Variation of ²¹°Po daily urinary excretion for male subjects at environmental level.

(210)Po was determined in 24-h urine of seven healthy males from Prague, Czech Republic, for ten consecutive days. The results show that for each volunteer, the urinary excretion of (210)Po changed only little from day to day in the studied time period. For two volunteers, the difference in the daily excreted (210)Po activity for two consecutive days was not significant, given the 95% confidence interval (two sigma) of the activity measurements. The same is valid for the excretion data of the other volunteers, except for some days where the differences were slightly higher. The range of daily urinary excretion of (210)Po of each volunteer in the studied time period was quite narrow. Among the volunteers, the maximum daily urinary excretion value of (210)Po was at most about a factor of 2.5 higher than the lowest excretion value. An attempt to explain the observed small inter-individual variability of (210)Po excretion in daily urine is made.

Further results in search for transuranium elements in effluents discharged to air from nuclear power plants.

In this work we present data on transuranium nuclides 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 242Cm and 244Cm in effluents discharged to air (activity concentrations and annually discharged activities of individual radionuclides) from 7 stacks in 2004-2009. In the effluents discharged to air from one stack low activities of transuranium nuclides were observed throughout the studied period. Transuranium nuclides had been discharged to air from this stack also in previous years since 1996 when defect in the cladding of a fuel element and consequent contamination of the primary circuit occurred. In the effluents discharged to air from another stack transuranium nuclides were observed only in some monitoring periods of studied years. We could not prove the presence of transuranium nuclides in the effluents of the other stacks up to 2006. The transuranium nuclides in discharged effluents were registered in the second half-year of 2006. In 2007-2008 especially low activities of 241Am were found in these effluents.

Low level air radioactivity measurements in Prague, Czech Republic.

Activity concentrations of radionuclides in the atmosphere have been monitored for over 21 years in the Czech Republic, at present at 10 sampling sites. Results of long-time observation of the radionuclides (137)Cs, (7)Be, (210)Pb, (22)Na, (40)K, (238)Pu, (239,240)Pu, (90)Sr, (85)Kr and (14)C and statistical analysis of the data from the monitoring site in Prague are given in the paper. In 2007 mean activity concentrations of monitored radionuclides at Prague monitoring site in Bq/m(3) were: (85)Kr, 1.6 x 10(+0); (14)C, 5.3 x 10(-2); (137)Cs, 6.8 x 10(-7); (7)Be, 4.3 x 10(-3); (210)Pb, 5.3 x 10(-4); (40)K, 1.8 x 10(-5); (22)Na, 3.5 x 10(-7); (90)Sr, 5-7 x 10(-8); (238)Pu, 1-2 x 10(-10) and (239,240)Pu, 1.7 x 10(-9).

Plutonium isotopes in surface air of Prague in 1986-2006.

Monitoring of 239,240Pu in surface air of Prague started in 1986 in connection with the Chernobyl accident. Measurable activities of 10-28 microBq m(-3) were found from 29 April 1986 to 5 May 1986. In the most of the monitoring periods of 1987-1996, activities of 239,240Pu in air were not measurable. Positive values for 239,240Pu and 238Pu in air could be obtained after installation of an aerosol sampler with higher flow-rate in 1997. Activity concentrations of 239,240Pu and 238Pu in Prague air in the most of quarters of 1997-2006 were in the range 0.53-5.06 and <0.16-1.10 nBq m(-3), respectively. Seasonal fluctuations can be found in content of 239,240Pu in air. Activity ratios of 238Pu/239,240Pu in air are higher than those in top soil, so it can be supposed that 238Pu is coming to air of Prague also from other sources than resuspension of fallout from atmospheric nuclear tests.

Almost twenty years' search of transuranium isotopes in effluents discharged to air from nuclear power plants with VVER reactors.

Airborne effluents of 5 stacks (stacks 1-5) of three nuclear power plants, with 9 pressurized water reactors VVER of 4,520 MWe total power, were searched for transuranium isotopes in different time periods. The search started in 1985. The subject of this work is a presentation of discharge data for the period of 1998-2003 and a final evaluation. It was found that 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 242Cm, and 244Cm can be present in airborne effluents. Transuranium isotope contents in most of the quarterly effluent samples from stacks 2, 4 and 5 were not measurable. Transuranium isotopes were present in the effluents from stack l during all 9 years of the study and from stack 3 since the 3rd quarter of 1996 as a result of a defect in the fuel cladding. A relatively high increase of transuranium isotopes in effluents from stack 3 occurred in the 3rd quarter of 1999, and a smaller increase occurred in the 3rd quarter of 2003. In each instance 242Cm prevailed in the transuranium isotope mixtures. 238Pu/239,240Pu, 241Am/239,240Pu, 242Cm/239,240Pu, and 244Cm/239,240Pu ratios in fuel for different burn-up were calculated, and comparison of these ratios in fuel and effluents was performed.

238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr and 137Cs in soils around nuclear research centre Rez, near Prague.

Forty-four soil samples were taken around the nuclear research centre Rez, near Prague. The mean activity concentrations of 238Pu, 239,240Pu, 241Am, 90Sr and 137Cs in uncultivated soil were 0.010, 0.26, 0.12, 2.7 and 23 Bq.kg(-1), respectively. Contents of radionuclides in cultivated soil were lower and in forest soil higher than in uncultivated soil. The mean activity ratios of 238Pu/239,240Pu, 241Am/239,240Pu, 90Sr/239,240Pu and 239,240Pu/137Cs in uncultivated soil were 0.041, 0.47, 10.9 and 0.013, respectively. The mean activity ratios in cultivated and forest soils were close to the values given above. It follows from the results that the source of 239,240Pu, 90Sr and 137Cs in the studied area is deposition from atmospheric nuclear tests, in the case of 137Cs also deposition from Chernobyl accident. The contribution of the research centre effluents was not proved for these radionuclides. Increased activity ratio of 241Am/239,240Pu indicates the presence of 241Am in the soils studied emanating from sources other than nuclear tests. Uniform distribution of the 241Am/239,240Pu activity ratio around the nuclear research centre and the absence of an area with evidently higher activity ratio, including at sites lying in the main wind direction, suggest that the additional activity of 241Am does not originate from the nuclear research centre. The additional source might be the deposition following the Chernobyl accident.

Assessment of occupational doses from internal contamination with 241Am.

A group of workers with occupational intakes of 241Am, which occurred a long time ago, has been followed for some time. Results of in vivo measurement and bioassay of excreta are compared with the values predicted by the ICRP Publication 78 model. The observed skeletal content is, as a rule, higher than the predicted one. The ratio of excreted activity in urine to that in faeces is in very good agreement with the model prediction. Another group of workers from a waste management department, who were internally contaminated in July 2001, has also been followed. In some cases, there is quite a large difference in calculated intake between excretion by urine and that by faeces. The contaminant was presumably the same as that in the group of workers with old intakes, but its physical and chemical form could be influenced by a fixating lacquer used to prevent the spread of contamination.

A case of repeated accidental inhalation contamination of a male subject with 137Cs.

Two consecutive incidents of internal contamination occurred within a 13-mo period when a male worker (56 y, 70 kg) briefly entered and stayed (during a breakdown of control apparatus for air contamination) in a radioisotope storeroom with air contaminated by an explosion of old ampules containing 137Cs solution. Monitoring of the first contamination began on day 34 and that of the second one within 1 h after inhalation. According to the two-exponential model, long-term biological half-times of 92 and 93 d were obtained for the first and second contaminations, respectively. The short-term biological half-time for the second contamination was calculated as 3.0 d. The mean value of the fraction of 137Cs excreted in daily urine to that in total excreta was 0.88 for the first contamination and 0.89 for the second one.

Determination of plutonium in feces and urine.

A method was developed for the determination of plutonium (239Pu, 238Pu, etc.) in feces and urine excreted by persons for 24 h. Plutonium is successively separated from inorganic macrocomponents present in samples and from other alpha emitters by the help of coprecipitation with BiPO4, LaF3 and extraction with TTA. After separation, the electrodeposition of plutonium on stainless-steel discs can be carried out. The chemical yields of separation of plutonium are about 80%.