A comprehensive review on sources of radon and factors affecting radon concentration in underground uranium mines

Sahu, Patitapaban; Panigrahi, Durga Charan; Mishra, Devi Prasad

doi:10.1007/s12665-016-5433-8

Cited by 55 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Most of the previous U.S.-based epidemiologic studies about the adverse effects of radon used a temporally invariant county-level radon model developed by the Lawrence Berkley National Lab (referred to as the LBNL model) as exposure assessment. − The LBNL model was based jointly on approximately 55,000 short-term radon measurements collected in 43,000 houses via the USEPA/State Residential Radon Survey (SRRS) and long-term radon measurements collected in 5700 houses via the National Residential Radon Survey (NRRS). , The LBNL model used a Bayesian mixed-effects regression to predict county-level geometric mean radon concentrations based on county-level soil uranium content, geological province, and building characteristics. However, residential radon level is a complex function of local geological factors, meteorological conditions, socioeconomic status, and building characteristics. − The temporally invariant and county-level LBNL radon estimations were insufficient to characterize the small-scale spatial variation , and seasonality in community-level radon concentrations . Additionally, the measurements of LBNL model were mostly conducted in the mid- to late 1980s and therefore unable to accurately reflect recent trends in residential radon, which can be influenced by variation in building characteristic, energy efficiency, , the prevalence of radon mitigation, , and the application of radon-resistant new construction in the last three decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Monthly Community-Level Domestic Radon Concentrations in the Greater Boston Area with an Ensemble Learning Model

Blomberg

Stern

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Inhaling radon and its progeny is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, previous studies of the health effects of residential exposure to radon in the United States were commonly based on a county-level temporally invariant radon model that was developed using measurements collected in the mid- to late 1980s. We developed a machine learning model to predict monthly radon concentrations for each ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) in the Greater Boston area based on 363,783 short-term measurements by Spruce Environmental Technologies, Inc., during the period 2005–2018. A two-stage ensemble-based model was developed to predict radon concentrations for all ZCTAs and months. Stage one included 12 base statistical models that independently predicted ZCTA-level radon concentrations based on geological, architectural, socioeconomic, and meteorological factors for each ZCTA. Stage two aggregated the predictions of these 12 base models using an ensemble learning method. The results of a 10-fold cross-validation showed that the stage-two model has a good prediction accuracy with a weighted R 2 of 0.63 and root mean square error of 22.6 Bq/m3. The community-level time-varying predictions from our model have good predictive precision and accuracy and can be used in future prospective epidemiological studies in the Greater Boston area.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Monthly Community-Level Domestic Radon Concentrations in the Greater Boston Area with an Ensemble Learning Model

Blomberg

Stern

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…It is derived from uranium decay series and is widely present in nature. In particular, radon is enriched in basements and mines, where air circulation is commonly poor and the environment is surrounded by soils or rocks that contain high concentrations of uranium (∼thousands of Bq/m 3 ) (Cevik et al, 2010;Cevik et al, 2011;Somlai et al, 2011;Meng et al, 2015;Fijałkowska Lichwa, 2016;Sahu et al, 2016;Sun et al, 2020;Kojo et al, 2021). Once radon is inhaled, the alpha particles emanating from the radon and its daughters inevitably deposit energy in the lungs, thereby causing radiation damage to the lung tissues (Black et al, 1968;Blanchard et al, 1969;Wahl et al, 2000;Momcilovic et al, 2001;Pillalamarri et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimum Detectable Activity of Pb-210 in Skull From In vivo Measurements: Insights From the Literature

Meng

Liu

et al. 2021

Front. Energy Res.

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To address the urgent need for the retrospective assessment of the health conditions of people with a history of appreciable radon exposure, a novel technique that directly measures the characteristic γ-rays emitted from Pb-210 in the living skull was developed. Since the first pioneering study in 1968, this technique has experienced continued advancement over more than half a century, where the limit of detection of Pb-210 is a common criterion to assess the performance of the measuring devices. However, researchers have defined the limit of detection in assorted ways, and the measurement conditions often greatly differ from study to study, both of which significantly challenge interstudy comparisons and obscure how various factors make their impacts. In this work, we reanalyze the reported results in the literature according to the minimum detectable activity (MDA) defined by Currie and investigate the effects of key elements therein. Firstly, we focus on the reported background count rates and analyze their dependence on detector’s energy resolution and active area. Secondly, we turn to the reported calibration factors and conduct analysis in the same manner. Thirdly, we calculate MDA for each study and monitor its dependence on the active area of detector and measurement duration. In the limit of the largest achievable active area (∼75000 mm2), it is found that the asymptotic MDA is approximately 6 (4) Bq and 15 (11) Bq under 30 (60) min measurement using NaI-CsI scintillator and HPGe semiconductor detectors, respectively. Finally, we discuss these asymptotic MDA in the context of estimated Pb-210 activity in the skull resulted from a hypothetical history of radon exposure.

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“…Because this infrastructure has more advantages than directly buried pipelines, it can be anticipated as an inevitable trend in the development of urban modernization. The complex geological conditions in my country and the existence of super-large cross-sections make the study of the joint response of the super-large cross-section underground comprehensive pipeline gallery under complex geological conditions important 1,2 . The pipeline can withstand long-term and short-term loads related to the influence of various external factors, such as the movement of surrounding soil masses, accidental mechanical shock, operation of auxiliary equipment valves, movement of online inspection equipment, and changes in gas transportation methods 3,4 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Simulation of The Response of An Underground Pipeline Connector With a Super-Large Section Under Complex Geological Conditions

Xiong

2021

Preprint

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Aiming at the low simulation accuracy of the numerical simulation method of the joint response of the super-large section underground comprehensive pipeline gallery under the current complicated geological conditions, a numerical simulation method of the joint response of the super-large section underground comprehensive pipe gallery joint response under the complicated geological conditions based on the finite element model was proposed. According to the analysis process for the super-large section underground comprehensive pipe gallery, the viscous boundary of the comprehensive pipe gallery is determined. Additionally, by analyzing soil and structural parameters, the optimal combined dynamic boundary is used as the model boundary. The HSS model is used to describe the constitutive structure of the soil, and by improving the Goodman element to describe the contact surface of the model, the finite element model of the joint response of the comprehensive pipe gallery is constructed. Furthermore, based on the internal force balance and deformation coordination conditions, considering the influence of the deformation shape of the joint joints and the elongation of the prestressed tendons on the finite element model, the response model of the integrated pipe gallery joint is optimized. Experimental results show that the proposed method has higher numerical simulation accuracy.

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A comprehensive review on sources of radon and factors affecting radon concentration in underground uranium mines

Cited by 55 publications

References 73 publications

Predicting Monthly Community-Level Domestic Radon Concentrations in the Greater Boston Area with an Ensemble Learning Model

Predicting Monthly Community-Level Domestic Radon Concentrations in the Greater Boston Area with an Ensemble Learning Model

Minimum Detectable Activity of Pb-210 in Skull From In vivo Measurements: Insights From the Literature

Numerical Simulation of The Response of An Underground Pipeline Connector With a Super-Large Section Under Complex Geological Conditions

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