Krzysztof Samolej

Radionuclide accumulation in glacial environments is of increasing concern due to its potential ecological implications associated with retreat of glaciers worldwide. Identifying suitable matrices for monitoring radionuclides in glacial environments is therefore important for assessing their environmental availability and potential downstream transport. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of artificial (137Cs, 239+240Pu) and natural (210Pb) radionuclides in glacier mice and cryoconite (supraglacial sediments) from Svalbard. Samples were collected from two glaciers (Longyearbreen and Foxfonna), with glacier mice present at one site. Additionally, we compared our results with activity concentration from other studies on radionuclides in cryoconite and plants on Svalbard, as well as a few available studies on glacier mice in general. Investigated radionuclides were found in both matrices, while cryoconite generally exhibited higher activity concentrations than glacier mice. The 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios indicate that global fallout is the primary source of these isotopes. Glacier mice were created by two species of moss, Sanionia nivalis and Hygrohypnella polaris. Radionuclide concentrations in the glacier mice and cryoconite in Central Spitsbergen are lower than those previously reported for cryoconite in the Arctic. We corroborate that cryoconite is a more robust matrix for radionuclide monitoring and demonstrate that glacier mice have potential as complementary biomonitors for studies on radionuclide availability in Arctic glacial environments. The use of glacier mice as biomonitors may provide new insights into the transport, deposition, and accumulation of contaminants at glacier forefields.

Radium and barium are hazardous contaminants that frequently occur in wastewater, posing significant risks to human health and the environment. This study provides a comparative evaluation of five synthetic zeolites—3A, 4A, 5A, 13X (commercial), and NaP1 (synthesized from fly ash)—representing three distinct framework types (LTA, FAU, and GIS) for the removal of radium from real saline mine water (Upper Silesia Coal Basin, Poland) and barium from synthetic water. The zeolites were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDS, and N₂ adsorption, and tested in both granular and fine-powder forms using sequential batch adsorption experiments. For radium removal from mine water, zeolite NaP1 demonstrated superior performance, maintaining low ²²⁶Ra effluent activity (<1 Bq/L), even after treating ~50 L of water. Zeolites 3A, 4A, 5A, and 13X exhibited significantly lower performance than NaP1, showing poor selectivity for radium. In the barium batch tests, all tested zeolites achieved removal efficiencies exceeding 95% at low initial concentrations (100 mg/L). At higher concentrations (2000 mg/L), zeolites 3A, 4A, and 13X exhibited the highest adsorption capacities, with zeolite 4A achieving the maximum value of approximately 239.9 mg/g. The experiments demonstrated that idealized laboratory conditions can substantially overestimate sorbent performance relative to real water systems.

The presence of radionuclides in environmental media, including sediment, is critical in assessing potential health risks due to external gamma radiation. This study investigates the spatial distribution of natural (Ra-226, Th-232, K-40) and artificial (Cs-137) radionuclides in sediment along the Dixcove coastline, Ghana, using High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectroscopy. The activity concentrations of Ra-226 ranged from ~14 to ~23 Bq/kg, Th-232 from ~3 to ~10 Bq/kg, and K-40 from ~44 to ~93 Bq/kg, with Cs-137 levels between 0.2 and 1.3 Bq/kg. The highest concentrations of Ra-226 and K-40 were found On-shore, suggesting terrestrial influence, while Th-232 displayed a more uniform distribution. Radiological risk assessments, including radium equivalent activity (Raeq), annual effective dose (AED), and gamma index (Iγ), confirmed that all measured values were below international safety thresholds, indicating no significant health risk. However, the variability in Cs-137 distribution suggests the need for continued monitoring to assess potential long-term contamination trends. A significant discrepancy was observed when comparing Cs-137 values from this study (maximum 1.3 Bq/kg) with previously reported data (~110 Bq/kg), raising concerns about methodological differences or environmental changes, which require further investigation. To address the observed discrepancies between this study and previous investigations, future research should incorporate in situ measurement techniques for a more comprehensive assessment of Cs-137 distribution.

This paper compares the results of measurements taken in the underground workings of active and tourist mines. In these facilities, the aerosol size distributions of ambient aerosols at key workplaces and the distributions of radioactive aerosols containing radon decay products were determined. Based on these studies, dose conversions used for dose assessment and unattached fractions were determined. In addition, radon activity concentrations and potential alpha energy concentrations of short-lived progeny were also measured in the mines to determine the equilibrium factor. The dose conversions varied between 2–7 mSv/(mJ × h × m⁻³). The unattached fraction measured in active coal mines ranged from 0.01–0.23, in tourist mines from 0.09–0.44, and in the tourist cave it was 0.43. The results showed significant discrepancies between the effective doses determined from current recommendations and legal regulations and those determined from direct measurements of parameters affecting exposure.

This paper presents a method of implementation and the results of aerosol dispersion tests in underground mine workings. Numerous tests were carried out to determine the potential risk of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection in the underground environment of the mines. The influence of selected parameters of mine air on the possibility and method of aerosol transmission through ventilation routes was experimentally determined in real conditions. The concentration of additional aerosols in the class of ultrafine and fine aerosols increased with the distance from the generator, while the concentration of coarse particles decreased. Assuming the consumption of the solution with which aerosols were generated, even at a small level of 1 cm³/min., the number of additional aerosols was several hundred particles in one cubic centimeter of air at a distance of 50–70 m from the generator. The concentration of ultrafine particles in the range of 40–20,000 nm increased from 122 particles/cm³ to 209 particles/cm³ at air temperature of 12 °C and relative humidity of 95–96%, and from 90 particles/cm³ to 243 particles/cm³ at air temperature of 17 °C and relative humidity of 76–82%, with the increasing distance from the generator (10 m to 50 m).

Ra-226 and Ra-228 isotopes were removed from brine drained from hard coal mine excavation sites in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin by adsorption on synthetic NaP1, 3A, 5A, 13X zeolites as well as on a natural clinoptilolite. The zeolites had a fine-cryst. or granular form. Two types of dynamic tests were performed. The zeolite NaP1 showed the Ra removal efficiency of 92%. The efficiency of other zeolites was much lower. Addnl., an anal. of current legislation concerning the concn. of Ra in water and waste was performed.