Mapping radioactivity in groundwater to identify elevated exposure in remote and rural communities

A survey of radioactivity in groundwater (110 sites) was conducted as a precursor to providing a baseline of radiation exposure in rural and remote communities in Queensland, Australia, that may be impacted upon by exposure pathways associated with the supply, treatment, use and wastewater treatment of the resource. Radionuclides in groundwater, including ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²²²Rn, ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁴Ra and ⁴⁰K were measured and found to contain activity concentration levels of up to 0.71 BqL⁻¹, 0.96 BqL⁻¹, 108 BqL⁻¹, 2.8 BqL⁻¹, 0.11 BqL⁻¹ and 0.19 BqL⁻¹ respectively. Activity concentration results were classified by aquifer lithology, showing correlation between increased radium isotope concentration and basic volcanic host rock. The groundwater survey and mapping results were further assessed using an investigation assessment tool to identify seven remote or rural communities that may require additional radiation dose assessment beyond that attributed to ingestion of potable water.     

Probabilistic indicators of atmospheric transport for regional monitoring and emergency preparedness systems

In this paper, following a methodology developed within the "Arctic Risk" Project of the Nordic Arctic Research Programme, several probabilistic indicators to evaluate the risk site possible impact on the geographical regions, territories, countries, counties, cities, etc., due to atmospheric transport from the risk site region were suggested. These indicators-maximum possible impact zone, maximum reaching distance, and typical transport time-were constructed by applying statistical methods and using a dataset of isentropic trajectories originated over the selected nuclear risk site (Ignalina nuclear power plant, Lithuania) during 1991-1996. For this site, the areas enclosed by isolines of the maximum possible impact zone and maximum reaching distance indicators are equal to 42 x 10(4) and 703 x 10(4) km(2), respectively. The maximum possible impact zone's boundaries are more extended in the southeast sector from the site and include, in particular, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and several western regions of Russia. The maximum reaching distance's boundaries are twice more extended in the eastern direction from the site (reaching the Caspian Sea) compared with the western direction. The typical transport time to reach the southern territories of Sweden and Finland, northern regions of Ukraine, and northeast of Poland is 1 day. During this time, the atmospheric transport could typically occur over the Baltic States, Belarus, and western border regions of Russia, and central aquatoria of the Baltic Sea. Detailed analysis of temporal patterns for these indicators showed importance of the seasonal variability.     

Towards a coherent conceptual framework for emergency preparedness/response and rehabilitation – the application of the new ICRP recommendations given in ICRP 103

In the past, most emphasis in planning for and response to an emergency situation has been placed on selected protective measures in the early phase of an emergency to keep the doses received below levels where severe deterministic health effects can be excluded and/or where the risk of stochastic effects in the population is considered “acceptable”. Less emphasis has been placed on the development of comprehensive protection strategies which include considerations of the consequences of all exposure pathways and all phases, e.g. long-term rehabilitation. In its new publication 103, ICRP proposed a coherent conceptual framework for protection in all types of exposure situations including “emergency exposure situations” and “existing exposure situations”. In the context of developing protection strategies for these exposure situations, the Commission recommends that national authorities set reference levels between, typically, 20 mSv and 100 mSv annual effective dose (emergency exposure situation) and 1 mSv and 20 mSv (existing exposure situation). In order to optimise protection strategies, it is necessary to identify the dominant exposure pathways, the timescales over which the dose will be received, and the effectiveness of available protection options. The characteristics of the development and implementation of such protection strategies is described.     

Modelling the long-term consequences of a hypothetical dispersal of radioactivity in an urban area including remediation alternatives

The Urban Remediation Working Group of the International Atomic Energy Agency's EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) program was organized to address issues of remediation assessment modelling for urban areas contaminated with dispersed radionuclides. The present paper describes the second of two modelling exercises. This exercise was based on a hypothetical dispersal of radioactivity in an urban area from a radiological dispersal device, with reference surface contamination at selected sites used as the primary input information. Modelling endpoints for the exercise included radionuclide concentrations and external dose rates at specified locations, contributions to the dose rates from individual surfaces, and annual and cumulative external doses to specified reference individuals. Model predictions were performed for a “no action” situation (with no remedial measures) and for selected countermeasures. The exercise provided an opportunity for comparison of three modelling approaches, as well as a comparison of the predicted effectiveness of various countermeasures in terms of their short-term and long-term effects on predicted doses to humans.     

Two-dimensional numerical modeling of Sr transport in an unsaturated Chinese loess under artificial sprinkling

⁹⁰Sr is a fission byproduct of uranium and plutonium, and it presents a major health problem in the environment. A field test on the transport of various radionuclides including ⁹⁰Sr in an unsaturated Chinese loess was conducted under artificial rain conditions from July 1997 to August 2000. The vertical concentration distribution of ⁹⁰Sr displayed an unusual profile of double concentration peaks, which were separated by a thin (0.7 cm) source layer. In order to interpret the double-peak concentration profile, the transport of ³H and ⁹⁰Sr in the unsaturated Chinese loess under artificial sprinkling conditions was simulated using WATERM, a numerical code for simulating flow field, and NESOR, also a numerical code but for simulating nuclide migration. The models were able to adequately simulate the double-peak concentration profile. The observation suggested that the fine arenaceous quartz layer, though 0.7 cm thick, formed a capillary barrier together with the local loess, which prevented water from penetrating. A significant discrepancy was observed between the model-fitted distribution coefficient (K_d) of ⁹⁰Sr and that determined from independent laboratory experiments, which can be attributed to a number of factors such as the capillary barrier effect, solution-to-solid ratio and soil water content. Therefore, when the model is used for predictive purposes where K_d is used as an input parameter, K_d must be determined under well controlled conditions by taking into account these factors as well as the heterogeneity in the field.     

Dealing with uncertainty in the assessment of human exposure to radioactivity in food and the environment

This paper presents an overview of the approach used to assess radiation dose and risk to members of the public from radioactivity in food and the environment. It describes uncertainties in the process and suggests ways of dealing with them to improve the risk assessment process. It also explains how uncertainty in the assessed dose/risk can be communicated to non-expert audiences such as members of the public. The issues covered in this paper apply to risk assessment of any contaminant and not only radioactivity.     

我国人口老龄化加速发展对城市化发展速度的影响

中国的城市化水平在过去的20余年里以年均超过一个百分点的速度提升,然而在城市化主要依靠人口乡城迁移推动的模式下,人口年龄结构老化对城市化发展的影响日渐显现。文章通过年龄移算法描述了乡城人口迁移流动的年龄模式,发现我国农村人口乡城迁移概率随年龄的分布呈现"中间大,两头小"的特征。然后,文章分析了此种年龄模式形成的原因,认为制度是影响乡城迁移年龄模式的决定性因素,制度变迁的缓慢性以及路径依赖决定了短期内我国人口乡城迁移年龄模式的稳定性。基于此,文章预测了人口老龄化对未来中国人口城市化发展的影响,得出的基本结论是,未来中国城市化发展的水平提高将进入一个相对平缓的时期,年度城市化水平的提升将显著低于过去一个时期,对未来10-20年中国城市化发展水平的预期未可过于乐观。针对这一结论,文章建议在未来的城市化过程中应完善社会融入机制和提升城市化质量。     

Environmental health, development and economic empowerment of rural women in Nigeria

Sustainable development is a process that has social, cultural, economic and ecological dimensions. The necessity of improving the quality of life of rural women in terms of socio-economic aspects in developing countries like Nigeria is the aim of this study. The study was carried out in four villages of Tonkere district (Okeake, Abagboro, Elefon and Akiri), situated on expansive university land at Ile-Ife and typical of rural settings in Nigeria. Data were generated from group meetings, local government and individual interviews and surveys. In rural Nigeria, women’s essential contributions to overall environmental health, development and economy are negatively influenced by domestic tasks such as gathering of fuel woods and biomass for cooking. In reality, wood burning, kerosene stoves, and open fireplaces emit significant quantities of known health-damaging pollutants. The significant emissions of health-damaging pollutants per unit activity, combined with daily use in close proximity to rural human populations mean household biomass fuel use exposes total population to important pollutants resulting in ill-health and premature dead. Application of solar energy collectors and hosts of solar devices is an alternative energy sources in rural areas that could best improve women’s health, socially and economically, and positively add to ecological dimensions. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Important factors governing exposure of the population and countermeasure application in rural settlements of the Russian Federation in the long-term after the Chernobyl accident.

Rural settlements located in areas of the Russian Federation contaminated after the Chernobyl accident and exceeding an annual dose of 1 mSv a-1 have been classified according to 137Cs contamination density, internal dose and the neighbourhood of forests. It has been shown that, with the exception of the most contaminated areas, the internal doses decreased in accordance with a decline in 137Cs availability for plant root uptake. An inverse tendency was observed in areas with 137Cs contamination above 555 kBq m-2 which can be explained by a reduction or even termination of countermeasure application and by an increasing consumption of forest products in areas where restrictive countermeasures are still implemented. Twenty-seven settlements have been studied to estimate the effectiveness of countermeasures applied previously and to identify the most important factors governing the radiation exposure to the population and its change with time. It has been shown that the effectiveness of countermeasures which resulted in a decrease of up to 40% of doses has a tendency to decline in the long term. The need for continuation of remediation in rural settlements was evaluated both for selected settlements and extrapolated to the whole contaminated area and it has been shown that the application of countermeasures will be of importance at least up to the year 2045. Rather high effectiveness in terms of internal dose reduction (factor of 2-2.5) of radical improvement (disking, ploughing and reseeding) and administration of Cs binders to animals (Ferrocyn) was demonstrated for the selected settlements. It could be demonstrated that for forest-remote settlements there is a linear dependence between internal dose normalised to the density of contamination and the proportion of peat soils around settlements. For near-forest settlements, this dependence was less pronounced which can be explained by the high contribution of forest food products to the internal dose. Milk is still the major dose-forming product in rural Russian settlements (its contribution to internal dose in forest-remote settlements is above 70%); however, in near-forest settlements, the contribution of mushrooms to the internal dose is comparable to the contribution from milk.     

On the population ecology of the gray plover in the northern Yamal Peninsula

The demography of the gray plover was studied using color banding at a stationary control plot in the northern Yamal tundra for seven years. Data on the dynamics of nesting density, fertility, breeding success, and site tenacity are presented. Cases of polygyny and the absence of nesting are described. Factors affecting population dynamics are discussed.     

Attitudes toward income inequality: perspectives from farmers living in a poverty-stricken rural area of China

The attitude of the least advantaged people to income inequality is important in regard to social stability, which is also a major concern of the government and researchers in China. This paper aimed to investigate the perceptions and attitudes of the least advantaged people toward income inequality in China. An empirical analysis was conducted on farmers’ attitudes to income inequality based on a questionnaire survey of 308 farmers in four villages in Yingshan, Hubei Province. Our results show that the respondents consider the income inequality as severe, and ability, hard work, and individual choices are the major determinant factors of income. It is shown that farmers in less developed areas are more likely to accept income inequality, and they ascribe this to their own failure rather than to social injustice. However, it is not the case that people living in poverty-stricken areas are satisfied with anti-poverty policies; and these policies are expected to be further improved to increase the income of the poor.     

Cytogenetic Variation in Populations of Scotch Pine

Cytogenetic variation was analyzed in daughter populations of Scotch pine from the Voronezh Forestry. The dependence of the variation on the method of seed collection (the commercial method; the population method, when seeds from a group of phenotypically normal trees in the center of the forest are collected; or the individual method, when seeds from plus trees are collected) and on the ecological situation at the sampling site (ecologically safe conditions or chemical or physical pollution) was studied. The parameters of the mitotic rate and mitotic pathology were estimated at 7–9% and up to 5%, respectively. These parameters may be considered as normal when estimating the quality of seed progeny in pine and when pine is used as a test object in cytogenetic monitoring. The limits of variation and the spectra of cytogenetic characteristics allowing the pine populations to maintain their homeostasis were also determined.     

Space-time analysis of the changing patterns of population pressure on the ecological environment in China

This paper examines the temporal change and spatial variation of population pressure on the ecological environment in China. We have collected sufficient data from the statistical yearbooks of 31 provincial administrative areas in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. Using a geographic information system (GIS) and relevant models, we analyzed the trend of the population pressure on ecological environment and the change of the gravity center of ecological environment quality. We conclude that: (1) generally, population pressure on the ecological environment in China was becoming higher during 1990–2010, especially in some areas where the population and environment were in serious imbalance and the ecological environment experienced severe pollution; (2) during a certain period, population pressure on the ecological environment was becoming lower in some areas, but the ecological environment was getting worse; (3) the areas with super-high population pressure on the ecological environment were Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai; (4) the gravity center of population pressure on the ecological environment and the center of ecological environment quality move differently during the study time period, but the general trend was similar – both of them were moving from west to east. Based on the analysis, this paper also provides some policy suggestions on the control of ecological environment quality.     

Elevation-dependent genetic variation of plants and seed embryos in the Crimea Mountain population of Pinus pallasiana D. Don

In the Crimea Mountain population of Pinus pallasiana D. Don, the genetic structure of adult plants and embryos was studied along an elevation gradient (150, 400, 600, and 900 m a.s.l.). Ten polymorphic loci of six enzyme systems were examined. The degree of differentiation of plants from different elevations and their progeny with respect to genetic structure proved to be low, indicating the absence of strict isolation barriers that would interfere with gene flow along the elevation gradient.     

Evidence for the existence of a high-altitude white wagtail (Motacilla alba) population in the Yamal peninsula and the boundaries of its distribution

It has been shown that the white wagtail at the northern limit of its range forms a population or a group of populations with a high degree of independence from conditions of illumination (photoperiod) in the Subarctic and southern Arctic. The boundary between the tundra and boreal populations in Yamal lies in the forest-tundra: wagtails of the tundra population nest north of the 68th parallel, and wagtails of the boreal population nest south of the 66th parallel. The zone between these latitudes is inhabited by representatives of both populations, and active hybridization apparently takes place there.     

The spatiotemporal structure of population in the Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

The spatiotemporal structure of the muskrat population has been studied by means of the prenatal radioactive marking of juveniles with 45 Ca and their subsequent recapture in the test area. The muskrat population is characterized by a cyclic type of spatial structure, with seasonal transition from a mosaic type of settling to a diffuse type and, after the breeding season, vice versa.     

Effects of cadmium on forearm bone density after reduction of exposure for 10 years in a Chinese population

The main focus of this study was to evaluate long term effects of cadmium on forearm bone mineral density after stopping ingestion of cadmium-polluted rice for 10 years in a Chinese population. A total of 532 persons (338 women and 194 men), living in control, moderately and heavily polluted areas, were included in this study. The residents living in the polluted area ceased ingesting cadmium-polluted rice in 1996. All participants were require to answer a questionnaire and the bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the proximal radius and ulna. Samples of urine and blood were collected for determination of cadmium in urine (UCd) and blood (BCd).The BMD of subjects living in the heavily polluted area was significantly lower than that of those living in control area in both men and women (p < 0.01). For the people living in the moderately polluted area, only the women's BMD was greatly lower compared to that in the control area (p < 0.05). The BMD declined with the increasing BCd and UCd in both sexes, especially in the highest level (BCd > 5 µg/L, UCd > 10 µg/g crea) groups (p < 0.01). It was found that there were significant differences in the prevalence of osteoporosis among the different areas (χ² = 13.046, p = 0.0003) and different UCd groups (χ² = 4.511, p = 0.0337) in women, but not in men (χ² = 0.962, p = 0.3268; χ² = 1.906, p = 0.1675). But a significant difference exists in the prevalence of osteoporosis among different BCd groups in both genders (χ² = 9.304, p = 0.00229, in women; χ² = 4603, p = 0.0319, in men). This study suggested that cadmium could play a long-term role on bone and more attention should be paid to cadmium effects on bone metabolism after reduction of exposure.     

Spatial population structure in forest voles of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clethrionomys</Emphasis> in the southern taiga of the Middle Irtysh region

A comparative analysis of spatial population structure in the northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus Pall.) and large-toothed red-backed vole (Cl. rufocanus Sund.) has been performed in the middle taiga zone of the Middle Irtysh region (Omsk oblast). Populations of these species are represented by sets of territorial groups whose numbers and spatial distribution change from year to year depending on the ratio of these species in a biotope and their population density. There is no significant interspecific competition between cohabitant Cl. rutilus and Cl. rufocanus. In particular, this follows from the fact that the population density and distribution pattern of one species are independent of those of the other species. It has been found that the size of home ranges in Cl. rutilus inversely depends on its population density, with that in Cl. rufocanus remaining approximately the same at different population densities, and that the structure of the resident part of the population in both species changes during the season, as voles from neighboring habitats or dispersing voles settle in the study area.