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Natural radioactivity is ubiquitous, while the anthropogenic radioactivity is introduced into the environment due to manmade activities. The members of public (MOP) get exposed to both natural and anthropogenic radioactivity through the various routes of intake. The ingestion dose to MOP from natural (40K, 210Po, 226Ra, and 228Ra) and anthropogenic (90Sr and 137Cs) radionuclide through the consumption of benthic and pelagic marine biota collected from Thane creek, Mumbai was investigated. It was observed that 99.9% of ingestion dose is from natural radionuclide while, the anthropogenic radionuclides are contributing just 0.1%. Hence, the dose from anthropogenic radionuclide's due to the consumption of marine biota is negligible compared to that from natural radionuclide's which is also an insignificant contribution in the overall dose exposure to man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is the need for the future, and to fulfill this need, the use of renewable energy is a must. Furthermore, to counter the problem of global warming and climate change, the transition toward unconventional sources of energy is a requirement. Total global energy is majorly used in three sectors, namely, heating and cooling, transport, and electricity; however, the use and growth of renewable energy among these sectors are different. In this article, we discuss the potential of renewable energy in these sectors, the challenges associated with their large-scale deployment, and the possible solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) generated/discharged in nonnuclear industries such as coal combustion residuals from different coal-based power plants, fertilizer, construction, tobacco, and other industries into the environment, has not been reviewed in the Indian context. In the present review, systematic survey and analysis of the reported occurrence of U238, Th232, and K40 in these nonnuclear industrial sectors is discussed. Most of the data compiled and described in this review are sourced from major popularly referred, peer-reviewed scientific journal publications since the year 2005. Apart from radioactivity levels in products from nonnuclear industrial sectors different radiological indices such as absorbed dose, dose rate, etc., are also compared and discussed. Overall, this review presents a comprehensive analysis of NORMs in nonnuclear industrial sectors of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology for separation and purification of 210Po from uranium, thorium and daughters has been studied. Solvent extraction coupled with liquid scintillation analysis using HDEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid) and TOPO (trioctylphosphine oxide) in toluene as extractive scintillator was optimized. About 95% of 210Po was extracted in the organic phase of TOPO as an extracting agent from an aqueous solution in 1 M HCl, compared to 1.6% extraction by HDEHP. The methodology was validated with uranium ore tailing sample, IAEA-385 sediment and IAEA-447 Moss-soil reference materials for application to environmental samples. A minimum detectable activity of 118 mBq kg−1 was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radiochemical technique for estimation of Sr concentration by direct extraction of Y with bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (HDEHP) in toluene was developed and standardized. About 90% Sr retained in the aqueous phase at the optimized pH 4-4.5. Cerenkov counting with 0.04 g mL sodium salicylate as a wavelength shifter resulted in 7.5 fold increase its Cerenkov counting efficiency. The method was validated by estimating Sr in certified reference materials like, IAEA TEL 2016-03 drinking water, Spruce needle and IAEA-156 Clover. The interference of naturally occurring Ra and its β progeny especially Pb was eliminated by means of Cerenkov counting. Conventional radiochemical separation was used to compare Sr activity in effluent samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on micronutrients and nonessential toxic heavy metals quantification and their bio-concentration in soil–rice system in Haryana, India. Composite samples of rice grains and paddy fields' soil were collected, processed and analyzed for heavy metals. Nutrient and heavy metals' content of paddy fields' soil varied over a wide range, having highest Fe content followed by Cu > Cr > Pb > Ni > Zn > Co > Cd. Most of the metals viz. Fe, Zn, Cu and Co found profusely in rice grains were essential micronutrients. Bio-concentration factors (BCFs) in rice grains were in the following order: Zn (0.11) > Co (0.10) > Cu (0.08) = Cr (0.08) > Ni (0.02) > Pb (0.011) > Cd (0.009) > Fe (0.003), indicating higher accumulation of micronutrients than non-essential toxic heavy metals. Principal component analysis revealed three factors accounting for 70% of the total variance which supported correlation among electrical conductivity (EC)-Na, EC-cation exchange capacity (CEC), CEC-Na, pH-TOC, and BCFCu-BCFZn. Health risk indices anticipated that the grains are safe for consumption as non-carcinogenic hazard quotients were less than unity for all the studied heavy metals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]