Radon in drinking water in the Białystok region of Poland

Water is one of the indoor sources of 222Rn. As radon is soluble in water, it is carried indoor by water supply and there it is released. The presence of radon in groundwaters is caused by direct migration of 222Rn from rocks and soil to waters as well as by radium content in water. Radon inflow indoor is possible in the areas where drinking water shows high radon concentration. Radon concentration changes significantly from low in natural surface water to relatively high from water in drilled wells. It is estimated that out of 10,000 Bq·m–3 of radon contained in water supply we can obtain radon concentration increase by 1 Bq·m–3 indoor. The aim of the study was to measure radon in water supply in the Białystok region and also estimation of doses and investigation how the treatment influenced radon concentration in water. Water was collected from rural and municipal waterworks as well as from home wells. Measurements of radon concentration in particular stages of drawing and treatment of water in Białystok waterworks were also conducted. A liquid scintillation method was used in the study. The arithmetic mean of radon concentrations in the samples was equal to 5800 Bq·m–3, median – 4800 Bq·m–3, and geometric mean – 4600 Bq·m–3. The lowest values of radon concentration were observed in surface waters (from surface intake). Radon concentrations in waters from drilled wells, shallow home wells and surface intake were compared and statistically significant differences were obtained at p < 0.05. The results of radon concentrations in drinking water in the Białystok area revealed radon-poor waters (88%) and low-radon waters (12%)

Variation of Cs-137 deposition in soil and lakes in the north-east region of Poland

The aim of this work is to assess the current deposits of Cs-137 in soil and in lakes in the Poland's north-eastern lake district (12-14 years after Chernobyl accident) a dozen or so years after the Chernobyl disaster. Caesium content in soil and sediment was determined by gamma spectrometry (in 79 soil samples and 136 sediment samples). The soil samples were collected in summer 1998-2000. The sediment from 29 lakes were sampled in May 2000. The highest surface activity was found in soil with the arithmetic mean (AM) 3.13 kBq m-2 and median (M) 2.37 kBq m-2. For lakes, the respective values were 1.89 kBq m-2 and 1.5 kBq m-2. In the case of the soil samples collected from forests, fields, lake shores and arable lands, the mean values of caesium deposition were: 4.37, 2.56, 3.42 and 1.52 kBq m-2, respectively. The mean surface activity of sedimentary samples (AM) from oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophics lakes was found to have different values, viz. 1.48, 2.23 and 1.86 kBq m-2, respectively

Evaluation of radon risk for Białystok inhabitants regarding the type of town buildings

Radon and its short-lived disintegration products are the most significant factors of exposure to ionizing radiation from natural sources. Białystok has the population of about 300,000 inhabitants in 100,460 flats in 16,282 houses. They are mostly one-family houses (about 80.7per cent) and two-family houses (8.2 per cent). It can be estimated that about 2/3 of the Białystok inhabitants live in the so-called “blocks of flats”. The study aimed at evaluation of the exposure to radon present in the flats. The integral method of trace detectors was used to measure radon concentration indoors. All values of the radon concentration were the mean annual values as they were obtained on annual exposure or were calculated and corrected to annual exposure based on shorter periods of time. Radon concentration distribution in flats of 3 housing estates in Białystok was analyzed. The effective dose of inhaled radon per a statistical inhabitant of Białystok (about 1.1 mSv) per year was calculated on the basis of mean values of radon concentration. Inhabitants of one-family houses obtained slightly higher annual doses – 1.4 mSv while the inhabitants of block of flats got lower annual doses – 0.8 mSv

Method of reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides from coke ovens

W artykule przedstawiano problem powstawania i potrzebę ograniczenia emisji tlenków azotu z baterii pieców koksowniczych. Dokonano analizy efektywności i dostępności metod redukcji tlenków azotu z baterii koksowniczych. Wdrożone do praktyki przemysłowej metody redukcji tlenków azotu z baterii pieców koksowniczych oraz realizacja przez operatorów instalacji koksowniczych programów dostosowawczych, przyczynią się do wypełnienia przez baterie pieców koksowniczych wymagań środowiskowych, wynikających z konkluzji BAT.This article tackles the issue of the formation and the need to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides from coke oven batteries. The analysis of effectiveness and availability of methods of reducing nitrogen oxides from coke-oven batteries was carried out. The methods of reducing nitrogen oxides from the cokeoven batteries implemented in industrial practices and the execution of adjustment programmes by operators of coke ovens shall enable the coke oven batteries to fulfill the environmental requirements resulting from the BAT conclusions

Seasonal changeability of indoor radon concentrations in one-family house

Indoor radon concentration undergoes 24-hour and seasonal changes. The paper presents first in Poland results of radon concentration changeability in one building during the whole year. We performed 103 measurements of indoor radon concentrations. The following parameters of radon concentration distribution were obtained: arithmetic mean - 224.1 Bq m 3, geometric mean - 194.5 Bq m 3, median - 207 Bq m 3, and geometric standard deviation - 1.84. The minimum observed value was 22 Bq m 3 and the maximum - 748 Bq m 3. We determined the monthly and annual values of radon concentrations. The values for particular months are in the range of 0.5 to 1.6 of the annual mean. We observed a correlation between the mean radon concentrations in the examined buildings and the differences in the mean values of indoor (R = 0.91, p < 0.05) and outdoor temperatures (R = 0.91, p < 0.05). There was also a connection between the radon concentration inside the buildings and the changes in atmospheric pressure

Fluctuation of radiocaesium concentrations in the near-surface atmospheric layer in Białystok in the period 1992-1999

Air samples were collected at an early-warning sampling and monitoring radioactive contamination station ASS-500. The results of the measurements are presented for radioactive aerosols collected on filters each week between 1992 and 1999. The large variations in activity concentration were observed in annual cycles. The maximum values exceeded the mean annual values by a factor of 2.8 to 7.3. Over the period of eight years the mean values of activity in air was found to decrease from 5.3 mi Bq m-3 in 1992 to 2.2 mi Bq m-3 in 1999. A good correlation between the Cs-137 activity and dust content in the air indicates that in the observed period the main source of Cs-137 activity is the dust with soil and vegetation particles. The effect of radiation from inhalation is negligible (626 pSv)

Comparison of radon hazard to inhabitants of the Augustów Plane sandr and inhabitants of the Suwałki region of fluvioglacial sands and gravels

In a region of two lithologic units: the Augustów Plane sandr and the Suwałki sands and fluvioglacial gravels, 134 measurements of radon concentrations in dwelling houses were performed. An integral method of solid state nuclear trace detectors (SSNTD) was used in the studies. Statistically significant differences in the radon concentrations in both geological units were obtained. The radon concentration arithmetic mean was 197 Bq m-3, geometric mean - 119 Bq m-3, median - 111 Bq m-3, the maximal value being 1225 Bq m-3 in the region of the Suwałki fluvioglacial sands and gravels. The Augustów Plane sandr revealed arithmetic mean of radon concentration equal to 123 Bq m-3, geometric mean – 80 Bq m-3, and median equal to 67 Bq m-3, maximal value 695 Bq m-3. The annual effective dose of the radon obtained by inhabitants of the Augustów Plane sandr is 1.7 mSv and for inhabitants of the Suwałki fluvioglacial sands and gravels it is 2.5 mSv