Concentrations of ^{137}Cs and ^{40}K radionuclides and some heavy metals in soil samples from the eastern part of the Main Ridge of the Flysch Carpathians

The aim of the study is to present the results of determination of radioactivity of artificial ^{137}Cs and natural ^{40}K and certain heavy metals in soil samples collected from the eastern part of the Main Ridge of Carpathians, including the Beskid Niski Mts and the Bieszczady Mts. The evaluation of level of radionuclides was based on the bulk density analysis of the soil. A valuable finding of the study was a good linear correlation between the level of ^{137}Cs concentration and bulk density of the soil as well as an inverse correlation between radioactivity of natural ^{40}K and tested soil density. This might indicate though a high competitiveness of these elements between each other. Moreover, a good correlation between the concentrations of artificial element ^{137}Cs and Pb has been also observed in soil samples collected from the Beskid Niski Mts. In most cases, the level of artificial ^{137}Cs was lower comparing to an average ^{137}Cs concentration established for soils in Poland

Radionuclides ^{137}Cs and ^{40}K in the soils of the Tatra National Park (TPN, Poland)

The paper presents the results of radioactivity determination of artificial 137Cs and natural 40K in soil samples taken from the Tatra Mountains in Poland (Tatra National Park – TPN). Soil samples were collected as the cores of 10 cm in diameter and 10 cm in depth. These cores were divided into 3 slices. It has been found that the content of 137Cs was the highest at the sites of the altitude over 1300 m a.s.l. The values of 137Cs concentration in the soils examined varied – from 55.8 Bqźkg–1 (dry mass) (417.8 Bqźm–2) for the Tomanowa Pass (1685 m a.s.l.) to 5111 Bqźkg–1 (dry mass) (8400 Bqźm–2) for the Krzyzne Pass (2112 m a.s.l.). In most cases, the values were lower than the average radiocaesium concentration established for Poland

Ocena zagrożenia ekologicznego Tatrzańskiego Parku Narodowego radioaktywnym cezem-137 i wybranymi metalami ciężkimi : rozprawa doktorska /

Recenzenci pracy: Antoni P. Barbacki, Zbigniew Hubicki.Praca doktorska. Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza im. Stanisława Staszica (Kraków), 2011.Bibliogr. k. 97-103.Tatry, geologia, geomorfologia, klimat, flora, fauna, gleby tatrzańskie, pokrywa glebowa, charakterystyka gleb tatrzańskich, antropogeniczne zagrożenia Tatr, metale ciężkie w glebach, charakterystyka, źródła cynku, ołowiu, kadmu, chromu, pierwiastki radioaktywne, źródła cezu-137, potasu-40, metodyka, procedury analityczne, pobieranie, przygotowanie próbek, pomiar gamma spektrometryczny, oznaczanie materii organicznej, metodyka pomiaru AAS, PIXE, wyniki badań zawartości metali ciężkich, aktywności 137Cs, 40K w próbkach gleb z obszaru TANAP-u, TPN-u, próbki gleby, Dolina Mięguszowiecka, Dolina Wielicka, Dolina Staroleśna, Dolina Młynicy, Dolina Furkotna, monitoring 137Cs w glebach tatrzańskich, analiza statystyczna wynikó

Determination of the activity level of gamma radionuclides -artificial 137Cs and for comparison -natural 40K and the selected heavy metals in the Tatra Mountains ecosystem.

This paper presents the results of determination of artificial 137 Cs and natural 40K  activity concentrations and same heavy metals in soil samples from Tatra Mts. Results  show some differences in the vertical distribution and of examined radionuclides and metals. The change of  activity of 137Cs in the  soil samples depends mostly on the soil volume density and on the concentration of organic material. The state of "zero" 137Cs activity was developed in the form of maps

Preliminary studies on the spatial distribution of artificial 137Cs and natural gamma radionuclides in the region of the Ojców National Park, Poland

The aim of the research is to obtain preliminary information about the spatial distribution of gamma radionuclides in the soils taken from the Ojców National Park with emphasis on the behaviour of artificial radionuclides, with 137Cs as a representative. The natural radionuclides 40K, 226Ra (uranium series), and 228Th (thorium series), which are considered as background radiation, were also determined. In total, 18 soil samples were collected during the summer periods in 2015-2017, while the sampling points were selected with respect to differences in rainfall and local topography gradient. The method was based on gamma-ray spectrometry performed on high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma detector (relative efficiency 34%). 137Cs was mostly deposited in the top soil layers, with activity in the range of 27.9÷586.6 Bq·kg-1. We found strong positive correlation of the 137Cs activity with the soil organic matter content, and at the same time, its dependence on the rainfall amount. Consequently, the soil types and local climate can control the spatial distribution of 137Cs on a small spatial scale. The quantity of natural radionuclides was highly similar in all samples with the following mean values: 38.0 Bq·kg-1for 228Th, 33.1 Bq·kg-1for 226Ra, and 479.9 Bq·kg-1for 40K

A Geological Context in Radiation Risk Assessment to the Public

The work aimed to show the applicability of geological studies to the investigation of radiation risk assessment due to the presence of naturally occurring radionuclides of terrestrial origin in the soil. Soil samples were taken from a Tatra Mountains area for which geological maps were available. The concentration of selected radionuclides incl. 40K, 238U and 232Th was determined by gamma-ray spectrometry with a HPGe-detector. Radioactivities and calculated absorbed dose rates were co-related to complex bedrock matrices based on an original methodology. The correlations were proved by performing a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The rocks that had a significant impact on the rate of absorbed dose from the soil were strongly related to the radioactivity of the uranium series. The share of the following fractions was the most significant: granite with pegmatite, gneiss, granitoid and gneiss, coquina, marl and glauconite, hard limestone, dolomite and limestone. The rock types additionally showed good correlation with radioisotopes from the thorium series. Granitoids with potassium feldspar, on the other hand, contributed the largest share of 40K radioisotope content

Self-absorption correction and efficiency calibration for radioactivity measurement of environmental samples by gamma-ray spectrometry

In this work empirical functions which relate the full-energy peak efficiency with sample height, energy, matrix composition and bulk density for voluminal samples in a cylindrical counting geometry were found. Accurate determination of the radioactivity of gamma-emitting radionuclides in environmental samples requires taking into account self-absorption. For the obtained self-absorption correction factor, a direct transmission method was chosen. Finally, this paper proposes a simple correlation between the self-absorption correction factor and the bulk density and height of the measured sample for a given energy

The activity of selected gamma radionuclides in the Tatra National Park

Cesium is naturally occurring active metal, represented by one stable isotope 133Cs, and number of artificial, unstable, isotopes. The most common artificial isotope of cesium is 137Cs, present in the environment of the Tatra Mountains due to nuclear weapon testing in late `50, and nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl in 1986. However in recent years the growth in biofuels use for power generation can be the next source of 137Cs emission. Burning wood cultivated on grounds contaminated by 137Cs can introduce secondary emission of this isotope to the atmosphere.This paper presents the results of determination of gamma emitting radionuclides artificial 137Cs and natural 40K in soil samples from the Tatra Mountains. Results show some differences in the vertical distribution of examined radionuclides. It was found that the change of activity of 137Cs in the soil samples depends mostly on the soil density and on the concentration of organic material. The state of “zero” 137Cs activity was developed in the form of maps

Nitrogen Dioxide Sensing Using Multilayer Structure of Reduced Graphene Oxide and α-Fe₂O₃

Multilayers consisting of graphene oxide (GO) and α-Fe2O3 thin layers were deposited on the ceramic substrates by the spray LbL (layer by layer) coating technique. Graphene oxide was prepared from graphite using the modified Hummers method. Obtained GO flakes reached up to 6 nanometers in thickness and 10 micrometers in lateral size. Iron oxide Fe2O3 was obtained by the wet chemical method from FeCl3 and NH4OH solution. Manufactured samples were deposited as 3 LbL (GO and Fe2O3 layers deposited sequentially) and 6 LbL structures with GO as a bottom layer. Electrical measurements show the decrease of multilayer resistance after the introduction of the oxidizing NO2 gas to the ambient air atmosphere. The concentration of NO2 was changed from 1 ppm to 20 ppm. The samples changed their resistance even at temperatures close to room temperature, however, the sensitivity increased with temperature. Fe2O3 is known as an n-type semiconductor, but the rGO/Fe2O3 hybrid structure behaved similarly to rGO, which is p-type. Both chemisorbed O2 and NO2 act as electron traps decreasing the concentration of electrons and increasing the effective multilayer conductivity. An explanation of the observed variations of multilayer structure resistance also the possibility of heterojunctions formation was taken into account