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In this article the evaluation of the radon content in drinking water samples from the province of Reggio Calabria (Calabria, Southern Italy), is reported. In particular, the 222Rn activity concentration was measured by using the Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) PerkinElmer Tricarb 4910 TR setup, and it was compared with the parameter value (100 Bq L^(-1)) reported in the Italian Legislative Decree 28/2016. The annual effective dose for the population of the investigated areas, due to the ingestion of 222Rn dissolved in water, was then evaluated only in those cases in which the parameter value was exceeded. Noteworthy, results reported in this paper represent a main reference for the investigated areas and constitute a baseline for future investigations regarding background radioactivity levels.

The periodic evaluation of the Faraday cage efficiency for diagnostic Magnetic Resonance is mandatory by Italian legislation and it is recommended by manufacturers. An inadequate shielding could affect clinical images with artifacts, reducing the quality of examinations. The International reference standard for shielding effectiveness measurements is represented by IEEE Standard 299-2006, but it results poorly applicable in Magnetic Resonance sites. In this study, an alternative approach is proposed to simplify the applicability of the IEEE Standard. The experimental set-up for measurements is composed by a signal generator and a transmitting antenna, coupled with the signal generator. The novelty of the proposed methodology consists in the absence of the receiver antenna; for this purpose, the Magnetic Resonance scanner is used. This approach permits to test the entire Faraday cage by means of a single measure. If the Magnetic Resonance device picks up the radiofrequency signal from outside of the cage, this would be visible on the acquired images as a "zipper" artifact. Four Faraday cages, different in building materials, were tested by using the proposed methodology, and the results were compared with those obtained by using the IEEE Standard. The presence of the "zipper" artifact on the images made us inspect the entire Faraday cage and not just the openings, finding that the radiofrequency signal entered from an area without openings, thus denoting a poor construction of the cage. The proposed methodology provides an immediate evaluation of the shielding efficiency, furnishing information on the entire Faraday cage and not only on its apertures. The method is simple, easily reproducible, and constitutes a valid alternative to the IEEE Standard; in particular, during constancy tests.

This paper presents studies on natural and anthropogenic radioactivity determination in different mushroom species (Boletus Aereus, Boletus Edulis, Boletus Aestivalis, Agaricus Arvensis, Cantharellus Lutescens, Cantharellus Cibarius, Leccinum Quercinum, Macrolepiota Konradi, Lactarius Deliciosus) collected in Calabria, southern Italy, aimed at determining 137Cs and 40K content in analyzed samples, evaluating the bioconcentration levels and estimating the annual effective dose for ingestion to mushrooms consumers. For all investigated samples, experimental radioactivity results, obtained through High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometry, were found to be much lower than the specific activity limit set by the international legislation. Information about radionuclides bioaccumulation were given through the calculation of the bioconcentration factor. The effective dose due to the ingestion of mushrooms by adult members of the population was found to be much lower than the recommended level for the public (1 mSv y^(-1)). Results reported in this paper can provide useful information on the environmental risk and can be further used for a radiological mapping of the studied area.