Measurements of radon around closed uranium mines

There are several waste rock yards at closed uranium mines around Ningyo-toge, in the Western Honshu Island of Japan, and measurements of radon were carried out by both the passive method and the sampling method around these yards. As comparatively high radon concentrations were observed in two districts through routine measurements, more detailed measurements were made by the passive method in these districts. The impact of radon emanation from the waste rock yards was small for both residential districts and around these yards when considering the natural background level of radon. In addition, by simultaneous continuous measurements of radon and its progeny at two locations, it was estimated that the effective dose caused by the representative uranium waste rock yards was less than the public effective dose limit of 1 mSv year(-1) at the fenced boundary of the waste rock site.     

Hydroponic technique using waste concrete and ferronickel slag instead of fertilizer

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This paper presents whether some minerals in waste concrete and ferronickel slag are available for hydroponics instead of commercial fertilizer....     

Time-integrated monitoring of radon progeny around a closed uranium mine in Japan

The practical application study of a time-integrated radon progeny monitor developed by the authors was carried out in and around a closed uranium mine site during several years. The validity of the monitoring with the monitor was confirmed by good agreement with the other monitoring results and our previous investigations. Radon progeny concentrations were almost at same level outside the site and were within the range of those at controls. The fact shows directly the effect of the mine site on the effective dose to people in outside region is negligible. The F value outdoors in rural area around Ningyo-toge is approximately 0.4 on the whole, while the lower values were observed on the site or near the site, and the higher values, closer to 0.6 in UNSCEAR reports, were observed in the large population areas.