Acid rain is a general term used to describe acid depositions, i.e. rain, fog and snow (known as wet deposition), as well as acid gases and particles (known as dry deposition). Acid rain is of particular environmental concern in Romania, as many soils have lately become acidic, causing serious damages to plants, animals and human beings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate by simulation the impact of acid rain on a podzol sample taken from the Retezat National Park, a Romanian protected area situated in Hunedoara County. Laboratory experiments were performed by leaching soil columns with simulated acid rain (prepared in volumetric flasks) at different pH levels, and then soil cation concentration was characterized at all these pH levels. The results suggest that acid rain generates serious problems for the agricultural and environmental management.
The present work reports the results of a study performed by gamma spectral analysis, on different soil samples collected from Petrosani -Romanian city placed in an important coal mining area. The purpose of this research is to estimate the gamma dose rate in the out-door air (at a height of 1 m above the ground), in order to compare the results obtained to the annual effective limit dose value received by the population, which is 1 mSv/year. A modern statistical method -Monte Carlo simulation -was used to perform the study. By estimating the mean activity concentrations for the primordial decay chains (those of Radium-226 and Thorium-232), as well as the mean activity concentration for the Potassium-40 radioisotope, the gamma dose rate received by the public in Petrosani was evaluated; this is proved to be lower than the maximum admitted value, so the study leads to the conclusion that the inhabitants are not dangerously exposed to gamma radiation caused by radioisotopes present in soil.
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