Journal of environmental radioactivity最新文献

{"title":"Deep geological repositories — A review of design concepts, near-field evolution, and their implications for nuclear waste containment","authors":"Ogugua P. Unokiwedi ,&nbsp;Jiachen Gao ,&nbsp;Tristan Bethune ,&nbsp;Adedapo N. Awolayo","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective nuclear waste disposal is crucial for strengthening public confidence in nuclear energy as a cornerstone of sustainable, large-scale, carbon-neutral energy generation. Deep geological repositories (DGRs) provide the most viable long-term solution, employing a multi-barrier isolation system that inhibits radionuclide release and migration through a combination of engineered and natural barriers. While extensive research has focused on radionuclide transport mechanisms and the influence of geochemical interactions within host rock formations, a comprehensive understanding of the near-field environment, its physicochemical evolution, and its implications for repository design and nuclear waste management decisions remains underexplored. This review critically examines DGR concepts, near-field components, and processes, with a particular focus on canister-bentonite interactions, corrosion evolution, bentonite self-sealing mechanisms, and hydrogen gas generation. A critical assessment of experimental, numerical, and full-scale studies, highlights the complexities of coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical (THMC) processes that govern repository evolution. Key challenges include scaling laboratory findings to field-scale repository conditions, integrating microbial and radiation-driven interactions, and refining long-term predictive models for corrosion and radionuclide migration. Addressing these gaps is critical for advancing repository safety assessments, optimizing engineered barrier systems, and ensuring the long-term stability of nuclear waste disposal strategies. These insights are expected to contribute to the ongoing development of robust and globally implementable waste management solutions, reinforcing nuclear energy’s role in climate change mitigation and the transition to a net-zero carbon economy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107750"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to \"Integrated radiation air dose rate maps over the 80 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the entire Fukushima Prefecture during 2011-2022\" [J. Environ. Radioactiv. 280 (2024) 107554].","authors":"Kazuyuki Sakuma, Hiroshi Kurikami, Haruko Wainwright, Soichiro Tanimori, Fumiya Nagao, Kotaro Ochi, Yukihisa Sanada, Kimiaki Saito","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107763","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":" ","pages":"107763"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144642723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Indian Network for Detecting Radon Anomaly signal for Seismic Application","authors":"B.K. Sahoo ,&nbsp;Arshad Khan ,&nbsp;M.P. Ratheesh ,&nbsp;D.H. Kumbhar ,&nbsp;J.J. Gaware ,&nbsp;S.D. Kanse ,&nbsp;T.K. Agarwal ,&nbsp;B.K. Sapra","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107761","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Indian Network for Detecting Radon Anomaly Signal for Seismic Application (INDRA-SA) has been established to investigate ground radon exhalation as a potential earthquake precursor in the Indian subcontinent. As part of this initiative, up to 100 BhaROSA (Bhabha Radon Observatory for Seismic Application) systems have been deployed near active fault lines across the Indian Tectonic Plate. Each self-sustaining, solar-powered BhaROSA unit is equipped with a radon accumulator, a continuous radon monitor, environmental shielding, battery backup, and secure data transmission via 3G/4G GPRS on a Virtual Private Network. Site selection focused on regions with significant seismicity, particularly the Himalayan fault system and faults in the Eastern and Western Ghats. Data from each station is transmitted every 15 min to a central server, which also integrates earthquake event data from national and international agencies. At the central station, post-processing filters out meteorological noise (e.g., diurnal cycles, rainfall, low pressure) to isolate potential precursory radon anomalies. Analysis of data from notable earthquakes in the study region revealed persistent radon anomalies occurring days to months before major events. Rare radon signals preceding rare seismic events in low-activity zones further support a strong correlation. The INDRA network provides valuable insights into the spatial and temporal responses of radon signal prior and post seismic events to enhance our understanding of the complex processes involved in earthquake nucleation along fault lines. This initiative is a significant step towards advancing earthquake predictability— a longstanding and unresolved challenge for humanity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107761"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the real-time radon release pattern of granite under temperature-pressure coupling","authors":"Penghua Hu ,&nbsp;Yuan Xin ,&nbsp;Peng Ji ,&nbsp;Yuhang Gan ,&nbsp;Pingye Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107762","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107762","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Uranium ore, as an important energy mineral, is accompanied by the release of radioactive gas, radon, during the mining process. In order to study the release law of radon gas and its daughters inside granite under the state of temperature-pressure coupling in the deep stratum, the experiment uses uniaxial compression experiments under different temperature gradients (25 °C, 50 °C, 75 °C, 100 °C, 150 °C, 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C) and real-time monitoring of radon release changes, to explore the effect of different temperatures on the behavior of radon release inside granite. The experimental results show that: with the increase of strain, the radon release of granite as a whole shows the trend of increasing, then decreasing, and then increasing again, and reaches the peak in the unstable propagation stage of cracks. The radon exhalation decreases by 28.45 % in the stage of compression and densification at 100–150 °C, and increases by 29.33 % in the stage of expansion of cracks at 150–200 °C. The temperature-pressure coupling effect significantly affects the radon release behavior of granite, and the high temperature. The temperature-pressure coupling significantly affects the radon release behavior of granite, with high temperatures leading to a decrease in the mechanical properties of granite and accelerating the evaporation of water between mineral crystals and within the crystals and the thermal expansion of minerals, which in turn promotes the release of radon gas; in addition, the generation of thermal damages and microcracks provides new channels for radon gas migration. This study provides an important basis for the in-depth understanding of the radon release law of granite under temperature-pressure coupling conditions and the formulation of scientific prevention and control strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107762"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parameter uncertainty analysis of the committed equivalent dose coefficients from inhalation of radon progeny in underground uranium mines","authors":"Thomas Makumbi ,&nbsp;Bastian Breustedt ,&nbsp;Wolfgang Raskob ,&nbsp;Sadeeb Simon Ottenburger","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates the uncertainties in committed equivalent dose coefficients from inhalation of radon progeny in underground uranium mines. The work focuses on two exposure scenarios: wet drilling with good ventilation (Job 1) and dry drilling with poor ventilation (Job 4). The use of Monte Carlo simulations informed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) latest biokinetic models and parameter probability distributions obtained from published literature, revealed that Job 4 conditions yield higher lung dose coefficients than Job 1, despite both scenarios exhibiting similar uncertainty levels. The committed equivalent lung dose coefficients followed lognormal distributions, with geometric means of 61.87 mSv/(mJh/m³) and geometric standard deviation of 1.56 for Job 4 and 47.05 mSv/(mJh/m³) and geometric standard deviation of 1.58 for Job 1. The alveolar-interstitial region showed the greatest uncertainty, while the bronchial secretory cells received the highest doses. Among systemic organs, the kidneys received the largest dose. Statistical tests confirmed significant differences between the two job types. Sensitivity analysis identified tidal volume as main contributor to committed equivalent lung dose coefficient uncertainty. These findings support revising model parameters and improving breathing parameter measurements to enhance dose accuracy. The study emphasizes the necessity for enhanced ventilation, stricter air quality standards, and advanced personal protective equipment to mitigate health risks in radon-prone mining environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107751"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144563734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic variation characteristics of 222Rn in typical karst cave systems in south China and their influencing factors","authors":"Wei Tang ,&nbsp;Jian-Jun Yin ,&nbsp;Gaoyong Lan ,&nbsp;Hui Yang ,&nbsp;Xia Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radon (²²²Rn) gas is a natural tracer for air exchange between cave atmospheres and external environments. Investigating the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and controlling factors of its activity is crucial for revealing seasonal cycles and short-term fluctuation mechanisms of cave air exchange. Based on three years of continuous monitoring (from January 2018 to December 2020) of atmospheric ²²²Rn in Maomaotou Big Cave, Guilin, South China, this study systematically analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanisms of ²²²Rn activity concentrations. The cave exhibits two distinct seasonal gas circulation patterns: a degassing circulation mode in winter and spring and a gas recharge circulation mode in summer and autumn. Seasonal variations of ²²²Rn are primarily controlled by ventilation effects driven by temperature gradients between the cave interior and exterior. When external temperatures exceed cave temperatures, atmospheric stagnation promotes ²²²Rn accumulation; conversely, ventilation-induced dilution occurs when external temperatures drop below cave temperatures. Additionally, atmospheric precipitation significantly influences ²²²Rn activity concentrations, showing an inverse relationship where higher rainfall corresponds to lower ²²²Rn activity concentrations and vice versa. This phenomenon correlates with rainfall-induced soil moisture variations that regulate radon exhalation rates and subsequent diffusion processes. Furthermore, ²²²Rn activity concentrations also depend on the distribution of its parent radionuclide ²²⁶Ra in overlying soils and soil moisture content, which influences the radon dissolution and transport to the cave by dripwater. Through multifactorial analysis, this study elucidates synergistic mechanisms involving temperature gradients, precipitation, soil properties, and air exchange in regulating ²²²Rn dynamics. The findings provide critical scientific insights into cave gas dynamics and environmental effects, enhancing the understanding of subterranean air circulation patterns while offering theoretical support for cave environmental monitoring and health risk assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107748"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Numerical simulation study on radon migration in roadway surrounding rock under heat- moisture -force coupling","authors":"Yongjun Ye ,&nbsp;Yufei Hong ,&nbsp;Shanwei Shang ,&nbsp;Xuanli Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the increasing demand for uranium resource development and the gradual deepening of mining, radon pollution has become a significant issue in underground mines. This study aims to investigate the effects of temperature, humidity, ventilation pressure, and rock stress on radon migration in roadway surrounding rocks using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) combined with a heat-moisture-force coupling model. The results show that the pressure difference on the roadway wall is positively correlated with the radon exhalation rate, while an increase in inlet air speed leads to a decrease in the exhalation rate. Among environmental factors, temperature exhibits a more pronounced impact on radon exhalation rate compared to humidity, especially due to stress and temperature changes after roadway excavation. The study also reveals that deepening the roadway and increasing surrounding rock temperature and stress further enhance radon exhalation. These findings highlight the critical role of ventilation and environmental factors in controlling radon concentrations in underground spaces, providing a theoretical foundation for future research on radon migration in deep underground environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107747"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144563733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of RESRAD-OFFSITE code for coastal nuclear facility decommissioning: marine exposure pathway analysis","authors":"K. Misumi ,&nbsp;T. Koyama ,&nbsp;T. Kato ,&nbsp;S. Kanagawa ,&nbsp;D. Tsumune ,&nbsp;T. Tsubono","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107746","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>RESRAD-OFFSITE is a widely used radiation dose assessment code for deriving cleanup criteria and evaluating site release conditions when a nuclear facility is being decommissioned. Its application to coastal nuclear facilities is problematic because it does not consider ingestion of marine products. This study proposes a way to modify RESRAD-OFFSITE so that it can be applied to coastal facilities. We introduce a new parameter, the Seawater Exchange Rate, to quantify the effect of dilution of radioactive materials in the marine environments. We used a three-dimensional ocean model to simulate an idealized coastal area and calculated the Seawater Exchange Rate. We incorporated the obtained Seawater Exchange Rate into RESRAD-OFFSITE's lake submodel (surface water body submodel) and confirmed its validity. Calculations we made at a model site revealed that consideration of dilution via seawater exchange reduced the radiation dose associated with ingestion of marine products. Although this methodology effectively incorporates pathways involving ingestion of marine products using RESRAD-OFFSITE's existing capabilities, implementation of a marine submodel with a Seawater Exchange Rate as a parameter would streamline its practical application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107746"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"210Pb-based dating models for recent sediments. A review","authors":"José M. Abril-Hernández","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ²¹⁰Pb-based dating method provides absolute ages determination in recent aquatic sediments at centennial scales. It is widely used to support a large variety of environmental studies. However, any empirical data set is compatible with an infinite number of chronologies that need to be constrained by a series of assumptions (models) on the particular sedimentary conditions of the studied environment, and validated with independent chronostratigraphic markers. During five decades, about thirty models have been developed to cope with the wide diversity of natural conditions, a good number of them appearing in recent years, along with new concepts such as model errors, attractors for χ-mapping, or kinetic reactive transport, which have changed common views and practices. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of this dating method to provide to final users updated tools and a renewed understanding to improve the reliability of their applications. Models are classified in terms of their assumptions on the sedimentary systems, which are better understood from a revisited theory of early compaction and the description of the microcosms of saturated porous media, where composite fluxes of tracers undergo different deposition pathways in terms of physical and kinetic reactive transport. The article reviews empirical evidence on the natural variability in mass flows and initial activity concentrations. Some models allow analytical solutions, while others require numerical techniques. The review is illustrated with examples from real case studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 107749"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthropogenic tritium as indicator for groundwater inflow into major rivers – Potentials and challenges of a tracer application","authors":"Michael Schubert ,&nbsp;Christin Müller ,&nbsp;Kay Knoeller ,&nbsp;Eva Juranová","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2025.107745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The inflow of groundwater into a large river can contribute significantly to the total discharge of the river. Especially at low river water level, the inflowing groundwater can strongly influence the river water quality. Therefore, both the localisation and quantification of groundwater inflow into rivers is essential for their sustainable management. Corresponding field investigations usually rely on tracer applications based on stable water isotopes (δ²H/δ¹⁸O), naturally occurring radioisotopes (e.g. ²²²Rn) and standard water parameters (T, pH, EC). However, an extension of this tracer toolbox is desirable. In recent studies, the idea of using anthropogenic tritium that is released from a nuclear power plant (NPP) at an upstream location as an additional tracer has been pursued. The concept assumes that the inflow of (practically tritium-free) groundwater and tributary water dilutes the anthropogenic tritium inventory of the river and thus enables quantification of the total groundwater/tributary inflow (“tritium dilution concept”). Since the inflow of tributaries is usually easy to quantify, it is suggested that the inflow of groundwater can be derived from the tritium data. In the presented pilot study, we investigated the applicability of this “tritium dilution concept” and evaluated the general challenges associated to the uncertainty of input parameters. The study was executed exemplarily at an extended river section affected by the release of NPP process water (Vltava/Elbe River, Czech Republic). The evaluation of two 1-month tritium timeseries recorded at two monitoring/gauging stations 168 km apart allowed quantifying the total groundwater/tributary inflow into the river within this section based on the tritium data with a precision that was close to the gauged increase in river discharge (+72 % and +77 %, respectively). On the other hand, the groundwater inflow that was derived after subtracting the gauged tributary inflow from the quantified total water inflow was comparably low and therefore within the approaches’ range of uncertainty. From this it can be concluded that the “tritium dilution concept” is applicable if the required input parameters, namely the natural tritium groundwater/tributary endmember and the tributary discharge, are known with sufficient precision. This outcome is promising for studies that focus on less extended river sections with input parameters that are easier to define.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15667,"journal":{"name":"Journal of environmental radioactivity","volume":"288 ","pages":"Article 107745"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}