The Investigation of 137Cs Contamination in Soils of Aceh after the Tsunami

Cs-137 is one of the most common radionuclides used for analysing man-made radioactive contamination in the environment beside Sr-90. Nangro Aceh Darussalam Province suffered the greatest mortality, with widespread destruction extending along more than 1000 km of coastline on 26 December 2004 due to tsunami. The disaster were affected areas about 220 km long and around 5 km wide along the coastlines of Aceh and North Sumatra. The purpose of this study is to investigate the artificial radioactivity 137Cs in soil samples which have been collected from various locations along the areas affected by tsunami in Aceh. The surface soil samples were collected from 20 sites in this region. The soil samples from the middle area of Aceh which was not exposed to the tsunami have also been investigated for comparison. The activity concentration of137Cs in the samples was measured using a ORTEC P-type coaxial high purity Germanium (HPGe) detector system. The artificial radioactivity level of 137Cs measured from these samples was found in the range of not detected to 2.09 Bq.kg-1 for the affected soil samples and 0.56 to 1.44 Bq.kg-1 for unaffected soil respectively. The radioactivity concentrations of 137Cs within the coastline areas are comparable to that of the middle area, which was not exposed to the tsunami. The results indicate that there are no new inputs of man-made radionuclides into the area at that time and the data obtained could serve as baseline levels of 137Cs in Aceh Region.Received: 29 May 2015 ; Revised: 02 November 2015; Accepted: 25 November 201

The Investigation of 137Cs Contamination in Soils of Aceh After the Tsunami

Cs-137 is one of the most common radionuclides used for analysing man-made radioactive contamination in the environment beside Sr-90. Nangro Aceh Darussalam Province suffered the greatest mortality, with widespread destruction extending along more than 1000 km of coastline on 26 December 2004 due to tsunami. The disaster were affected areas about 220 km long and around 5 km wide along the coastlines of Aceh and North Sumatra. The purpose of this study is to investigate the artificial radioactivity 137Cs in soil samples which have been collected from various locations along the areas affected by tsunami in Aceh. The surface soil samples were collected from 20 sites in this region. The soil samples from the middle area of Aceh which was not exposed to the tsunami have also been investigated for comparison. The activity concentration of137Cs in the samples was measured using a ORTEC P-type coaxial high purity Germanium (HPGe) detector system. The artificial radioactivity level of 137Cs measured from these samples was found in the range of not detected to 2.09 Bq.kg-1 for the affected soil samples and 0.56 to 1.44 Bq.kg-1 for unaffected soil respectively. The radioactivity concentrations of 137Cs within the coastline areas are comparable to that of the middle area, which was not exposed to the tsunami. The results indicate that there are no new inputs of man-made radionuclides into the area at that time and the data obtained could serve as baseline levels of 137Cs in Aceh Region.Received: 29 May 2015 ; Revised: 02 November 2015; Accepted: 25 November 201

Comparative Analysis of Direct and Indirect 131I Measurement Methods from the Stack to Outdoor

The radioisotope production facility at PUSPIPTEK Serpong produces and processes 131I that can disperse to the settlements (community) and the environment around the Serpong Nuclear Area (SNA). 131I is produced routinely for medical uses in hospitals and pharmacies, for both domestic uses and export. 131I is a beta and gamma emitting radioactive material and can cause thyroid cancer. The problem was that there was so far no research and in-depth assessment of the aerial dispersion of 131I radioactivity emitted from the radioisotope production stack to the environment at actual conditions. The research was conducted through simultaneous measurement of 131I radioactivity in the stack of the 131I radioisotope production facility, Serpong, and outdoor in house courtyards around SNA in normal condition (no accident) based on the variations of the distance and wind direction. Direct measurements were carried out with a portable in-situ NaI(Tl) detector at outdoor, and with a LaBr3 detector in the stack. Indirect measurements were carried out by using charcoal filter and vacuum pump in the stack and outdoor. The direct measurement method has many advantages over the indirect measurement. The direct measurement method was found to be more accurate, less expensive, easier to operate, needing just one operator in its implementation, portable, and can be operated continuously and for long durations. The overall activity concentrations of 131I on average obtained by either direct or indirect method were still below the upper limit of 131I activity concentration in the air (530 Bq/m3) stipulated by the Regulation of the Chairman of BAPETEN (Perka BAPETEN) No. 7/2013.

Measurements of Natural Radionuclides and 137Cs in Airborne Particulate Samples Collected from Bali and Lombok Islands (Indonesia)

Bali and Lombok islands are popular resorts and tourist destinations in the world because of their culture and beautiful natural view. The natural and anthropogenic radionuclides content in surface air of Bali and Lombok islands such as 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were measured at 3 monitoring stations in a period from January to December 2016. Aerosol samples were collected using a high volume total suspended particles (TSP) sampler. The activity concentrations of those radionuclides in airborne particulate matter were measured using gamma-ray spectrometry. The results show that the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K ranged from 1.0 to 3.04 µBq/m3, not detected to 1.78 µBq/m3, and 0.03 to 0.49 mBq/m3, respectively. All airborne particulate matter filter samples were found to be lower than the minimum detectable activity for 137Cs, which  means that none of 137Cs is originated from atmospheric nuclear weapon test and other sources in surface air of Bali and Lombok islands. Variations of monthly activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were influenced by rainfall during study period. Furthermore, the peak concentrations of radionuclides also occur due to volcanic ash coming from Mount Rinjani eruption

Comparative Analysis of Direct and Indirect ¹³¹I Measurement Methods from the Stack to Outdoor

The radioisotope production facility at PUSPIPTEK Serpong produces and processes 131I that can disperse to the settlements (community) and the environment around the Serpong Nuclear Area (SNA). 131I is produced routinely for medical uses in hospitals and pharmacies, for both domestic uses and export. 131I is a beta and gamma emitting radioactive material and can cause thyroid cancer. The problem was that there was so far no research and in-depth assessment of the aerial dispersion of 131I radioactivity emitted from the radioisotope production stack to the environment at actual conditions. The research was conducted through simultaneous measurement of 131I radioactivity in the stack of the 131I radioisotope production facility, Serpong, and outdoor in house courtyards around SNA in normal condition (no accident) based on the variations of the distance and wind direction. Direct measurements were carried out with a portable in-situ NaI(Tl) detector at outdoor, and with a LaBr3 detector in the stack. Indirect measurements were carried out by using charcoal filter and vacuum pump in the stack and outdoor. The direct measurement method has many advantages over the indirect measurement. The direct measurement method was found to be more accurate, less expensive, easier to operate, needing just one operator in its implementation, portable, and can be operated continuously and for long durations. The overall activity concentrations of 131I on average obtained by either direct or indirect method were still below the upper limit of 131I activity concentration in the air (530 Bq/m3) stipulated by the Regulation of the Chairman of BAPETEN (Perka BAPETEN) No. 7/2013. </span