... more
In situ gamma spectrometry provides a fast method to determine 137 Cs inventories in soils. To improve the accuracy of the estimates, one can use not only the information on the photopeak count rates but also on the peak to forward-scatter ratios. Before applying this procedure to field measurements, a calibration including several experimental simulations must be carried out in the laboratory. In this paper it is shown that Monte Carlo methods are a valuable tool to minimize the number of experimental measurements needed for the calibration.
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The response matrix of a Bonner sphere spectrometer was calculated using MCNP 4C and MCNPX 2.4.0 codes. As thermal neutron detector a 0.4 cm ×∅ 0.4 cm 6 LiI which is located at the center of a set of polyethylene spheres. The response was... more
The response matrix of a Bonner sphere spectrometer was calculated using MCNP 4C and MCNPX 2.4.0 codes. As thermal neutron detector a 0.4 cm ×∅ 0.4 cm 6 LiI which is located at the center of a set of polyethylene spheres. The response was calculated for 0, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, and 12 inches-diameter polyethylene spheres for neutrons whose energy goes from 2.50E(-8) to 100 MeV. The response matrix was calculated for 23 neutron energies, the response functions were energy-interpolated to 51 neutron energies and were compared with a matrix response reported in the literature, in this comparison both response matrices are in agreement. The main differences were found in the bare detector and are attributed to the irradiation conditions and cross sections, for the other detectors the differences are due to the cross sections libraries.
The coefficient that relates the neutron source strength and room surface area with the thermal neutron fluence rates has been calculated for neutrons whose energy goes from 1 eV to 20 MeV. This coefficient was calculated using Monte... more
The coefficient that relates the neutron source strength and room surface area with the thermal neutron fluence rates has been calculated for neutrons whose energy goes from 1 eV to 20 MeV. This coefficient was calculated using Monte Carlo methods for several room's radii where a point-like source was located at the center of the room while detectors were located along the room's radius. Calculations were performed with the room with air and in vacuum. El coeficiente que relaciona la intensidad de una fuente de neutrones y eí area de la superficie interna de un recinto con la tasa de fluencia de los neutrones térmicos ha sido calculado para neutrones monoenergéticos cuyas energías varían de 1 eV a 20 MeV. El coeficiente ha sido calculado mediante métodos Monte Carlos para varios recintos esféricos con muros de concreto de 1 metro de espesor. En los cálculos la fuente puntual se localizó en el centro de cada recinto y los detectores se ubicaron, a diferentes distancias, a lo largo del radio. Los cálculos se realizaron considerando que los recintos esféricos estaban llenos de aire y en el vacío.
Driven by the global concern about radon hazards, a wide variety of methods to measure radon and its decay products have been developed. Pin silicon photodiodes are increasingly applied in this field, their main advantages being high... more
Driven by the global concern about radon hazards, a wide variety of methods to measure radon and its decay products have been developed. Pin silicon photodiodes are increasingly applied in this field, their main advantages being high detection efficiency for alpha particles and low cost. In this paper, we present a system to determine the emanation factor for 222Rn from porous material based on a pin photodiode. This equipment is valid both for field and laboratory measurements, allowing to monitor the external emanation conditions by means of temperature, humidity and pressure sensors. To illustrate the capabilities of the system, we present two case studies of samples with high and low 226Ra content. The activity of this radionuclide in the samples had been previously determined by gamma-ray spectrometry.