Ambient air sampling for tritium--determination of breakthrough volumes and collection efficiencies for silica gel adsorbent.

Ambient air samples for tritium (as HTO) can be collected using the solid adsorbent silica gel. The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum practical sampling volume and overall collection efficiency for water vapor collected on silica gel columns and to demonstrate the use of an impinger-based system to load water vapor onto silica gel columns. Breakthrough volumes (Vb) were measured and chromatographic efficiencies (expressed as the number of theoretical plates, N) were calculated for a 20 degrees C to 50 degrees C temperature range, with the relative humidity at approximately 30%. The tests yielded relative breakthrough volumes (air volume/adsorbent depth, m3 cm(-1)) of 0.36 for 20 degrees C, 0.20 for 30 degrees C, 0.15 for 40 degrees C, and 0.077 for 50 degrees C. For 18-cm columns, the average tritium tracer recoveries at 20 degrees C were 71% with no observed breakthrough for air volumes up to 5 m3, while at 40 degrees C mean tritium tracer recoveries dropped from 75% for volumes < or = 3.0 m3, to 0% for a volume of 5.0 m3. Frontal chromatographic profiles were measured for water vapor migrating through silica gel columns that were divided into 5 segments. The chromatographic efficiency of the silica gel columns was determined by graphical evaluation of the chromatography profiles. At a sampling rate of 0.25 L min(-1) and 30% relative humidity, the number of theoretical plates per adsorbent depth were 0.55 N cm(-1) at 20 degrees C, 0.68 N cm(-1) at 30 degrees C, 0.51 N cm(-1) at 40 degrees C, and 0.30 N cm(-1) at 50 degrees C. Chromatographic theory was used to estimate the overall collection efficiency of the silica gel columns as a function of the ratio of the sampling volume to breakthrough volume and the chromatographic efficiency. For a 9.5 m3 sample volume, 30% relative humidity, 0.25 L min(-1) sampling rate, and a 54-cm column, the overall collection efficiency was above 99.9% at 20 degrees C, above 95% at 30 degrees C, just below 80% at 40 degrees C, and <<80% at 50 degrees C.

Past radioactive particle contamination in the Columbia river at the Hanford site, USA.

One closed-loop and eight single-pass plutonium production reactors originally operated on the Columbia river. During the 26 years of single-pass reactor operations, small amounts of radioactive particles were released in liquid discharges to the Columbia river and were deposited in sediment and cobble along the shoreline and on islands in the river. Islands located adjacent to D island and immediately downstream of D island had the greatest density of particles. In 1979, the small particles contained between 63 and 890 kBq of cobalt-60 activity. Dose rates emanating from those particles ranged from 1 to 14 microGy h(-1). Because of the short half-life of cobalt-60 (5.3 y), the hot-particle problem at Hanford has taken care of itself through radiological decay. Some scientists have proposed that it is economically and environmentally advantageous to manage isolated low-level contaminated sites with institutional controls until the activity decays and the sites can be released rather than to pursue expensive clean-up options.

Lamotrigine protects hippocampal CA1 neurons from ischemic damage after cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Lamotrigine (LTG) is an anticonvulsant drug whose mechanism of action may involve the inhibition of glutamate release by blocking voltage-dependent sodium channels. Glutamate neurotoxicity may contribute to cerebral ischemic damage after recovery from cardiac arrest. Thus, LTG may prevent the brain damage associated with global cerebral ischemia by reducing the release of glutamate from presynaptic vesicles during the ischemic insult or the early recovery period. METHODS: LTG was studied in cardiac arrest-induced global cerebral ischemia with reperfusion in rats. In the first set of experiments, LTG (100 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered before induction of ischemia; and in the second experiment, LTG (10 mg/kg, i.v.) was given 15 minutes after ischemia and a second dose (10 mg/kg,i.v.) was given 5 hours later. RESULTS: In both experiments LTG reduced the damage to the hippocampal CA1 cell population by greater than 50%. Neuroprotection was not associated with changes in brain temperature or plasma glucose concentration. Plasma concentrations of LTG ranged between 8 and 13 micrograms/mL. Patients taking LTG as a monotherapy for epilepsy typically have plasma levels of LTG in the 10 to 15 micrograms/mL range. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that LTG may be effective in preventing brain damage after recovery from cardiac arrest. Patients on LTG monotherapy for epilepsy have plasma concentrations very similar to those found to be neuroprotective in this study. Although difficult to extrapolate, our data suggest that LTG at neuroprotective doses may be well tolerated by humans.