238U, 226Ra, 210Po concentrations of bottled mineral waters in Hungary and their committed effective dose.

Nowadays the consumption of bottled mineral waters has become very popular. The average consumption of these is 0.36 l d(-1) per person in Europe. A considerable segment of the population drinks almost only mineral water as drinking water, which is about 1 l d(-1). As is known, some kinds of mineral waters contain naturally occurring radionuclides in higher concentration than the usual drinking (tap) water. The WHO (1993) legislation concerning the drinking waters does not include the mineral waters. In our work, the concentrations of (226)Ra, (238)U and (210)Po were determined in mineral waters available in Hungary. To determine the (226)Ra concentration the emanation method was used. The (238)U and (210)Po concentrations were determined by alpha spectrometry using semiconductor detector. The dose contribution was calculated using the radionuclide concentrations and the dose conversion factors from the Basic Safety Standard IAEA (1995), for 1 l d(-1) mineral water consumption. In some cases the calculated doses were considerable higher than the limit for drinking waters. Especially for children the doses can be remarkably high.

Investigation of anal sphincter function following Mainz pouch type II urinary diversion after radical cystectomy.

PURPOSES: Our aim was to evaluate the anal sphincter function following cystectomy with urinary diversion of Mainz pouch II. METHODS: Seventy-six patients were involved in our survey, and the cohort was for two groups divided. The first group was a retrospective review of 40 patients with examination of the state of continence. Comparative examinations on anal sphincter function and the quality of life survey were carried out. The second group consisting of 15 patients underwent a prospective investigation including rectal manometry in both the pre- and postoperative periods. Measurements of resting anal sphincter pressure (RASP), maximal anal closing pressure (MACP) and the function of the recto anal inhibitions reflex were taken. RESULTS: In the first part of our investigation, 80% of the patients were considered as continent. There were no significant differences observed between RASP values in the cases of continent as well as of incontinent patients (79.2 ± 2 vs. 73.6 ± 68.4 mmHg, p = 0-53); however, the MACP values of the continent patients were significantly higher (204.3 ± 22.8 vs. 117.3 ± 14 mmHg, p = 0.001). In the course of the second experiment, both the RASP (86.3 ± 18.7 vs. 76.1 ± 13.9 mmHg p = 0.0049) and the MACP (232.2 ± 53.8 vs. 194.1 ± 74.5 mmHg, p = 0.0054) were detected as decreasing in the case of the incontinent group. CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in rectal sphincter function is responsible for incontinence following Mainz pouch type II diversion, and this dysfunction can be correlated with the surgery. Ureterosigmoideostomy is therefore considered as a useful method of urinary diversion only in selected cases with proven good sphincter function.

Experimental investigation and modelling of tritium washout by precipitation in the area of the nuclear power plant of Paks, Hungary.

Tritium occurs in nature in trace amounts, but its concentration is changing due to natural and artificial sources. Studies focusing on natural tritium have to take into account the effect of artificial sources. Also, the impact of tritium is an important issue in environmental protection, e.g. in connection with the emissions from nuclear power plants. The present work focuses on the rain washout of tritium emitted from the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary. Rainwater collectors were placed around the plant and after a period of precipitation, rainwater was collected and analysed for tritium content. Samples were analysed using low-level liquid scintillation counting, with some also subject to the more accurate (3)He ingrowth method. The results clearly show the trace of the tritium plume emitted from the plant; however, values are only about one order of magnitude higher than environmental background levels. A washout model was devised to estimate the distribution of tritium around the plant. The model gives slightly higher concentrations than those measured in the field, but in general the agreement is satisfactory. The modelled values demonstrate that the effect of the plant on rainwater tritium levels is negligible over a distance of some kilometres.