我国辐射环境自动监测系统建设的回顾与展望

辐射环境自动监测是我国辐射环境监测工作的重要内容,是核与辐射安全监管工作的重要手段.本文回顾了“十一五”以来,我国辐射环境自动监测系统建设的进展情况和在核与辐射监管工作中所发挥的作用,总结了辐射环境自动监测系统的建设和运行经验,并对今后的工作进行了展望,提出了完善系统建设和运行的合理化建议.研究指出,作为国家辐射环境监测网的重要组成部分,辐射环境自动监测系统初步具备了对我国省会城市和主要地级城市的辐射环境质量状况的实时监测能力.但由于我国辐射环境自动监测站于2008年底才开始在全国范围内建设,起步较晚、经验不足,依然存在点位数量和代表性不够、自动化程度不够高、软件系统功能不成熟、标准化和规范化问题比较突出,缺乏质量控制技术、运行维护难度大等问题.为此本文提出：第一,增加自动监测站数量,点位布设更有针对性;第二,增加自动监测站的类型;第三,加强软件系统的分析和控制能力;第四,完善相关标准、技术规范和质保体系;第五,完善运行维护体系;第六,增强国际学习和交流.     

深圳市天然γ辐射空气吸收剂量率调查

从2007年至2011年在深圳市进行了天然γ辐射空气吸收计量的调查.调查结果显示：全市天然辐射外照射空气吸收剂量率的变化范围为（4.87 ～17.68）×10^ 8Gy/h,平均值为10.00 ×10^ 8Gy/h,与广东省平均水平相当,稍高于全国平均值,属于正常天然本底范围;天然辐射外照射致深圳市居民人均年有效剂量当量（0.22 ～ 1.08） mSv,低于广东省与全国的平均水平;集体有效剂量当量54.32×10^2man· Sv.     

紫外辐射对小分子有机酸化学凝聚性作用途径探讨

通过烧杯实验系统考察了紫外辐射对脂肪羧酸类和酚酸类小分子有机酸的化学凝聚性的作用途径.结果表明,溶液pH对柠檬酸、草酸、酒石酸和丁二酸等脂肪羧酸类有机物的混凝性能影响较小.紫外辐射处理后,脂肪羧酸类小分子有机物的混凝去除率均高于未经紫外辐射处理的水样.进一步研究表明,紫外辐射过程中发生了光化学反应,使得脂肪羧酸的表面负电性降低,进而提高了其化学凝聚性.与脂肪类小分子有机酸不同,苯酚、水杨酸和苯甲酸的化学凝聚性较差,且受紫外辐射过程的影响小.单宁酸的混凝性能较好,pH=6时的去除率最高可达90%以上,这可能与其分子中脂肪酸碳链结构的存在以及单宁酸分子较大,易与PACl的水解产物发生吸附电中和反应有关.     

铀尾矿库尾矿砂大气污染的控制研究

铀尾矿库运行期间,裸露的尾矿以扬尘形式对周边地区造成环境污染和辐射危害.因此,本文以平地型铀尾矿库为对象,应用CFD技术,探讨滩面形状(弧形、棱形和锥形)对减轻或控制运行期间尾矿库滩面颗粒物的大气迁移和环境污染的作用.结果表明,常年主导风速V=1.0m·s-1条件下,以1 mg·m-3的浓度为抑尘标准时弧形滩面抑尘效果最为明显,棱形滩面和锥形滩面抑尘效果较差.通过对不同风速下几种滩面形状防护效果的分析对比发现,小风速(V=0.5 m·s-1)下3种滩面形式辐射防护均效果良好,但随风速的增大效果逐渐减弱;弧形滩面条件下综合防护效果最佳.     

利用人体肺部PM浓度模型定量评估广州市夏、冬季抽样人群PM2.5的暴露

为了定量评价细粒子PM2.5的人体肺部暴露水平,首先,对暴露、暴露量、剂量、暴露评价等多个概念进行了明确界定,在此基础上,重点引入国际辐射防护委员会(ICRP)的人体肺部PM浓度模型对人体肺部PM2.5的浓度进行了模拟,定量化研究了广州市抽样人群PM2.5的作用剂量,作用剂量直接反映了进入人体肺部污染物的量.结果表明,广州市抽样人群平均PM2.5的作用剂量在肺部咽喉以外部分(ET)、支气管部分(BB)、肺泡空隙区(AI)分别为576.8￣975.9μg·d-1、357.5￣619.8μg·d-1、154.4￣290.1μg·d-1.     

Effects of cerium on growth and physiological mechanism in plants under enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation

Effect of cerium （Ce^3＋） on the growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme system in rape seedlings （Brassica juncea L.） exposed to two levels of UV-B radiation （T1： 0.15 W/m^2 and T2：0.35 W/m^2） was studied by hydroponics under laboratory conditions. After 5 d of UV-B treatment, the aboveground growth indices were obviously decreased by 13.2%-44. 1%（T1） and 21.4%-49.3% （T2）, compared to CK, and except active absorption area of roots, the belowground indices by 14.1%-35.6%（T1） and 20.3%-42.6% （T2）. For Ce＋UV-B treatments, the aboveground and belowground growth indices were decreased respectively by 4.1%-23.6%, 5.2% -23.3%（Ce＋T1） and 10.8%-28.4%, 7.0%-27.8%（Ce＋T2）, lower than those of UV-B treatments. The decrease of growth indices appeared to be the result of changes of physiological processes. Two levels of UV-B radiation induced the decrease in chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and water use efficiency by 11.2%-25.9%（T1） and 20.9%- 56.9%（T2）, whereas increase in membrane permeability and activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase（SOD）, catalase （CAT） and peroxidase （POD） by 6.9%, 22.8%, 21.5%, 9.5%（T1） and 36.6%, 122.3%, 103.5%, 208.9%（T2）, respectively. The reduction of the photosynthetic parameters in Ce＋UV-B treatments was lessened to 3.2%-13.8%（Ce＋T1） and 4.9%-27.6%（Ce＋T2）, and the increase of membrane permeability and activities of antioxidant enzymes except POD in the same treatments were lessened to 2.4%, 8.4%, 6.6%（Ce＋T1） and 30.1%, 116.7%, 75.4%（Ce＋T2）. These results indicate that the regulative effect of Ce on photosynthesis and antioxidant enzymatic function is the ecophysiological basis of alleviating the suppression of UV-B radiation on growth of seedlings. Furthermore, the protective effect of Ce on seedlings exposed to TI level of UV-B radiation is superior to T2 level.     

Cancer and Non-Cancer Health Risk from Eating Cassava Grown in Some Mining Communities in Ghana

Food crops such as cassava, cocoyam and other tuber crops grown in mining communities uptake toxic or hazardous chemicals such as arsenic, and cadmium, from the soil. Cassava is a stable food for Ghanaians. This study evaluated human health risk from eating cassava grown in some mining communities in Ghana such as Bogoso, Prestea, Tarkwa and Tamso, which are important mining towns in the Western Region of Ghana. The study evaluated cancer and non-cancer health effects from eating cassava grown in the study areas in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Assessment guidelines. The results of the study revealed the following: cancer health risk for Tamso, 0.098 (RME – Reasonable Maximum Exposure) and 0.082 (CTE – Central Tendency Exposure). This means that approximately 10 and 8 out of 100 resident adults are likely to suffer from cancer related cases by RME and CTE parameters respectively. For Prestea, we have 0.010 and 0.12, which also means that approximately 1 out of 100 and 10 resident adults out of 100 are also likely to suffer from cancer related diseases by RME and CTE parameters. The results of the study obtained were found to be above the acceptable cancer risk range of 1× 10⁻⁶ to 1× 10⁻⁴, i.e., 1 case of cancer out of 1 million or 100,000 people respectively.     

Effect of Cadmium on Microbial Activity and a Ryegrass Crop in Two Semiarid Soils

Soil pollution with Cd is an environmental problem common in the world, and it is necessary to establish what Cd concentrations in soil could be dangerous to its fertility from toxicity effects and the risk of transference of this element to plants and other organisms of the food chain. In this study, we assessed Cd toxicity on soil microorganisms and plants in two semiarid soils (uncultivated and cultivated). Soil ATP content, dehydrogenase activity, and plant growth were measured in the two soils spiked with concentrations ranging from 3 to 8000 mg Cd/kg soil and incubated for 3 h, 20 days, and 60 days. The Cd concentrations that produced 5%; 10%;, and 50%; inhibition of each of the two soil microbiological parameter studied (ecological dose, ED, values) were calculated using two different mathematical models. Also, the effect of Cd concentration on plant growth of ryegrass (Lolium perenne, L.) was studied in the two soils. The Cd ED values calculated for soil dehydrogenase activity and ATP content were higher in the agricultural soils than in the bare soil. For ATP inhibition, higher ED values were calculated than for dehydrogenase activity inhibition. The average yields of ryegrass were reduced from 5.03 to 3.56 g in abandoned soil and from 4.21 to 1.15 g in agricultural soil with increasing concentrations of Cd in the soil. Plant growth was totally inhibited in abandoned and agricultural soils at Cd concentrations above 2000 and 5000 mg/kg soil, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the concentration of Cd in the plants and the total or DTPA-extractable concentrations of Cd in the soil.     

An efficient technology to treat heavy metal--lead--contaminated soil by microwave radiation

Microwave (MW) technology can be used to vitrify contaminated soil wastes and immobilize heavy metal ions in soils. More than 93% of the Pb(II)-contaminated soil was vitrified to a glass/ceramic formation after 30 min of MW radiation. In a 6-year study, the Pb(II) concentration of the vitrified soil in the leaching test was less than 1.0 mg/l, which is substantially below the USEPA regulatory limit of 5.0 mg/l.     

Climate engineering and human rights

ABSTRACT

In this Forum, three scholars discuss how climate engineering will pose novel human rights challenges, and may well force reconsideration of how human rights are applied as a guide to action. Following a short introduction, the first section introduces three competing approaches to human rights, arguing views which emphasize fairness or attempt to maximize satisfaction are more promising than one viewing human rights as inviolable ‘side-constraints’. The second section draws lessons from climate migration that are relevant for climate engineering in terms of incorporating a human rights approach to duties, rights, and participation. The final section compares the ‘needs-based’ and ‘rights-based’ approaches to humanitarian work in the face of climate change and climate engineering, raising concerns for duty-bearers and right-holders. The Forum’s conclusion draws together points of overlap and suggests a path forward for policy and research on this topic.