National comparison of methods for determination of radon in water

The article describes three interlaboratory experiments concerning 222Rn determination in water samples. The fi rst two experiments were carried out with the use of artifi cial radon waters prepared by the Laboratory of Radiometric Expertise (LER), Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków in 2014 and 2018. The third experiment was performed using natural environment waters collected in the vicinity of the former uranium mine in Kowary in 2016. Most of the institutions performing radon in water measurements in Poland were gathered in the Polish Radon Centre Network, and they participated in the experiments. The goal of these exercises was to evaluate different measurement techniques used routinely in Polish laboratories and the laboratories’ profi ciency of radon in water measurements. In the experiment performed in 2018, the reference values of 222Rn concentration in water were calculated based on the method developed at LER. The participants’ results appeared to be worse for low radon concentration than for high radon concentrations. The conclusions drawn on that base indicated the weaknesses of the used methods and probably the sampling. The interlaboratory experiments, in term, can help to improve the participants’ skills and reliability of their results

Whole body spectrometry in Poland – science, medicine, dosimetry

Spektrometria całego ciała realizowana jest na terenie Polski w oparciu o dwa urządzenia zlokalizowane w Narodowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych w Świerku oraz w Instytucie Fizyki Jądrowej Polskiej Akademii Nauk w Krakowie. Ta technika pomiarowa, stosowana w powiązaniu z odpowiednio przygotowanymi kalibracjami wydajnościowymi (opracowanymi w oparciu o wykorzystanie fantomów antropometrycznych i/lub modeli numerycznych), umożliwia jakościową i ilościową analizę izotopów gamma – promieniotwórczych zdeponowanych w ciele człowieka. Spektrometry całego ciała w Polsce wykorzystywane są do rutynowego monitoringu osób narażonych zawodowo, monitoringu pracowników i pacjentów medycyny nuklearnej oraz ich rodzin, a także badań osób potencjalnie skażonych w wyniku incydentów/zdarzeń jądrowych.Whole body spectrometry is carried out in Poland based on two devices located in the National Center for Nuclear Research in Świerk and the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow. This measuring technique, used together with properly prepared performance calibrations (developed based on anthropometric phantoms and / or numerical models), enables qualitative and quantitative analysis of gamma- radioactive isotopes deposited in the human body. Whole body spectrometers in Poland are used for routine monitoring of occupationally exposed personnel, monitoring of employees and patients in the field of nuclear medicine and their families, as well as research on persons potentially contaminated as a result of nuclear incidents / events

Numerical model of thyroid counter

The aim of this study was to develop a numerical model of spectrometric thyroid counter, which is used for the measurements of internal contamination by in vivo method. The modeled detector is used for a routine internal exposure monitoring procedure in the Radiation Protection Measurements Laboratory of National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ). This procedure may also be used for monitoring of occupationally exposed nuclear medicine personnel. The developed model was prepared using Monte Carlo code FLUKA 2011 ver. 2b.6 Apr-14 and FLAIR ver. 1.2-5 interface. It contains a scintillation NaI(Tl) detector, the collimator and the thyroid water phantom with a reference source of iodine 131I. The geometry of the model was designed and a gamma energy spectrum of iodine 131I deposited in the detector was calculated

Validation of the method for determination of plutonium isotopes in urine samples and its application in a nuclear facility at Otwock

The studies aimed at determining low activities of alpha radioactive elements are widely recognized as essential for the human health, because of their high radiotoxicity in case of internal contamination. Some groups of workers of nuclear facility at Otwock are potentially exposed to contamination with plutonium isotopes. For this reason, the method for determination of plutonium isotopes has been introduced and validated in Radiation Protection Measurements Laboratory (LPD) of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ). In this method the plutonium is isolated from a sample by coprecipitation with phosphates and separated on a AG 1-X2 Resin. After electrodeposition, the sample is measured by alpha spectrometry. Validation was performed in order to assess parameters such as: selectivity, accuracy (trueness and precision) and linearity of the method. The results of plutonium determination in urine samples of persons potentially exposed to internal contamination are presented in this work

Optimization of 210Po determination in soil

In recent years, naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) have become an important topic from the perspective of environmental protection. The list of isotopes that should be monitored in the environment is constantly growing as new amendments to international legislation are introduced. One of the often studied NORM elements is 210Po. In this study, a process of elaborating of a new method of 210Po determination in soil was presented. In the proposed method, several analytical aspects, like the influence of silica decomposition or optimization of an electrode material, were revised. The obtained procedure allows performance of complete radiochemical analysis in a single day, with the chemical efficiency of over 85% and great reduction of costs. Further, the influence of the use of phosphate fertilizers on polonium concentration in soil was also confirmed