In the context of the rapid development of the world’s nuclear power industry, it is vital to establish reliable and efficient radioanalytical methods to support sound environment and food radioactivity monitoring programs and a cost-effective waste management strategy. As one of the most import fission products generated during human nuclear activities, 90Sr has been widely determined based on different analytical techniques for routine radioactivity monitoring, emergency preparedness and radioactive waste management. Herein, we summarize and critically review analytical methods developed over the last few decades for the determination of 90Sr in environmental and biological samples. Approaches applied in different steps of the analysis including sample preparation, chemical separation and detection are systematically discussed. The recent development of modern materials for 90Sr concentration and advanced instruments for rapid 90Sr measurement are also addressed.

ObjectivesRadioactivity monitoring around nuclear facilities is crucial to provide important baseline data for effective detection of radioactive leakage to the environment. We aim to establish a baseline study for monitoring radioactive levels of 90Sr and 137Cs around Sammen Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP) and to assess their associated health impact on surrounding residents.MethodsIn this study, we collected water and food samples around the SNPP from 2011 to 2020 and determined for 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations. We statistically analyzed the temporal trends of 90Sr and 137Cs and evaluated their radiation exposure to the local residents.ResultsDuring this period, the activity concentrations of 90Sr and 137Cs varied within 1.2–9.9 mBq/L and 0.10–7.6 mBq/L in water, and 0.037–1.3 Bq/kg and 0.011–0.45 Bq/kg in food, respectively, with no significant seasonal variation trend.ConclusionsAll reported activity concentrations of 90Sr and 137Cs were significantly lower than the recommended value of WHO and Chinese national standards. There is no indication of notable radioactive release into the study area due to the operation of SNPP during 2018–2020. The annual effective doses (AEDs) from the ingestion of 90Sr and 137Cs in water and food were well below the international permissible limits, indicating the radiation exposure around SNPP during 2011–2020 was kept at a safe level.

Gasoline is a globally used primary fuel. The submicron particles at gasoline stations have not been extensively investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the exposure concentrations and inhalation risk of submicron particles at a gasoline station. Temporal variations in particle concentrations and size distributions were measured using a real-time system. The effective doses of submicron particles deposited in different organs were analyzed using a computational fluid dynamics model and the value of environmental monitoring (including the size distributions of particles by number). The number concentration (NC) was higher during working hours than that of the background. Submicron particles gathered predominantly at 30.5 nm and 89.8 nm during working time. The effective doses of submicron particles deposited in the olfactory system and lungs were 0.131 × 10−3 and 0.014 mg, respectively, of which 0.026 × 10−3 mg potentially reached the brain. In a female worker with 3 years of exposure, the average daily effective doses in the olfactory system, lungs, and brain were 2.19 × 10−7 mg/kg·d−1, 2.34 × 10−5 mg/kg·d−1, and 4.35 × 10−8 mg/kg·d−1, respectively. These findings indicated that workers at this gasoline station had a high inhalation risk of submicron particles. This study provides baseline data on submicron particles at gasoline stations and a critical basis for investigating disease risk in longitudinal epidemiological studies.

BackgroundDue to the rapid development of the powder-coating process and growing awareness of occupational health, the ultrafine particles (UFPs) generated during the powder-coating process have become a serious and urgent problem. However, researchers have not clearly understood the risk of exposure to the UFPs and inhalation risk of the UFPs. ResultsIrregularly shaped, aggregating particles containing Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Pt, and Ca elements were sampled from the work area. The number concentration (NC), mass concentration, surface concentration, personal NC, and lung-deposited surface area concentration of the particles were high: >105 pt/cm3, 0.2–0.4 mg/cm3, 600–1200 μm2/cm3, 0.7–1.4 pt/cm3, and 100–700 μm2/cm3, respectively. In the particle number count, majority of the particles were 30–200 nm in size. The time-weighted and task-weighted levels of exposure to the particles were high. Upon inhalation, most (71.09 mg) of the particles ranging from 10.4 nm to 96.8 nm accumulated in olfactory area, and a few of the particles (0.649 mg) was taken into lung. Similarly, the majority (1195 mg) of the particles that ranged in size from 100.3 nm to 469.8 nm were deposited on the lungs, and the remaining of the particles were trapped in the nasal cavity.ConclusionsDue to the high emissions rate of the UFPs and insufficient control measures, the workers involved in the powder-coating process are at high exposure risk. Moreover, the risk of inhalation of the UFPs by the workers is high, which is suggested by the high quantities of the UFPs deposited in the lungs and on the olfactory. To protect the workers, the series of measures we proposed, including engineering control, management control, and personal protection equipment should be implemented.