European Atlas of Natural Radiation

Natural ionizing radiation is considered as the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world population. The human population is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation from several natural sources that can be classified into two broad categories: high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and radioactive nuclides generated during the formation of the Earth and still present in the Earth’s crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium and thorium radioactive families together with potassium. In most circumstances, radon, a noble gas produced in the radioactive decay of uranium, is the most important contributor to the total dose. This Atlas aims to present the current state of knowledge of natural radioactivity, by giving general background information, and describing its various sources. This reference material is complemented by a collection of maps of Europe displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It is a compilation of contributions and reviews received from more than 80 experts in their field: they come from universities, research centres, national and European authorities and international organizations. This Atlas provides reference material and makes harmonized datasets available to the scientific community and national competent authorities. In parallel, this Atlas may serve as a tool for the public to: • familiarize itself with natural radioactivity; • be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources; • have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor; • and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence to better understand the latter.JRC.G.10-Knowledge for Nuclear Security and Safet

European Atlas of Natural Radiation

Natural ionizing radiation is considered as the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world population. The human population is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation from several natural sources that can be classified into two broad categories: high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and radioactive nuclides generated during the formation of the Earth and still present in the Earth’s crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium and thorium radioactive families together with potassium. In most circumstances, radon, a noble gas produced in the radioactive decay of uranium, is the most important contributor to the total dose.This Atlas aims to present the current state of knowledge of natural radioactivity, by giving general background information, and describing its various sources. This reference material is complemented by a collection of maps of Europe displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It is a compilation of contributions and reviews received from more than 80 experts in their field: they come from universities, research centres, national and European authorities and international organizations.This Atlas provides reference material and makes harmonized datasets available to the scientific community and national competent authorities. In parallel, this Atlas may serve as a tool for the public to: • familiarize itself with natural radioactivity;• be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources;• have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor;• and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence to better understand the latter.Additional information at: https://remon.jrc.ec.europa.eu/About/Atlas-of-Natural-Radiatio

European annual cosmic-ray dose: estimation of population exposure

The earth is continually bombarded by high-energy cosmic ray particles, and the worldwide average exposure to cosmic rays represents about 13% of the total annual effective dose received by the population. Therefore, assessment of cosmic ray exposure at the ground level is of great interest to better understand population exposure to ionizing radiation. This paper presents and describes the European Annual Cosmic-Ray Dose Map at 1 km resolution (Main Map). The Main Map displays the annual effective dose that a person may receive from cosmic rays at the ground level, which ranges from 301 to 3955 μSv. Moreover, thanks to the availability of population data, the annual cosmic-ray collective dose has been evaluated and population-weighted average annual effective dose (per capita) due to cosmic ray has been estimated for each European country considered in this study. The accuracy of the present study has been confirmed by comparing our results with those obtained using other models

European annual cosmic-ray dose: estimation of population exposure

<p>The earth is continually bombarded by high-energy cosmic ray particles, and the worldwide average exposure to cosmic rays represents about 13% of the total annual effective dose received by the population. Therefore, assessment of cosmic ray exposure at the ground level is of great interest to better understand population exposure to ionizing radiation. This paper presents and describes the European Annual Cosmic-Ray Dose Map at 1 km resolution (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2017.1384934" target="_blank">Main Map</a>). The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2017.1384934" target="_blank">Main Map</a> displays the annual effective dose that a person may receive from cosmic rays at the ground level, which ranges from 301 to 3955 μSv. Moreover, thanks to the availability of population data, the annual cosmic-ray collective dose has been evaluated and population-weighted average annual effective dose (per capita) due to cosmic ray has been estimated for each European country considered in this study. The accuracy of the present study has been confirmed by comparing our results with those obtained using other models.</p

Multi-platform quantitation of alpha-synuclein human brain proteoforms suggests disease-specific biochemical profiles of synucleinopathies

Based on immunostainings and biochemical analyses, certain post-translationally modified alpha-synuclein (aSyn) variants, including C-terminally truncated (CTT) and Serine-129 phosphorylated (pSer129) aSyn, are proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease with (PDD) and without dementia (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). However, quantitative information about aSyn proteoforms in the human brain in physiological and different pathological conditions is still limited. To address this, we generated sequential biochemical extracts of the substantia nigra, putamen and hippocampus from 28 donors diagnosed and neuropathologically-confirmed with different synucleinopathies (PD/PDD/DLB/MSA), as well as Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and aged normal subjects. The tissue extracts were used to build a reverse phase array including 65 aSyn antibodies for detection. In this multiplex approach, we observed increased immunoreactivity in donors with synucleinopathies compared to controls in detergent-insoluble fractions, mainly for antibodies against CT aSyn and pSer129 aSyn. In addition, despite of the restricted sample size, clustering analysis suggested disease-specific immunoreactivity signatures in patient groups with different synucleinopathies. We aimed to validate and quantify these findings using newly developed immunoassays towards total, 119 and 122 CTT, and pSer129 aSyn. In line with previous studies, we found that synucleinopathies shared an enrichment of post-translationally modified aSyn in detergent-insoluble fractions compared to the other analyzed groups. Our measurements allowed for a quantitative separation of PDD/DLB patients from other synucleinopathies based on higher detergent-insoluble pSer129 aSyn concentrations in the hippocampus. In addition, we found that MSA stood out due to enrichment of CTT and pSer129 aSyn also in the detergent-soluble fraction of the SN and putamen. Together, our results achieved by multiplexed and quantitative immunoassay-based approaches in human brain extracts of a limited sample set point to disease-specific biochemical aSyn proteoform profiles in distinct neurodegenerative disorders

The Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety – 30 years of international coordination of radiation protection and safety matters

International audienceThe Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety (IACRS) was constituted in 1990, as a forum for collaboration and coordination between international bodies with regards to radiation safety. It consists today of representatives of eight intergovernmental member organizations (EC, FAO, IAEA, ILO, OECD/NEA, PAHO, UNSCEAR and WHO) and five observer non-governmental organizations (ICRP, ICRU, IEC, IRPA and ISO). The IACRS provides a platform for interaction between these relevant international bodies to contribute to a common understanding of the scientific basis and legal framework for the application of the system of radiation protection, towards global harmonization of radiation safety standards. The IACRS played a key role in the development of the International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) in 1996 and in its revision in 2014. Further, an IACRS specific Task Group—chaired by the IAEA—fosters the implementation of the BSS in a consistent and coherent manner in all Member States of the United Nations. The IACRS operates via a standing secretariat jointly provided by the IAEA and OECD/NEA and is chaired by one of its member organizations on a rotating basis for periods of about 18 months. This approach has proved to be effective and was the foundation for ensuring continuity of the work of the committee and at the same time allowing a rotating leadership for all member organizations. Currently, the IACRS is chaired by WHO. The International Radiation Safety Framework under which the IACRS works is structured around four main areas: (a) science; (b) principles; (c) standards; and (d) practice. This paper presents briefly the mandates, roles and functions of the various international bodies that are relevant to the four above mentioned areas of work, discusses how these bodies coordinate their actions and complement each other to enhance radiation protection and safety worldwide and describes their contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper also provides an overview of the main accomplishments of the IACRS since its inception 30 years ago, and an outlook on key challenges for its future activities

Chapter 5: Radon

Natural ionising radiation is considered the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world’s population. Man is continuously exposed to ionising radiation from several sources that can be grouped into two categories: first, high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and, second, radioactive nuclides generated when the Earth was formed and still present in its crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium (U) and thorium (Th) radioactive families together with potassium (40K), a long-lived radioactive isotope of the elemental potassium. In most cases, radon (222Rn), a noble gas produced by radioactive decay of the 238U progeny, is the major contributor to the total dose. This European Atlas of Natural Radiation has been conceived and developed as a tool for the public to become familiar with natural radioactivity; be informed about the levels of such radioactivity caused by different sources; and have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world’s population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor. At the same time, it provides reference material and generates harmonised data, both for the scientific community and national competent authorities. Intended as an encyclopaedia of natural radioactivity, the Atlas describes the different sources of such radioactivity, cosmic and terrestrial, and represents the state-of-the art of this topic. In parallel, it contains a collection of maps of Europe showing the levels of natural sources of radiation. This work unfolds as a sequence of chapters: the rationale behind; some necessary background information; terrestrial radionuclides; radon; radionuclides in water and river sediments; radionuclides in food; cosmic radiation and cosmogenic radionuclides. The final chapter delivers the overall goal of the Atlas: a population-weighted average of the annual effective dose due to natural sources of radon, estimated for each European country as well as for all of them together, giving, therefore, an overall European estimate. As a complement, this introductory chapter offers an overview of the legal basis and requirements on protecting the public from exposure to natural radiation sources. In Europe, radiation has a long tradition. Based on the Euratom Treaty, the European Atomic Energy Community early established a set of legislation for protecting the public against dangers arising from artificial ('man-made') ionising radiation, but this scope has since been extended to include natural radiation. Indeed, the recently modernised and consolidated Basic Safety Standards Directive from 2013 contains detailed provisions on the protection from all natural radiation sources, including radon, cosmic rays, natural radionuclides in building material, and naturally occurring radioactive material