利用紫露草微核效应检测工业废水技术的研究

利用紫露草微核技术检测废水微核效应,往往会遇到因废水pH值过高、过低,或由于废水成分复杂、毒性大,难以进行微核检测。为此,作者研究了有关的技术,取得了理想的结果。研究结果表明,调节废水pH值会使废水中金属离子价态发生改变而改变其化学形态,所以在进行微核检测时,以不调pH值的原状态废水为最好。废水在一定剂量范围内对紫露草微核具有诱变作用,所以处理剂量要视废水的毒性、pH值的不同而不同。最好在检测前作好预实验,找出处理紫露草花序的适宜剂量;同时还要以四分体中不出现死细胞为宜。     

河流底质中汞污染的潜在生态风险评价——以上海市嘉定区为例

采用地累积指数法和Hakanson潜在生态风险指数法,通过分析上海市嘉定区境内29条河流底质采样点中汞含量,定量确定了嘉定区河流底质中汞的污染程度和潜在生态风险程度。结果表明:嘉定区河流底质中汞污染比较严重,外围地区比中心城区污染严重,特别在横沥河民主街泰康桥段受到汞极强污染,对周围环境存在极高的汞生态风险。     

SO2排放造成的森林损失计算:以湖南省为例

SO₂排放对我国的森林生态系统造成了严重的损害,因而损失计算对于SO₂控制具有重要意义,但是目前仍缺乏有效的方法计算不同排放水平下的森林损失.本研究以硫沉降超临界负荷作为计算森林损失的参数,推导了适用于我国硫沉降导致森林损失的剂量-响应函数,并以湖南省为例,以1995为基准年,计算了2000年～2020年高中低3种SO₂排放方案下的森林损失.研究结果表明,随着今后湖南省经济和能源消费的增长,森林损失将继续增加.高排放方案下2020年SO₂排放将增长1.2倍,但森林损失增长4.3倍,边际损失高于6000元/t.在当前排放水平下对SO₂排放进行削减,边际效益达到1500元/t,因此控制SO₂具有显著的经济效益.对湖南案例的不确定性分析显示,计算方法有较高的可靠性.研究结果为区域SO₂控制策略的优化提供了支持.     

Variations in Environmental Tritium Dose Estimates Due to Meteorological Data Averaging and Uncertainties in Pathway Model Parameters

The large amounts of tritium produced at the Savannah River Site (SRS) coupled with the current dose reconstruction study at the facility emphasize the importance of ensuring accurate and efficient prediction of tritium doses to the public. Presently, dose estimates to the general population in the site vicinity are calculated annually using a five year meteorological database. Determining whether detailed monthly dose estimates are necessary or whether annual averaged data is sufficient offers the potential for more efficient dose prediction. In this study, off site collective committed doses and maximum individual doses due to atmospheric tritium releases were calculated according to the methods outlined in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Regulatory Guide 1.109 and compared using monthly versus five-year meteorological data and source terms. Site-specific variables not currently utilized at SRS for annual dose estimates also have been included. In addition, the range of predicted doses, based on the distribution in model parameters given in the literature, were estimated. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed in order to determine the influence of model inputs on dose estimates. Results corroborate previous studies by indicating that the primary contributor to infant tritium dose is the ingestion of milk, while for all other age groups, the most important pathway is the ingestion of vegetation. These relative pathway contributions remain constant throughout the year for infants; for children, teenagers, and adults, however, inhalation and absorption of tritium through the skin increases in relative importance in the months of June to September. It was found that the model utilized was most sensitive to dose factors, the ratio of the specific activity of tritium oxide in vegetation to the specific activity of atmospheric tritium oxide, and breathing rates. Most importantly, it was found that over a five-year period, the use of averaged meteorological data results in total individual doses that are only 2 to 6% higher than doses determined monthly, depending on the pathway of interest.     

Gamma dose measurement in dwellings of Agastheeswaram Taluk of Kanyakumari district, lying 30 km Radius from Kudankulam nuclear power plant site

Most of the building materials contain naturally occurring radioactive elements, the most important of which are potassium ⁴⁰K and the members of two natural radioactive series, which can be represented by the isotopes of thorium ²³²Th and Uranium ²³⁸U. The presence of these radioisotopes in the materials causes external exposure to the people who live in the building. In addition, the disintegration of Uranium ²³⁸U increases the concentration of radon gas ²²²Rn and of its daughters in the house. So a systematic indoor gamma dose measurement has been performed in the dwellings of Agastheeswaram Taluk of Kanyakumari district, which is lying within the 30 km radius from the upcoming Kudankulam nuclear power plant site. The geometric mean of annual absorbed dose from gamma radiation in dwellings has been found to be 278 nGyh⁻¹. The seasonal variation of indoor gamma dose measurements has also been studied. Significant differences have been observed in dwellings built of different materials such as concrete, tiled, etc.     

Use of Airborne γ-Ray Spectrometry for Environmental Assessment of the Rehabilitated Nabarlek Uranium Mine, Australia

This article describes an airborne γ survey of a 7 × 5 km region around the rehabilitated Nabarlek uranium mine in northern Australia. An unusually tight line spacing (100 m) and low aircraft height (50 m) were used, enabling the survey to distinguish man-made structures such as ponds and accommodation areas, as well as creek lines. Positive correlations between airborne data and ground-based readings enabled an estimation of the average absorbed dose rate arising from terrestrial γ radiation over large areas of the site to be derived. For the fenced minesite area this estimate was 0.31 μ Gy hr^{− 1}. The airborne survey data were found to be invaluable in helping to plan further ground-level investigations and showed promise as an assessment tool for rehabilitated minesites.     

Radiocaesium Activity Concentrations in Wheat Grains in the Republic of Croatia for 1965–2003 and Dose Assessment

Results of systematic, long-term measurements of ¹³⁷Cs activities in wheat for the period 1965–2003 are summarized. Radiocaesum fallout activities affect wheat activity concentrations, the coefficient of correlation being 0.91. In the observed period, the highest activity of ¹³⁷Cs deposited by fallout, 6321 Bq m⁻², was recorded in 1986, i.e., in the year of Chernobyl accident, causing peak ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in wheat of 38.0 ± 13.0 Bq kg⁻¹. After the Chernobyl nuclear accident the ¹³⁴Cs:¹³⁷Cs activity ratio in wheat was ≈0.5, and did not differ from the value found in other environmental samples. The transfer coefficient from ¹³⁷Cs fallout deposition to wheat was calculated to be 8.6 × 10⁻³ Bq y kg⁻¹ per Bq m⁻², indicating the low transfer of radiocaesium from fallout to wheat. The upper limit for the collective effective dose for the Croatian population due to ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs ingestion by wheat and wheat products consumption for period 1965–2003 was estimated to be 665 person-Sv, the upper limit for the annual collective effective dose in 2003 being only about 0.061 person-Sv.     

Potential health risks due to toxic contamination in the ambient environment of certain Indian states

Toxic or hazardous substances pose two types of risks in the environment, namely `short-term or acute risk' and `long-termor chronic risk'. The short-term risk is associated with the one-time acute exposure to potentially hazardous substancesaccidentally released in the environment, whereas the long-termrisk is resulted from continuous exposure to potentially harmfulsubstances present in different environmental media. This articledeals with the assessment of potential health risks related to certain carcinogens and non-carcinogens (e.g. cadmium, chromiumand nickel) present in three environmental media, viz. air, waterand food in different Indian states (regions). Appropriate dose-response models have been identified and used for this purpose with the assumptions and input data as per the Indian context. Mean values of ambient air concentration levels of Cd,Cr and Ni have been used to estimate the individual and societalrisks of extra cancer in different states of India. The hazardquotients and hazard index representing the non-carcinogenic chronic health effects caused by chromium and cadmium due to their long-term exposure through water and food have also beenestimated. The risk results have been compared with the diseasesurveillance data. A definite correlation between the estimatedrisk results and the reported number of lung cancer cases and chronic liver diseases have been observed in different regions. As a matter of fact, it is not possible to derive precise risk estimates due to various uncertainties included both in availabledata and in the models which are used to calculate potency factors and effective concentration. However, average risk levelsas estimated and presented in this article are quite useful forplanning purposes.