Radioactivity in the groundwater of a high background radiation area.

Natural radioactivity was measured in groundwater samples collected from 37 wells scattered in an inhabited area of high natural background radiation, in a purpose of radiation protection. The study area is adjacent to Aja heights of granitic composition in Hail province, Saudi Arabia. Initial screening for gross α and gross ß activities showed levels exceeded the national regulation limits set out for gross α and gross ß activities in drinking water. The gross α activity ranged from 0.17 to 5.41 Bq L(-)(1) with an average value of 2.15 Bq L(-)(1), whereas gross ß activity ranged from 0.48 to 5.16 Bq L(-)(1), with an average value of 2.60 Bq L(-)(1). The detail analyses indicated that the groundwater of this province is contaminated with uranium and radium ((226)Ra and (228)Ra). The average activity concentrations of (238)U, (234)U, (226)Ra and (228)Ra were 0.40, 0.77, 0.29 and 0.46 Bq L(-)(1), respectively. The higher uranium content was found in the samples of granitic aquifers, whereas the higher radium content was found in the samples of sandstone aquifers. Based on the obtained results, mechanism of leaching of the predominant radionuclides has been discussed in detail.

A study on radiographic repeat rate data of several hospitals in Jeddah.

Radiographic repeat rate data in diagnostic radiology in King Fahad Hospital (KFH), King Abdulaziz Hospital (KAH), and Maternity and Children Hospital (MCH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have been studied. The study provided valuable information to suggest preventive measures to reduce repeats. The variables included in the study are exposure techniques, examination types, total number of films used, number of films repeated, the film sizes, gender, the age groups of the patients, and reason for repetition. The total number of examinations in all three hospitals is 6001 using 8887 films on 5412 patients. The average repeat rate was 7.93%, where the individual hospital repeat rates were 9.57% in the MCH, 7.84% in KAH, and 7.44% in KFH. The repeat rate for children and infants was found to be undesirable. The quality assurance (QA) programme can effectively reduce the unnecessary exposure and can identify the cause of the exposure. The overexposure, underexposure, and position fault were the foremost contributors for repeats and constitute 32.91%, 28.94%, and 22.98% of the total respectively. The QA study identified that human error and equipment malfunction are the major contributors to these causes of repeats. The highest repetition rate was for pelvis, 13.64%, followed by skull, 11.59%, and abdomen, 10.41%. It is estimated that the total area of wasted film in all three hospitals is 74.3 m2. As per the average repeat rate, the cost of repeat films in the entire kingdom per year has been projected to be about 1.82 million US dollars (SR 6.83 million) in the government hospitals only. Based on the findings of this study a set of recommendations have been prescribed for the radiology department to reduce the repeat rate and to improve the safety culture.

Deposition patterns of molecular phase radon progeny (218Po) in lung bifurcations.

Indoor air contamination by radon and its decay products is currently the focus of considerable attention and is considered by many to be the greatest potential cause of lung cancer in the human environment next to smoking. The bifurcations of the human respiratory tract are regions in which enhanced local deposition of particles (hot spots) can occur. These hot spots are important in estimating the risk from radon exposure but existing mathematical models do not characterize them accurately. In this study, radon progeny in the molecular size range were sampled through an aluminium model of a lung bifurcation. The parent and secondary tube diameters used correspond to the third and fourth generations in Weibel's lung model. Steady state, nominally laminar flows were used in the study. Deposition was measured along the inside, outside, top, and bottom walls of the secondary tubes. Experimental results indicate that the deposition along the inside wall is noticeably higher than that along the other walls. The results also show that along the inside, top, and bottom walls the deposition has its overall maximum at the carina. Other maxima are also observed along the secondary tubes downstream from the carina.

Computational flow and aerosol concentration profiles in lung bifurcations.

Flows in lung bifurcations are complicated by geometry, and it is recognized that accurate lung dosimetric models require realistic calculations of the flow and particle deposition patterns. A computational fluid dynamics study of flow and particle concentration has been carried out for a lung bifurcation based on the model developed by Weibel. The predicted flow patterns match well with previously reported experimental data. Secondary flow patterns and locations close to the walls having high particle concentrations are clearly seen.