Radioactive lightning rods were manufactured in Brazil until 1989, when the licenses for using radioactive sources in these products were lifted by the national nuclear authority. Since then, these rods have been replaced by the Franklin type and collected as radioactive waste. However, only 20% of the estimated total number of installed rods has been delivered to the Brazilian Nuclear Commission. This situation causes concern, since there is the possibility of the rods to be disposed as domestic waste. In Brazil, 64% of the municipal solid waste is disposed at garbage dumps without sufficient control. In addition, (241)Am, the radionuclide most commonly employed, is classified as a high-toxicity element, when incorporated. In the present study, (241)Am migration experiments were performed by means of a lysimeter system, in order to evaluate the risk of contamination caused by radioactive lightning rods disposed as common solid waste. (241)Am sources removed from lightning rods were placed inside lysimeters filled with organic waste that was collected at the restaurant of the Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares. The generated leachate was periodically analyzed, and characteristics such as pH, redox potential, solid content and the concentration of the radioactive material were determined. The equivalent dose for members of the public was calculated considering ingestion of contaminated drinking water as the major path of exposure. Estimated doses were about 20-times below the effective dose limit of 1 mSv year(-1) for members of the public as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. This suggests the radiation risk caused by lightning rods disposed at uncontrolled garbage dumps to be low. It should be noted, however, that the number of investigated lightning rods was quite small. The results of this study might therefore not be entirely representative and should be interpreted with care. They provide, however, a very first basis for characterizing the transfer of (241)Am from lightning rods to the human food chain.
The present study investigated the influence of 241 Am on microbial growth and the degradation of organic waste. Leachate samples collected in a lysimeter were periodically analyzed for bacterial growth, under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. 241 Am inhibited bacterial growth, and the degradation of organic matter was delayed in comparison with the control. Minimal inhibitory concentration assays and survival curves revealed that it inhibits the growth of Pseudomonas putida F1. The assay also revealed that 241 Am is more toxic than 238 U, Zn 2? and Cd 2? . This study further led to the finding of four new radionuclide-tolerant bacterial strains: Flavobacterium spp., Pseudomonas gladioli, Chryseobacterium indologenes and Ochrobactrum anthropi. The survival curves of P. gladioli, C. indologenes revealed that these bacteria are resistant to metal as consortia.
A operação normal de uma instalação nuclear ou radiativa envolve a liberação de efluentes radioativos líquidos e/ou gasosos. No Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN) existem diversas instalações nucleares e radiativas, desenvolvendo atividades no campo da física nuclear, radioquímica, engenharia nuclear, produção de radioisótopos e radio fármacos, aplicação de técnicas nucleares na indústria entre outras. A Gerência de Radioproteção do IPEN estabeleceu um programa de amostragem dos efluentes radioativos para determinar a quantidade de material radioativo (termo fonte) liberada para o meio ambiente e detectar imediatamente, qualquer liberação não planejada acima dos limites operacionais pré-estabelecidos. O controle radioativo dos efluentes gasosos e do ar atmosférico ambiental do Instituto foi implementado em 1988 e é realizado pelo
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