Long-term monitoring of water treatment technology designed for radium removal-removal efficiencies and NORM formation.

A drinking water treatment plant in Viimsi, Estonia, was monitored over three years for iron, manganese, radium-226, radium-228, as well as their daughter nuclides, in order to determine the efficiency of the treatment process, gain an insight into the removal mechanisms and interactions between radium, iron, and manganese, and assess the overall longevity and performance of the technology along with the possible build-up of NORM in the treatment process. During the study, samples were collected from raw water, first and second stage filtrate, consumer water, backwash water and filter materials. The results show consistent removal efficiency for iron and manganese, as well as an average of over 85% removal for radium with a slight decline over time. The backwash process has been optimised for maximum radium removal from the filters, while keeping concentrations in the backwash water below exemption levels. However, the accumulation of radium and thorium occurs in the filter material, exceeding exemption levels in the top layer of the filter columns in less than a year. By the end of the observation period, activity concentrations in the top layer of the columns were above 30 000 Bq kg-1 for Ra-226 and Ra-228, and around 15 000 Bq kg-1 for Th-228. Radionuclides are not homogenously distributed in the filter columns. In order to estimate the average activity concentrations in the filter media, the height distribution of radionuclides has to be accounted for. Two years and two months after commissioning the treatment plant, the average activity concentrations of Ra isotopes in the filter columns were in the range 10 000 Bq kg-1, while Th-228 activity concentration was roughly 3500 Bq kg-1.

Long-term monitoring of a water treatment technology designed for radium removal - removal efficiencies and NORM formation.

A drinking water treatment plant in Viimsi, Estonia was monitored over three years for iron, manganese, radium-226, radium-228, and their daughter nuclides in order to determine the efficiency of the treatment process, get an insight of the removal mechanisms and interactions between radium, iron, and manganese, and assess the overall longevity and performance of the technology and possible build-up of NORM from the treatment process. During the study, samples were collected from raw water, first and second stage filtrate, consumer water, backwash water, and filter materials. The results show a consistent removal efficiency for iron and manganese, as well as an average of over 85% removal for radium with a slight decline with time. Backwash process has been optimized for maximum radium removal from the filters, while keeping the radium concentrations in the backwash water below exemption levels. However, accumulation of radium and thorium occurs in the filter material, exceeding exemption levels in the top layer of the filter columns in less than a year. By the end of the observation period, activity concentrations in the top layer of the columns were above 30 000 Bq/kg for Ra-226 and Ra-228, and around 15 000 Bq/kg for Th-228. Radionuclides are not homogenously distributed in the filter columns. In order to estimate the average activity concentrations in the filter media, the height distribution of radionuclides has to be accounted for. Two years and two months after commissioning of the treatment plant average activity concentrations of Ra isotopes in the filter columns were in a range of 10 000 Bq/kg while Th-228 activity concentration was roughly 3500 Bq/kg.

Pb-210 and fly ash particles in ombrotrophic peat bogs as indicators of industrial emissions.

Peat cores were collected from a Sphagnum-dominated Selisoo bog, which is located about 40 km from the large oil shale-fired power plants (PPs) in Estonia. These PPs have been operational from the 1960's and had the largest negative impact on the surrounding environment during the 1970's and 1980's. Nearby ombrotrophic peatlands are good indicators of atmospheric pollution due to their properties of effectively adsorbing mineral matter and pollutants. Collected peat cores (S1 and S2) from Selisoo peat bog were sliced into 1 cm thick layers and measured gamma spectrometrically. In addition, spherical fly ash particles (SFAP) originating from the combustion of the PPs were counted. The maximum concentrations (particles per cm3) of the SFAP remained between 7 and 12 cm for core S1 and between 11 and 17 cm for core S2. The concentration profiles of the SFAP reflect the combustion and emission history of the PPs. Pb-210 activity concentrations have the maximum values up to 500 Bq kg-1 and 413 Bq m-2 for S1 and for the S2 the values are 441 Bq kg-1 and 535 Bq m-2 (dry weight). The unsupported 210Pb inventory is around 4250 Bq m-2. This represents a 210Pb deposition flux of 133 Bq m-2 y-1. The estimated 210Pb deposition via fly ash from the PPs at Selisoo area remains between 0.2 and 2.2 Bq m-2 y-1. Considering the annual 210Pb deposition from the atmosphere (with a precipitation rate of 600 mm y-1) between 92 and 133 Bq m-2, which is regarded as the natural background value, we show that the radiological burden due to the power plants at these distances is negligible. As the peat cores exhibit noticeable differences from each other (in terms of radionuclide concentration distribution), the SFAP can provide a good additional parameter to improve the validity of results obtained only from radiometric methods in the chronological studies. SFAP can also act as a possible tool to estimate the radionuclide deposition rate via fly ash in the vicinity of the PPs.

Chromosomal aberration in peripheral lymphocytes and doses to the active bone marrow in radiotherapy of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Radiotherapy plays an important role in the management of prostate cancer. Epidemiological data indicate a small but significant risk of radiation-induced leukemia after radiotherapy which might be related to the high mean bone marrow dose associated with radiotherapy of prostate cancer. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relation between the mean bone marrow dose and unstable chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients undergoing conformal radiotherapy for prostate cancer as a possible indicator of risk. Endometrial cancer patients were also included for comparison. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine patients, six with prostate cancer (60-73 years old) and three with endometrial cancer (61-81 years old) treated with radiotherapy were included in the study. The non-bony spaces inside the pelvic bones were outlined on every CT slice using the treatment planning system and mean doses to the bone marrow calculated. Blood samples of the patients were obtained at different times before, during and at the end of treatment. Lymphocytes were cultured in the usual way and metaphases scored for dicentric aberrations. RESULTS: 46 samples from nine patients were obtained. The mean number of metaphases analyzed per sample was 180 with a range from 52 to 435. The mean bone marrow doses for prostate cancer patients ranged from 2.8 to 4.2 Gy and for endometrial cancer patients from 12.8 to 14.8 Gy. The aberration yield increased with the planning target volume and the mean bone marrow dose. CONCLUSION: The yield of dicentric aberrations for prostate cancer patients correlated closely with the mean bone marrow dose albeit the induction of dicentrics occurred in mature T lymphocytes most of which were probably in transit through the irradiated volumes. Therefore, the observed relationship between dicentrics and mean bone marrow doses are indirect.