Variation of environmental neutron flux with altitude and depth of both water and soil

Applying the extreme low-level γ-ray spectroscopic analysis the environmental neutron flux is measured using different moderator construction and environment through the reaction 197Au (n, γ) 198Au. The contribution of thermal and resonance neutrons is separated using the cadmium difference technique, while fast neutrons are measured by the paraffin moderator. The results of altitude dependence of the neutron flux are discussed. The thermal neutron flux near the surface of sea water is less than its value at 100 cm over ground near sea water, while the value over the surfaces of fresh water is higher than that near the surface of sea water. Also the thermal neutron flux at 5 cm soil depth increases, then decreases to its original value at 10 cm depth and still constant until 25 cm, then decreases rapidly to reach 27% of its original value at 60 cm depth. The soil compositions, corresponding neutron temperatures and effective absorption cross sections of earth are the most effective factors on the equilibrium region of thermal neutrons in the ground.

Interaction between uranium and humic acid(Ⅰ):Adsorption behaviors of U(Ⅵ) in soil humic acids

The adsorption behaviors of uranium on three soil humic acids (HAs), which were extracted from soils of different depths at the same site, were investigated under various experimental conditions. The adsorption results showed that U(Ⅵ) in solutions can be adsorbed by the three soil HAs, with the order of FHA (HA from 5 m depth of soil) >SHA (HA from the surface) >THA (HA from 10 m depth of soil) for adsorption efficiency in each desirable condition, and the adsorption reached equilibrium in about 240 min. Although the maximum adsorption efficiency was achieved at a suitable uranium concentration (10 mg·L-1 U(Ⅵ) for SHA and THA, 20 mg·L-1 U(Ⅵ) for FHA), the adsorption could be described with Langmiur isotherm or Freundlich isotherm equation. The L/S (liquid/solid, mL/g) ratio and pH were important factors influencing the adsorption in our adsorption system besides uranium concentration. The adsorption efficiency decreased with the increase of the L/S ratio and pH at the pH range of 2.0-3.0 for SHA and THA or 2.5-6.0 for FHA. However, no significant difference in adsorption of U(Ⅵ) was observed at the experimental temperature. All the results implied that humic substances have different characteristics in samples even collected at the same site.

Estimation of radiation hazard indices from natural radioactivity of some rocks

Different samples of igneous and metamorphic rocks from Egypt and Germany have been considered to measure γ-ray activity concentrations due to naturally occurring, potentially hazardous radonuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K. The radiation hazard parameters including radiation equivalent activity, gamma-absorbed dose rate, and exter- nal and internal hazard indices have been estimated. The gamma-absorbed dose rates in air of rocks in Egypt range from 4.2 to 128.5 nGy·h-1 with a mean value of 55.3 nGy·h-1. For igneous and metamorphic rocks from Germany, the values of absorbed dose rates fluctuate from 5.1 to 148.6 nGy·h-1, with a mean value of 60.9 nGy·h-1. Generally, it is found that the radiation hazard indices in common igneous rocks are distinctly higher in acidic than in ultrabasic rocks. The results are discussed and compared with the corresponding published data.

A new sampler for simulating aerosol deposition in the respiratory tract

For estimation of the deposition fractions of radon progeny in different regions of the respiratory tract, a new sampler consisting of three different configurations of sampling heads was developed. The deposition fractions of aerosols on the wire screens inside the sampling heads were calculated with the fan model of filtration theory. The deposition fractions of aerosols in different regions of the respiratory tract were calculated with the lung dose evaluation program (LUDEP)developed by National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) as references. In general indoor and mine environments, the deviation between the deposition fractions of attached aerosol on the wire screens designed in this study and its reference values in the respiratory tract is less than 5%. It is possible to accurately estimate the deposition fractions of radon progeny in different regions of the respiratory tract through mimic measurements of radon progeny collected with the new sampler.