The challenge of making ozone risk assessment for forest trees more mechanistic

Upcoming decades will experience increasing atmospheric CO₂ and likely enhanced O₃ exposure which represents a risk for the carbon sink strength of forests, so that the need for cause-effect related O₃ risk assessment increases. Although assessment will gain in reliability on an O₃ uptake basis, risk is co-determined by the effective dose, i.e. the plant's sensitivity per O₃ uptake. Recent progress in research on the molecular and metabolic control of the effective O₃ dose is reported along with advances in empirically assessing O₃ uptake at the whole-tree and stand level. Knowledge on both O₃ uptake and effective dose (measures of stress avoidance and tolerance, respectively) needs to be understood mechanistically and linked as a pre-requisite before practical use of process-based O₃ risk assessment can be implemented. To this end, perspectives are derived for validating and promoting new O₃ flux-based modelling tools.     

Litter-based methods in developmental toxicity risk assessment

Developmental toxicity experiments are designed to assess potential adverse effects of drugs and other exposures on developing fetuses from pregnant dams. Extrapolation to humans is a very difficult problem. An important issue here is whether risk assessment should be based on the fetus or the litter level. In this paper, fetus and litter-based risks that properly account for cluster size are defined and compared for the beta-binomial model and a conditional model for clustered binary data. It is shown how the hierarchical structure of non-viable implants and viable but malformed offspring can be incorporated. Risks based on a joint model for death/resorption and malformation are contrasted with risks based on an adverse event defined as either death/resorption or malformation. The estimation of safe exposure levels for all risk types is discussed and it is shown how estimation of the cluster size distribution affects variance estimation. The methods are applied to data collected under the National Toxicology Program and in large sample simulations.     

城市事故灾难风险分析研究

城市事故灾难风险分析是以城市整体为研究对象,涉及理、工、文、管多学科领域的城市安全管理重要内容。笔者提出城市事故灾难风险分析的基本思路和一般研究框架;归纳出城市事故灾难风险分析应包括:基于事故发生可能性的研究、基于事故预测模型的研究、基于风险值的研究、不确定性的研究等主要研究内容,并介绍了每个研究内容的国内外研究现状;针对研究内容评述其领域未来发展方向和热点问题。     

青岛市区土壤天然放射性核素的外照射水平估算研究

城市的辐射环境质量对于人居和发展规划有重要意义。利用伽玛能谱仪对青岛市区内的天然放射性核素进行了大规模高密度的现场测量,采用Beck公式计算了离地面1m高处的空气吸收剂量率,进而计算了外照射年有效剂量、外照射指数和等效镭浓度,对研究区的外照射水平进行了系统的评价。与和其他国家全国比较,虽然该区的空气吸收剂量率较高,但是其他衡量天然放射性核素外照射水平的指标均在容许范围之内。因此该区属于外照射水平的安全区域,人居环境不受影响。     

哈密地区新型建筑材料天然放射性核素含量及居民受照剂量估算

用放射化学分析方法对哈密地区主要新型建材中＾２２６Ｒａ、＾２３２Ｔｈ、＾４０Ｋ含量分析测定。结果表明，放射性核素比活度限制值内照射指数和外照射指数平均范围值分别为０．０２－０．２６，０．０３－０．６６。花岗岩石材和涂釉制品最高，装饰材料最低。建材所致居民内、外照射年有效剂量当量为０．０６－０．９６ｍＳｖ．ａ＾－１，明显低于哈密地区室内环境γ辐射及氡子体所致居民年有效剂量当量实际调查值１．４３ｍＳｖ     

新疆核试验场周围地区主要食品中~(90)Sr(锶)、~(137)Cs(铯)水平及其所致居民剂量

本文报道了新疆核试验场周围地区9个调查区17种主要食品中~(90)Sr、~(137)Cs含量分别为1.1～72.3,0.3～40.7×10~(-2)B_q·Kg~(-1);3个对照区分别为1.6～68.4,0.6～27.4×10~(-2)B_q·K_g~(-1)。两地区同类食品中~(90)Sr、~(137)Cs平均含量基本一致。调查区~(90)Sr、~(137)Cs所致成年居民有效剂量当量值分别为2μSV(集体剂量当量为30.0人· SV);0.3μSV(4.5人· SV)。对照区分别为2.2μSV(集体剂量当量为20.9人·SV);0.4μSV(3.0人·SV)。可见我国核试验产生的~(90)Sr、~(137)Cs对核试验场周围地区食品没有造成明显的局部污染,所致居民剂量当量负担仅为我国天然外照射所致年有效剂量当量(952μSV)的0.2％和0.03％。对该地区的广大居民健康不会产生有害的影响。     

Occupational exposure to radon and natural gamma radiation in the La Carolina, a former gold mine in San Luis Province, Argentina

Radon and gamma radiation level measurements were carried out inside the La Carolina mine, one of the oldest gold mining camps of southern South America, which is open for touristic visits nowadays. CR-39 track-etch detectors and thermoluminescent dosimeters of natural CaF₂ and LiF TLD-100 were exposed at 14 points along the mine tunnels in order to estimate the mean ²²²Rn concentration and the ambient dose equivalent during the summer season (November 2008 to February 2009). The values for the ²²²Rn concentration at each monitoring site ranged from 1.8 ± 0.1 kBq m⁻³ to 6.0 ± 0.5 kBq m⁻³, with a mean value of 4.8 kBq m⁻³, indicating that these measurements exceed in about three times the upper action level recommended by ICRP for workplaces. The correlations between radon and gamma radiation levels inside the mine were also investigated. Effective doses due to ²²²Rn and gamma rays inside the mine were determined, resulting in negligible values to tourists. Considering the effective dose to the mine tourist guides, values exceeding 20 mSv of internal contribution to the effective doses can be reached, depending on the number of working hours inside the mine.     

Indoor radon distribution of subway stations in a Korean major city

The overall survey on indoor radon concentration was conducted at all subway stations in a major city, Daejeon in the central part of Korea. It was quarterly performed from September 2007 to August 2008. The annual arithmetic mean of indoor radon concentration of all the stations was 34.1 ± 14.7 Bq m⁻³, and the range of values was from 9.4 to 98.2 Bq m⁻³. The radon concentrations in groundwater (average 31.0 ± 0.8 Bq m⁻³) were not significantly high in most stations, but the concentration (177.9 ± 2.3 Bq L⁻¹) of one station was over the level of 148 Bq L⁻¹ in drinking water proposed by U.S. EPA. Based on indoor survey results, the approximate average of the annual effective dose by radon inhalation to the employees and passengers were 0.24 mSv y⁻¹, and 0.02 mSv y⁻¹, respectively. Although the effective dose based on the UNSCEAR report was potentially estimated, for more accurate assessment, the additional survey on the influence by indoor radon will be necessary.     

Evaluation and assessment of 25 years of environmental radioactivity monitoring data at Tarapur (India) nuclear site

The evaluation and assessment of monitoring data generated over a period of 1983-2007 (25 years) of a nuclear facility is presented. Time trends of particulate radioactivity, correlation between ¹³⁷Cs in discharge canal seawater and station discharged activity and correlation of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁶⁰Co, and ¹³¹I in marine species such as sponge and Nerita (gastropod) and corresponding discharged activity are discussed. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³¹I in seawater versus biota are discussed. A good correlation between ¹³⁷Cs in seawater and ¹³⁷Cs in liquid waste discharged was observed (R² = 0.8, p < 0.001). Similarly, correlation was good for Nerita and discharged concentration of ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³¹I and ⁶⁰Co (R² = 0.55-0.73 and p < 0.001). The measurements over the years indicated that there is no accumulation of radionuclides in either the terrestrial or aquatic environments. The mean ¹³⁷Cs decreased from the pre-operational levels: 7.0-3.6 Bq kg⁻¹ in soil, 0.91-0.016 Bq L⁻¹ in milk and 0.28-0.036 Bq kg⁻¹ in vegetation. Similarly, the mean ⁹⁰Sr in these matrixes decreased from 3.9 to 0.26 Bq kg⁻¹; 0.37-0.011 Bq L⁻¹ and 0.34-0.022 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively. Cesium-137 of about 700 μBq m⁻³ was measured in the air filter disks during 1986 and there was a decrease of three orders of magnitude in concentration over the 25 years. The evaluation of environmental data indicated that the radionuclide concentrations and potential impacts, in terms of effective dose to the members of public, have significantly reduced since 1969.     

四溴双酚A的辐照降解研究

研究了甲醇-水溶液中四溴双酚A(TBBPA)的电子束辐照降解.通过测定辐照前后TBBPA的浓度变化来研究吸收剂量、初始浓度、pH、自由基清除剂对辐照降解效果的影响.结果表明,TBBPA在甲醇-水溶液的辐照降解是还原性逐步脱溴降解过程,自由电子在降解过程中起主导作用,降解反应遵循一级动力学方程.在辐照剂量为10 kGy时,20 mg.L-1的TBBPA有91.6%发生脱溴降解,当向辐照体系充入氮气并且加入叔丁醇,可将TBBPA的降解效率提高到100%,或者调节辐照体系溶液的pH值至12,TBBPA的降解效率也可以达到100%.辐照降解是处理TBBPA的一种有效手段.