AN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION BY USING AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING PASSIVE RADON MONITOR.

The recently developed radon film-badge makes it possible to measure radon indoors, in soil, in water and/or in aqueous media (e.g. mud). As a result of its wide response linearity, this monitor has been successfully used to measure radon in-water with concentrations from 10 to ~10 000 Bq/L. By exploiting the unique characteristics of this badge, a mini-survey has been carried out by Health Canada in which radon in water was measured from 12 private wells, as well as in tap water originating from the Ottawa River. Due to the widespread interest of different laboratories in using these passive monitors, laboratories were provided with plastic films to construct their own badges by using in-house CR-39 detectors. Monitors were then irradiated by a known radon concentration at the National Institute of Radiation Metrology (ENEA)'s radon chamber and sent back to each laboratory for processing and counting. Even though these laboratories have been using different etching- and counting-procedures, the film-badge responses varied only within ~12%.

Radon exchange dynamics in a karst system investigated by radon continuous measurements in water: first results.

In 2008 the underground Karst Laboratory of Bossea Cave started research on radon exchange dynamics between bedrock, cave waters (main collector and percolations) and indoor underground atmosphere. Radon air concentrations, normally high, increase more and more during the collector's floods. An explanation of this is a radon-water solubilisation process more effective in flood events, because of a greater rock-water contact surface. Radon is then carried by water into the cave and released into the air. To verify this, continuous measurements of radon concentration are needed not only in the air, but also in the waters of the cave. So a new device for continuous radon monitoring in water was tested, connected to the AlphaGuard radon monitor. For the first 6 months of 2010, for different sections of the cave, the correlations between radon in the air, radon in the waters and the collector's stream flow fluctuations were presented and discussed.

Noise model application to small hydroelectrical power plants impact evaluation in the Aosta Valley territory.

In this paper measurements, results and model estimates, with reference to hydroelectric power plant noise emissions in the Aosta Valley territory, are compared in different contexts. The analysis was performed to evaluate and point out the influence of the noise source context on the accuracy of the model results. The estimates were implemented considering power plants as: point sources and area sources taking (or not) into account the building elements of the plant. This method allowed evaluating the detail that is suitable to achieve in an estimate and to justify possible simplifications in this kind of noise source description. Noise measurements were carried out simultaneously, at different distances from the power plants that were taken into account. The measurement results at the closest points to the sources were used as the model input data, while the levels found at the other points were used for comparison with the estimate results.

Integrated assessment of traffic impact in an Alpine region.

This paper reports the results of an integrated assessment of traffic impact on a tourist-popular high altitude region which includes mountain passes and road tunnels. A modeling system for air quality assessment and management has been established and revised. The system has been used to evaluate the impact of traffic due to the re-opening of the Mont Blanc tunnel: the increase in NO(x) concentrations ranges from 50% at the bottom of the upper valley to 150% near to tunnel entrance.

Accuracy of field spectrometry in estimating 137Cs contamination in high altitude alpine soils.

In situ gamma ray spectrometry is an attractive method for providing information on the concentrations of radionuclides in the soil. This method requires separate knowledge of the soil density and of the radioactivity distribution relative to soil depth. In-field gamma spectrometry measurements were performed together with sampling of the soil at the same site for subsequent gamma spectrometry analysis in the laboratory. Results of 137Cs concentration were compared in order to: (i) verify the effectiveness of in situ gamma spectrometry in averaging local inhomogeneties in the soil; and (ii) quantify the sensitivity of the gamma ray spectrometry soil radioactivity evaluation with respect to the variability of the depth profiles obtained from a single site sampling. The site of study is a high altitude pasture, in the Alpine environment.

Determination of PAH in airborne particulate: comparison between off-line sampling techniques and an automatic analyser based on a photoelectric aerosol sensor.

The automatic analyser is based on a photoelectric aerosol sensor, with continuous sampling and an on-line detection system. Traditional sampling monitoring systems consist of collecting airborne particulate on filters; the sample is then extracted, purified and analysed. It is possible to identify each compound and to determine its relative abundance in the total particulate matter, on the other hand, this method requires great complexity of analysis. Continuous monitoring systems allow getting quicker results to compare with threshold levels. It is also possible to obtain an easier correlation with factors such as traffic flows or meteorological conditions. However, such systems cannot quantify single compounds, and data are expressed as total PAH. The comparison between the results shows a satisfactory linearity between the data obtained with the two methods. The difference of about one order of magnitude between the data obtained with photoelectric aerosol sensor (PAS) system and the sum of the concentrations of selected PAHs determined with off-line methods can be explained with the different selectivity of the two methods employed. This work has been developed in Aosta, the administrative centre of the Aosta Valley district.

Effects of continuous low-level exposure to radiofrequency radiation on intrauterine development in rats.

To assess the effect of low-level radiofrequency radiation on pregnant rats, gravid dams were exposed continuously to 0.1 mW cm-2 at 27.12 MHz during different periods of pregnancy. Biological assays consisted of determining pre- and post-implantation losses and the effects on maternal body weight increase. Fetal parameters monitored included sex, mean viable fetal weight on Day 20 of gestation, external, skeletal and visceral fetal malformations, anomalies and variations. Dosimetric evaluations were made in terms of average specific absorption rate (SAR) and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Findings included a considerable increase in the percentage of total resorptions, reduced body weight increase in the exposed dams and incomplete cranial ossification in their fetuses. Results obtained were compared with those shown by other authors. It seems possible to ascribe some of the effects to a specific action of the radiofrequency radiation occurring independently of the rise in temperature. The hypothesis the exposure time, together with SAR, plays an important role in inducing specific exposure effects due to radiofrequency radiation is presented.

Analysis of environmental pollution by radiofrequency radiation from teleradiocommunication devices.

The environmental radiofrequency radiation pollution, including microwaves, generated by teleradiocommunication devices is particularly great where there exists a concentration of such apparatus. The wide-band field detectors commonly used for environmental protection surveys do not make it possible to discern the contributions of the individual emitters at a given point. It is possible to obtain this result theoretically by using only a personal computer, and by using the characteristics of the emitter and of surrounding territory as inputs. For this purpose, a basic program has been prepared. An analysis of this type, besides being an effective tool for the planning of environmental pollution abatement, provides the necessary information for forecasting field levels produced as a consequence of the installation of new repeaters. This data provides indispensable information for issuing installation licenses by the competent authorities. This article concludes with a comparison between the theoretical results and those detected experimentally in one specific case.

The assessment of unwanted radiation around diathermy RF capacitive applicators.

The electromagnetic field intensities in the vicinity of apparatus which generate RF fields are influenced by a multiplicity of variables which are tied to the conditions of their use. The setting up of proper ambient surveillance requires the predisposition of operational protocols which take variable factors into account, permitting the individualization of major risk situations, and assuring the repeatability and comparability of the results. To that end, in relation to a diathermy apparatus operating at 27.12 MHz (a source of excess radiation in confined environments), the variation of the levels of E-field intensities as a function of the configuration of phantom-electrodes are determined experimentally. Finally a theoretical relation is determined, which, in accord with the experimental data, permits the generalization of the results obtained for a multiplicity of real situations.