Radionuclide content in Matricaria chamomilla L., grown in two regions

This article analyses the content of natural radionuclides in chamomile plants collected from two different locations. Both samples have been dried in the shade at room temperature.The chamomile has been collected in July 2016 from two different regions of Bulgaria - Yagnilo village, Varna district and the village of Debeli Rat, Veliko Tarnovo district. They are dried under natural conditions and milled into a fine powder. The measurements are taken on a low-background spectrometer at Shumen University "Episkop Konstantin Preslavski". The resulting gamma-spectra are processed with ANGES software. Radioisotopes are determined by their energies. The values of their specific activities are calculated. Approximately the same levels of 226Ra, 228Ac, 208T1 and 40K are found in the samples from both regions.The highest levels of radionuclides are meаsured for 40K, the lowest specific activity in the flowers from Yagnilo is found for 208Tl, and in those from Debeli Rat - for 212Pb. The levels of their specific activities are within the limits, according to Ordinance №25 on the requirements for protection of people in case of chronic irradiation, as a result of production, trade and use of raw materials, products and goods with increased content of radionuclides and Ordinance №11 on defining the terms and conditions for providing free food and/or supplements to the workers and employees who work in enterprises of a specific nature and organization of work. The public health of consumers is not at risk, given these levels

Concentration of Natural Radionuclides in Calendula Officinalis L. Flowers

Introduction: Flowers of Calendula officinalis L., are widely used in folk medicine for number of medical conditions, such as wound healing, jaundice, blood purification, and as an antispasmolitic. Natural radionuclides are being absorbed together with water and minerals from soil and atmosphere by plants. Transfer of radionuclides represents a radiological risk to humans. The study of radionuclides concentration is of great significance. The aim of this work is to investigate radioactive contamination levels in Calendula officinalis L. Transfer coefficients of radionuclides from soil to herb were determined for the terrain around the village of Yagnilo, Northeast Bulgaria.Materials and Methods: Samples of flowers of Calendula officinalis L. were collected in July. Soil sample was obtained from 10 cm ground depth where calendula grows. Flowers and soil were air exsiccated and levigated. Measurements of dry powdered flowers of calendula and soil were carried out with a low-background gamma-ray Ge(Li) spectrometer at the University of Shumen. The obtained gamma spectra were processed with the computer program Anges. Radioisotopes are determined by their energies. The transfer factors of soil-plant were calculated.Results: Values for the specific activity of natural radioisotopes in calendula flowers and soil were obtained. Photopeaks of intense gamma emission from uranium series nuclides, 214Bi and 214Pb, thorium series nuclides 228Ac and 208Tl and gamma transition of 40K were observed. Artificial radionuclides of technogenic origin were not found.Conclusions: Specific activities of radionuclides were compared to maximum levels of natural radionuclides. Public health is not at risk having in mind these levels. Transfer factors (TFs) were in the range of 1 up to 50

PIXE – Analysis of Ingots and Srap from the Production Center Near Novosel, Shumen Region

In April 2018, a project called ACUDEMAB (Analyses of composition of non-ferrous metals, used for decorations in Early Middle Ages in Bulgaria) was successfully implemented in the Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications, MTA Atomki, Debrecen, in the framework of the EU H2020 IPERON CH (Integrated Project for the European Research Infrastructure ON Cultural Heritage) Trans-National Access program. Analysis of metal used for the casting of all these products, which is found in workshops and near furnaces can give convincing argument that this is precisely the metal used by medieval craftsmen. The results would give us the opportunity to identify ways of receipt of raw materials – import or reuse of waste products for new castings. The appearance of elements in the analysis depends on the geological and metallurgical conditions. According to the mineralogy of typical lead ores and the behaviour of the elements during the melting process, antimony Sb, arsenic As, bismuth Bi, copper Cu and silver Ag are among the leading elements in lead analysis. Similarly, with much less concentration than the actual melting of the ore, elements such as cobalt, iron, nickel and zinc, and gold, arsenic, selenium and tellurium may appear in the metal. Tin is not a typical ingredient for lead ores hence its absence in lead ingots. They belong to the so called Balkan metallogenic belt, where there are two basic types of mineralization: lead-zinc mineralization with key representatives of galenite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite (there were some ancient galenite mines found) and gold bearing polymetal minerals, represented by galenite, sphalerite and gold-bearing pyrite. Gold is placed in the oxidising zone of the galenite and pyrite. Investigations made on the remains of antique copper mines make us say with great certainty that the major portion of raw materials (copper and bronze) came from the Burgas-Strandja mining region. Numerous traces of mining activities were found in that region. In the Burgas sub-region only there are more than 250 ancient ore mines