Distribution of Radon Gas in Romanian Show Caves and Radiation Safety

Burghele, Bety-Denissa; Cucoş, Alexandra; Papp, Botond; Stetca, Florin A; Mirea, Ionuţ Cornel; Constantin, Silviu

doi:10.1093/rpd/ncy091

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This risk should be monitored periodically using personal dosimeters. Measured radon concentrations are not a danger to tourists [45,46].…”

Section: Muierilor Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Measured radon doses indicate that guides are at high occupational risk (category A). This risk should be monitored periodically using personal dosimeters [45,46]. Measured radon concentrations are not a danger to tourists.…”

Section: Urs Ilor Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The detectors have been installed since December 2014, and then replaced every three months, resulting in complete sets of measurements for each season. Radon measurements were reported by Burghele et al[45,46]. -The surface climate monitoring was performed by using meteorological data recorded by automatic Vaisala weather station installed at Baia de Fier (for Muierilor and Polovragi) and Chişcău village (for Urşilor and Meziad).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Monitoring Human Impact in Show Caves. A Study of Four Romanian Caves

et al. 2021

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(1) Background: Show caves are unique natural attractions and touristic traffic can trigger their degradation within a short time. There are no universal solutions to counter the effects of the touristic impact upon the cave environment and both protection protocols and management plans have to be established on a case-by-case basis. (2) Methods: The study includes four show caves from the Romanian Carpathians, where monitoring of the number of visitors, paralleled by the monitoring of the main physicochemical parameters of the air and water (CO2, temperature, humidity, drip rate, conductivity, and pH) was implemented. (3) Results and Conclusions: The results of the study have: established a set of basic principles to be enforced by the management of show caves and issued a set of preventive measures and instructions to be followed by the personnel and stakeholders of the caves.

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“…This risk should be monitored periodically using personal dosimeters. Measured radon concentrations are not a danger to tourists [45,46].…”

Section: Muierilor Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Urs Ilor Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Monitoring Human Impact in Show Caves. A Study of Four Romanian Caves

et al. 2021

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“…Compared with some karst tourist caves in China, the radon concentration of Zhijindong Cave is lower than that of Xueyu cave (4271.4 Bq/m 3 ) [22] and is close to that of caves in Lantian [15]. Compared with some other karst tourist caves in the world, the radon concentration in Zhijindong Cave is higher than caves in Romania [33], lower than the Važecká cave (1300-42,200 Bq/m 3 ) and the Altamira cave (3562 Bq/m 3 ) [11,16]. The temporal variation of radon concentration is closely related to the temperature between the outside atmosphere and the cave atmosphere (Figure 4).…”

Section: Temporal Variation Of Radon Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 85%

Spatiotemporal Variations of Radon Concentration in the Atmosphere of Zhijindong Cave (China)

et al. 2021

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Ensuring high air quality in the atmosphere of Zhijindong Cave is essential, for it is one of the most scenic in Asia and has received millions of tourists each year. Radon, as the most important radioactive carcinogen, is a priority and has been measured since just after its opening. However, an artificial exit was opened in 2002, and it is still unclear what the influence of that has been on the radon concentration in the cave atmosphere. In this study, we use RAD7 to monitor the spatiotemporal variations of radon concentration in the atmosphere of Zhijindong Cave for a whole year. The results show that radon concentration is generally higher in the hot season and lower in the cold season, and both with a distinct spatial differences. The highest measured radon concentration is 1691 Bq/m3, which is lower compared with the previous study. The reduced radon concentration could be caused by the strengthened cave ventilation due to the artificial exit. The temporal variation of radon concentration is related to the outside temperature change, while the spatial variation is mostly related to the different cave layers. The effective dose is negligible for tourists, but can be as high as 9.7 mSv for tour guides and 22.6 mSv for photographers.

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“…Muierilor Cave is one of the most important caves from paleontological, biological, and archeological points of view ( Mirea et al, 2021 ). With more than 130,000 visitors each year, it is also one of the most visited show caves in the country ( Burghele et al, 2018 ; Constantin et al, 2021 ; Mirea et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 16S rRNA Gene-Based Metabarcoding of Phosphate-Rich Deposits in Muierilor Cave, South-Western Carpathians

et al. 2022

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Muierilor Cave is one of Romania’s most important show caves, with paleontological and archeological deposits. Recently, a new chamber was discovered in the cave, with unique yellow calcite crystals, fine-grained crusts, and black sediments. The deposits in this chamber were related to a leaking process from the upper level that contains fossil bones and a large pile of guano. Samples were taken from the new chamber and another passage to investigate the relationship between the substrate and microbial community. Chemical, mineralogical, and whole community 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding analyses were undertaken, and the base of the guano deposit was radiocarbon dated. Our study indicated bacteria linked to the presence of high phosphate concentration, most likely due to the nature of the substrate (hydroxyapatite). Bacteria involved in Fe, Mn, or N cycles were also found, as these elements are commonly identified in high concentrations in guano. Since no bat colonies or fossil bones were present in the new chamber, a high concentration of these elements could be sourced by organic deposits inside the cave (guano and fossil bones) even after hundreds of years of their deposition and in areas far from both deposits. Metabarcoding of the analyzed samples found that ∼0.7% of the identified bacteria are unknown to science, and ∼47% were not previously reported in caves or guano. Moreover, most of the identified human-related bacteria were not reported in caves or guano before, and some are known for their pathogenic potential. Therefore, continuous monitoring of air and floor microbiology should be considered in show caves with organic deposits containing bacteria that can threaten human health. The high number of unidentified taxa in a small sector of Muierilor Cave indicates the limited knowledge of the bacterial diversity in caves that can have potential applications in human health and biotechnology.

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Distribution of Radon Gas in Romanian Show Caves and Radiation Safety

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Monitoring Human Impact in Show Caves. A Study of Four Romanian Caves

Monitoring Human Impact in Show Caves. A Study of Four Romanian Caves

Spatiotemporal Variations of Radon Concentration in the Atmosphere of Zhijindong Cave (China)

A 16S rRNA Gene-Based Metabarcoding of Phosphate-Rich Deposits in Muierilor Cave, South-Western Carpathians

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