Conveners
Environmental Measurements
- Pete Jones (iThemba LABS)
Environmental Measurements
- Alison Bruce (University of Brighton)
On 11th March 2011 the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered major damage after being hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. This resulted in a major radionuclide release to the environment. In response to this, remediation of the surrounding agricultural land commenced.
Part of the scientific focus is on understanding the dynamics of 137Cs, in terms of plant...
Assessment of activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, 232Th and gamma dose rate (DR) was carried out over a latrite mining field using a well calibrated Super-Spec (RS-125) gamma spectrometer, along Ajese-Ipko road, Ilorin-south, Kwara state, Nigeria. The results of the radioactivity measurements were used to assess the radiological hazards associated with the latrite mining field and it’s...
Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), a non-destructive nuclear analytical technique that meets the criteria of experimental simplicity, analytical accuracy and flexibility has been applied to investigate the metal contents of industrial effluents collected at several sites in North-Western part of Nigeria. Ten elements (Cr, Co, Ca, Na, Eu, Hf, Th, Dy, Sb and Cs) were determined from 10 samples...
This review gives insights into the levels of naturally occurring radionuclides (NOR), radioactive particles of air dust, heavy metals, environmental pollution and related hazards at Agbara industrial Estate, Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria. Due to many industries located in Agbara industrial estates, there is much discharge of gaseous effluent, waste disposal. Industrial air dust harbours several...
A discovery of huge uranium deposits in the Serule area in Botswana leading to the prospects of mining explorations has since opened up various studies to be undertaken in the area. This study assesses the indoor radon concentration levels in Serule area and the radiological risk associated with it. $^{222}$Rn is of interest since it is a daughter radionuclide of $^{226}$Ra from the $^{238}$U...
Radon is a radioactive gas that is present in public buildings and homes. It comes from the natural decay of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air we breathe. Radon gas is believed to cause thousands of preventable lung cancer deaths every year. In 2018 the Centre for Nuclear Safety and Security (CNSS) initiated a project to design a national indoor radon survey in South...
Environmental analysis of naturally occurring radionuclides is an important analytical requirement of a radio-analytical laboratory. This is true in South Africa, where mining is a huge part of the economic activity. Uranium-238 and its daughters contribute a large percentage in environmental assessments. A study was conducted on different naturally occurring radioactive material emissions to...
A low background Hyper Pure Germanium detector was used to determine the radioactivity levels in soil samples collected from Southern area of Chad in Central Africa.
The calculated activity concentrations were determined for the following radionuclides: $^{226}$Ra, $^{238}$U and $^{232}$Th as well as $^{40}$K and $^{137}$Cs (anthropogenic).
In order to validate our experimental result...
In this study, the activity concentration of natural radionuclides (K-40, and Th-232 and U-238 decay products) in beach sand and soil samples from Zanzibar were measured using a combination of in-situ and ex-situ gamma-ray spectroscopy. The in-situ gamma-ray survey was conducted using the Multi Element Detector for Underwater Sediment Activity (MEDUSA) detector. Activity concentrations of the...
The MEDUSA in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry system makes use of, amongst others, a CsI detector and GPS-signal receiver to generate radioactivity maps. The system can be used on land, under water and for aerial surveys. The use of this system to tudy mine tailings, terroir (linked to wine production), and anthropogenic environmental radioactivity in South Africa will be discussed.
High radon levels are found in the underground mines in South Africa. The CNSS has decided to fund a project to study ways of improving the regulations for the large number of underground miners in South Africa.
This presentation will consider some of the issues related to this study.
In Cameroon, the quartzites mined in the locality of Pouma are frequently used as decorative stones for the interior and exterior embellishment of residential houses. We wanted to know if these beautiful decorative stones could also be good gamma attenuators, in which case, they could be used in hospitals, and research centers, to cover the walls of rooms in which we could store devices...
The aim of the VIDEO project is the development of a device enabling the detection and location of gamma radiation from hidden sources. The intended application of the device is finding dirty bombs, preventing terrorist attacks with radioactive material. Thus ultimate detection sensitivity and capability of tracking moving gamma sources is required. The project is running since 2011 at GSI in...
