Radionuclides’ content in forest ecosystem located in southwestern part of Serbia

The results of the gamma-spectrometric measurements in a 16500 ha large region of south-western Serbia, are presented. Activity concentrations of 40K, 137Cs, and 210Pb in different deciduous and evergreen trees in the region are investigated. For all the investigated isotopes, there is a tendency that, on average, the lowest activity concentrations were found in tree stems, then in leaves, while the highest ones were in the soil. Statistical analysis did not show any differences between activity concentrations of leaves and needles, showing that both leaves and needles could be equally well used as a biomonitors

Risk factor control and adherence to treatment in patients with coronary heart disease in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005–2006

Introduction: European treatment guidelines in persons with known coronary heart disease (CHD) focus on adherence to antiplatelet therapy, beta-blockers, ACE/ARBs, and lipid-lowering agents, with goals for blood pressure (BP) of < 140/90 mm Hg and LDL cholesterol of < 3.0 mmol/l. Data on adherence to these measures in Eastern Europe are limited. Material and methods: The Third Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Coronary Prevention Study (ROSCOPS III) was conducted in 2005-2006 at 10 primary heath care centres in 601 patients (36% female, mean age 55 years) with CHD including acute myocardial infarction or ischaemia, coronary artery bypass graft, or angioplasty who were examined and interviewed at least 6 months after the event. We examined the proportion of subjects on recommended treatments and at goal for BP, LDL-C, and non-smoking. Results: The proportion of subjects on recommended treatments included 61% for beta-blockers, 79% for ACE/ARBs, 63% for lipid-lowering agents and 74% for antiplatelet therapy. Only 30% of subjects were on all four of these treatments. 59% of subjects had BP at goal of < 140/90 mm Hg and 33% were controlled to < 130/80 mm Hg, 41% for LDL-C, and 88% were non-smokers. Improvements were seen in lipid-lowering and ACE/ARB drug use and non-smoking status from an earlier survey (ROSCOPS II) in 2002-2003. Conclusions: Our data show, despite improvement over recent years, that many persons with CHD in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina are neither on recommended treatments nor at target for BP and/or LDL-C. Improved efforts targeted at both physicians and patients to address these issues are needed

Comparison of indoor radon measurement methods

Radon is the radioactive gas originating from the decay chain, mainly uranium and thorium series. The main source of population exposure to ionizing radiation (more than 80 %) is the natural radioactivity. Radon and its short lived progeny contribute with more than 50 % to the radiation dose received by the general population from all sources, and the World Health Organization has recognized radon as the second most important cause of lung cancer. The European Council has laid down a basic safety standards (BSS, Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom) for the protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation, obliging member states, among other, to investigate the exposure of members of the public and workers to indoor radon, to develop a radon action plan and to inform the public about radon levels they are exposed to. As a consequence, this has led to increased number of indoor radon measurements in recent years. There are numerous methods for indoor radon measurement which can be performed either by direct measurement of radon or indirectly by measuring radon progeny, with or without radon presence. The choice of method used depends on the purpose of the measurements, available instrumentation and time. In order to assess the reliability of indoor radon measurement methods available in “Vinca” Institute of Nuclear Sciences, comparative measurement were conducted. Indoor radon concentration was measured in four working rooms in Vinca Institute, two offices and two laboratory premises, in the period of October-November 2020. In all locations continuous radon measurements were performed with tree different active measurement devices: RTM1688-2 and Radon Scout from SARAD GmbH, and RadonEye from RadonFTLAB, while integrated radon measurements were conducted with charcoal canisters. In addition, Equilibrium Equivalent Radon Concentration EERC was measured with radon progeny monitor RPM2200 (SARAD GmbH). Measurement by all active devices was performed simultaneously and lasted around 4 days with 1 hour sampling time, while measuring time for charcoal canisters was 2 days. In one office and one laboratory measurements were repeated and six sets of results were obtained. Very good agreement between results obtained by active devices was observed, with correlation ranging from 0.72 - 0.98. A certain discrepancy was observed between averaged radon concentration from active devices and results from charcoal canisters only in one office.IX International Conference on Radiation in Various Fields of Research : RAD 2021 : book of abstracts; June 14-18, 2021; Herceg Novi, Montenegr

Sources of uncertainty in classification of radon zones

Evropski savet je doneo direktivu 2013/59/EURATOM (EU-BSS) po kojoj se nalaže državama članicama EU da imaju ustanovljen radonski akcioni plan, što između ostalog podrazumeva i identifikaciju radonskih prioritetnih zona (Radon priority areas), odnosno zona sa različitim nivoom "prioriteta". S obzirom da je neizvodljivo vršiti merenja radona u svakoj kući, potrebno je dizajnirati prospekciju radona kako bi se dobila reprezentativna procena srednje godišnje koncentracije radona u zatvorenim prostorijama na određenoj teritoriji. Nije bitan samo reprezentativan izbor kuća, nego je i nesigurnost merenja i procene srednje godišnje koncentracije potrebno držati što je niže moguće. Nesigurnostn klasifikacije zone određenog prioriteta u nekoj oblasti je stoga kombinacija nesigurnosti pojedinačnog merenja i ekstrapolacije tog merenja na celu oblast. U ovom radu ćemo pokušati da nabrojimo i procenimo izvore nesigurnosti pri klasifikaciji i damo preporuke u cilju smanjenja stepena nesigurnosti. Ovaj rad je urađen u sklopu MetroRadon projekta.The EC has laid down directive 2013/59/EURATOM which represents basic safety standards regarding the radon protection of the European citizens. Within the BSS they oblige countries to establish radon action plans which include identification of Radon Priority Areas (RPA). Since it is not feasible to perform indoor radon measurements in each dwelling, it is necessary to carefully design indoor radon survey in order to get representative estimation of annual average indoor radon concentration of the certain territory. It is not sufficient only to have representative selection of dwellings, but it is important to keep uncertainty of measurement and estimation of annual radon concentration as low as possible. Uncertainty of classification of radon zones is therefore combination of uncertainties coming from a single measurement uncertainty and uncertainty of extrapolation of single or group of measurements to the whole region. In this contribution, we will try to estimate sources of classification uncertainties and to give recommendation in order to reduce level of uncertainty. The research presented in this paper was realized within 16ENV04 MetroRADON project. This project has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union‘s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.Proceedings: [http://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8681]XXX симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ (Друштва за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе), 2- 4. октобар 2019. године, Дивчибаре, Србиј

MetroRADON - projekat za unapređenje merenja radona u Evropi

Трогодишњи пројекат MetroRADON у оквиру програма EMPIR је фокусиран на следљивост мерења ниске концентрације радона и доприноси стварању координиране метролошке инфраструктуре за мониторинг радона у Европи као и хармонизацији методологија мерења. Циљеви пројекта су да се обезбеди метролошка следљивост калибрације инструмената на ниским концентрацијама са мерном несигурношћу мањом од 5%, да се испита утицај торона и његових потомака на мерење концентрације радона, да се упореде процедуре мерења концентрације радона и брзине ексхалације радона из земљишта у различитим државама у Евопи, да се развију методе идентификацје области са повећаном концентрацијом радона, да се све ове методе валидују и да се олакша коришћење технологије и мерне инфраструктуре коју је развио пројекат од стране крајњих корисника. У овом раду ће бити дат преглед циљева и досадасшњих резултата пројекта.MetroRADON, a three year project based in the EMPIR program, is focused on traceability of low activity radon measurement. It contributes to the creation of the coordinated metrological infrastructure for radon monitoring in Europe, as well as the harmonization of measurement strategy and methodology. The objectives of this project is to secure the metrological traceability of the instrument calibration for the measurement of low activity, with the measurement uncertainty that does not exceed 5%, to investigate the influence of thoron and its progenies on the radon concentration measurements, to compare procedures for measurement of indoor radon concentration and exhalation rate from the soil in different European countries, to develop methods for recognizing the radon priority areas and finally to validate these methods, but at the same time to enable the access of the final users to the measurement technology and infrastructure developed within this project. This paper presents the overview of these objectives and the results achieved in the present time.Proceedings: [http://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8681]XXX симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ (Друштва за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе), 2- 4. октобар 2019. године, Дивчибаре, Србиј

Qualitative overview of indoor radon surveys in Europe

The revised European Directive from 2013 regarding basic safety standard oblige EU Member States to establish a national action plan regarding the exposure to radon. At the same time, International Atomic Energy Agency started technical projects in order to assist countries to establish and implement national radon action. As a consequence, in recent years, in numerous countries national radon surveys were conducted and action plans established, which were not performed before. In this paper, a qualitative overview of radon surveys performed in Europe is given with a special attention to the qualitative and conceptual description of surveys, representativeness and QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control). © 201

Radon and thoron exhalation rate measurements from building materials used in Serbia

The second most important source of indoor radon, after soil beneath dwelling, is building material. With the increase in environmental awareness and new energy-saving policies, residents tend to replace the existing windows with tighter windows, which leads to a decrease in air exchange rate and consequently an increase in indoor radon concentration. In case of low exchange rates, dose caused by inhalation of radon and its progeny can exceed external dose originating from the radium content in the surrounding building material. In this paper, surface exhalation rates of radon ( 222 Rn) and thoron ( 220 Rn) from typical building materials used for construction and interior decoration of houses in Serbia were investigated. Surface exhalation rate measurements were performed using the closed-chamber method, while concentrations of radon and thoron in the chamber were continuously measured using an active device, RTM1688-2, produced by SARAD® GmbH. Finally, the impact of the replacement of windows on the indoor radon concentration was estimated

Calibration of recycled open-faced charcoal canisters for two- and one-day radon concentration measurements

Charcoal canisters have been used for indoor radon concentration measurements for more than 40 years. Although there are several methods that use charcoal canisters, the basic principle is the same. As air passes through the canister, radon is being adsorbed and the quantity of adsorbed radon is proportional to the radon concentration in air. Radon canisters can be modified in different ways, e.g. by adding diffusion barriers, and different techniques can be used for counting. The method used in Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences (VINS) uses open-faced canisters, which are measured on gamma spectrometers, according to US EPA method. In this method, it is necessary to wait 3 hours after closing the canisters in order to reach equilibrium, because radon is determined via gamma emissions of radon progeny - 214Pb and 214Bi. Canisters are commonly exposed for periods between 48 hours and 144 hours. Open faced radon canisters are typically used with calibration factors provided by manufacturers, or with EPA calibration factors. Calibration in EPA method is performed with canisters as received from manufacturers, but most laboratories recycle canisters by drying in order to reuse them. Since calibration factor is calculated based on the canister mass change (due to water adsorption) and duration of exposure, different moisture content due to recycling may introduce a bias in the measurement. A correction for this influence might be necessary. In order to investigate this effect, recycled canisters used in VINS have been exposed to different radon concentrations in a radon calibration chamber in Montenegro Bureau of Metrology. Exposures lasted for 48 h and the results have been used to assess the validity of used calibration factors. Additional measurements lasting (24±2) h have been performed at several selected measurement locations, covering two orders of magnitude of concentrations. Simultaneously, concentrations were measured with an AlphaGUARD detector, which was used as a reference instrument. This experiment allowed determination of calibration factor for short term measurements lasting 1 day. It is, however, necessary to perform additional study of uncertainty before using charcoal canisters for one-day measurements.VIII International Conference on Radiation in Various Fields of Research : RAD 2020 : book of abstracts; Virtual Conferenc

Sezonse varijacije koncentracije radona

Након измерене високе концентрације радона у три просторије у једној кући почетком 2018. године, настављено је испитивање концентрације у свим годишњим добима, а број просторија је повећан на пет. Као што је очекивано, концентрација радона је у току летњих месеци била много мања него у зимском периоду, првенствено због сталног проветравања. У осталим годишњим добима уочена је велико повећање коцентрације радона са смањењем спољашње температуре. Такође је уочено смањење концентрације радона у свим просто-ријама наредне зиме, за приближно исти хладни период, када је уместо угља коришћен дрвени пелет.The high radon concentrations were measured in three rooms in one house at the beginning of 2018. After that, radon testing was continued during all seasons and the number of rooms was increased to five. As expected, the concentration of radon during the summer was much lower than in the winter period, primarily due to constant natural ventilation. In other seasons, a large increase in radon concentration with a decrease in the outside temperature was observed. There was also a decrease in radon concentrations in all rooms in the following winter, in approximately the same cold period, when wood pellets were used instead of coal.Proceedings: [http://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8681]XXX симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ (Друштва за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе), 2- 4. октобар 2019. године, Дивчибаре, Србиј

Determination of indoor radon concentration and radon concentration in soil: Regional Interlaboratory Comparison – RADON2021

In accordance with ISO/IC 17025:2017 testing laboratory shall have a procedure for monitoring the validity of results that includes regular participation in interlaboratory comparisons. Interlaboratory comparison RADON2021 was organized in the frame of the bilateral project between Serbia and Montenegro: “Measurement of the radon equilibrium factor in typical residential buildings in Serbia and Montenegro and harmonization of radon measurement techniques” in order to assess congruence of different measurement techniques, and then harmonize methods in case of inconsistencies. Harmonization is of particular importance to neighboring countries, in order to avoid inconsistencies in the classification of radon risk zones along border areas. Thus, six regional laboratories took part in the intercomparison – three from Belgrade and one from Novi Sad, Serbia; one from Podgorica, Montenegro; one from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. All laboratories participated in the indoor radon measurements, while 4 laboratories measured radon in the soil also. The measurement methods and detectors used by the laboratories were: • for air - EPA 402-R-92-004 – Indoor Radon and Radon Decay Product Measurement Devices Protocols, ch. 3.1. with RAD 7, RTM1688-2 and RadonEye; EPA 520/5-87-005 – 1987 EERF Standard Operating Procedures for Rn-222 Measurement Using Charcoal Canisters, ch. 3.4 using adsorption on charcoal canisters; ISO 11665- 4: Measurement of radioactivity in the environment – Air Radon 222: Part 4: Integrated measurement method for determining average activity concentration using passive sampling and delayed analysis with Electretes, and • for soil gas - ISO 11665-11:2016 Measurement of radioactivity in the environment — Air: radon-222 — Part 11: Test method for soil gas with sampling at depth by using active devices RTM1688-2 and RAD 7. The measurements were performed in real conditions where the radon concentration varied following a typical daily variation. Indoor radon concentrations were measured at four locations, while radon measurements in soil were performed at one location, all at the Vinča Institute site in the period from October 1 to October 8, 2021. The exposure period was consistent with a typical soil and indoor radon measurement protocols. The radon concentration in the soil was measured at depths of 20 cm and 80 cm. The robust mean and robust standard deviation were calculated as the mean of all measured radon concentrations (excluding outliers) and their standard deviation. Reference values of indoor radon covered the wide range of concentrations: (65 ± 9) Bq m-3 , (519 ± 80) Bq m-3 , (900 ± 160) Bq m-3 , (1980 ± 160) Bq m-3 , while in the soil reference values were (13350 ± 780) Bq m-3 and (26100 ± 2400) Bq m-3 at 20 cm and 80 cm depth, respectively. In order to assess whether there is a statistically significant difference between individual measurement results and the reference value, the Z - test was used as a criterion for success. If, for the calculated z value, |z| 3 result is not acceptable. All results of indoor radon measurements were satisfactory, except in the case of one measurement (for the lowest reference value) with electret, that was at the detection limit. Three laboratories had satisfactory results of radon concentration measurements in the soil, while the results of one laboratory were systematically lower, with z <-3, which indicated the need for additional analysis of the causes of systematic error and the possible need to change measurement protocols and/or re-calibration of used device.X JUBILEE International Conference on Radiation in Various Fields of Research : RAD 2022 (Spring Edition) : book of abstracts; June 13-17, 2022; Herceg Novi, Montenegr