[en] It is well known that the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) are strongly modulated by the solar activity through 11 year solar cycle. Extensive measurements of Beryllium-7(⁷Be) concentrations in air were carried out in Mangalore, West Coast of India, in order to understand the dependence of its concentration with the solar activity (Sunspot number). A trend of inverse relationship between solar activity and ⁷Be concentration was observed. High ⁷Be concentration in air is accompanied with low sunspot number and vice-versa confirming that solar activity plays an important role on the production rate of cosmogenic radionuclide such as ⁷Be. (author)

[en] Activity concentrations of ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb in soil, fruit plants, and grass were measured in the samples collected during monsoon season around West Coast of India. Measurements were performed by measured by gamma ray spectrometry using a 50% relative efficiency p-type broad energy HPGe detector. The concentrations of ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb in vegetation varied in the range of 92.6-1333 Bq kg^-1 and ²¹⁰Pb between 26.5-130 Bq kg^-1. The activity concentrations of these radionuclides in soil were in the range of 9.2-22.7 Bq kg^-1 and 24.3- 80.0 Bq kg^-1 for ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb respectively. (author)

[en] The commonly adopted sampling methodology for the measurement of atmospheric Tritium (³H) concentration is moisture condensation method. This method is good for spot sampling while seldom applicable for long term measurements. Hence, developing methods for long term continuous air sampling which would account for the diurnal variations of ³H in environment is very important. Molecular sieves have found to have high potency towards water adsorptions and its application in air sampling for ³H measurement have been reported. Molecular sieves are allumino silicates having porous structures on their surfaces which facilitates the adsorption of water molecules on it. This adsorption is generally due to weak van der Waal's forces and hydrogen bonds. In this paper we report the application of molecular sieves for ³H measurements in ambient air

[en] This paper aimed for the development of a long term method for sampling tritium in air around Nuclear Power plants. Glycerol was found to be hygroscopic and potent water adsorbent when exposed to open environment. Experiments were carried out by exposing different known quantities of glycerol to open environment and quantifying the amount of water collected. Water separated from this glycerol-water mixture could be directly used for tritium analysis. (author)

[en] Tritium (³H) present in living organisms can be classified into (i) ³H atoms attached to bio-organic molecules of tissue known as Organically Bound Tritium (OBT), and (ii) ³H atoms attached to water molecules of the system known as Tissue Free Water Tritium (TFWT). Site specific data on parameters like Water Equivalent Factor (WEQ_p) and fractional water content is essential for accurate determination of OBT concentration in biota samples. Although fractional water content is studied extensively, not many studies are reported on WEQ_p factor. The present study deals with the generation of site specific data on WEQ_p for the environmental matrices experimentally for tropical region of Western Ghat of India. A comparison of theoretically estimated data on WEQ_p with that determined experimentally is also presented. (author)

[en] Ethylene glycol is known to be good imbiber of water and hence it is used in air sampling for tritium measurements. However, the water collection property of the ethylene glycol is sensitive to the ambient temperature and humidity and it is therefore important to quantify the absorption efficiency for different ambient conditions. Experiments were carried out in a controlled environment (in a walk-in type environmental chamber) by drawing ambient air through a column of ethylene glycol through a bubbling process to absorb the water content present in the air. The study has shown that the collection efficiency decreased by 96.4% to 84.6% when ambient temperature increased from 20° to 36°C. Similarly the collection efficiency decreased from 96.5% to 75.8 % when humidity increased from 45 to 85%. (author)

[en] A survey on tritium concentration in surface (stream and river) waters and air samples from the environment of Kaiga Generating Station has been carried out. Tritium concentrations in stream water of Kaiga region varied in the range <1.9-10.3 Bq L"-"1 with a geometric mean value of 3.9 Bq L"-"1. The concentration of this radionuclide varied in the range <1.9-53.7 Bq L"-"1 with a geometric mean value of 22.0 Bq L"-"1 in the water samples collected from the Kadra reservoir. However, the concentration reduced to below minimum detection levels when reservoir water was released back to the river. The mean value of tritium concentration in air samples was 0.09 Bq m"-"3. (author)

[en] Tritium (³H) is one of the important long-lived radioisotopes in the gaseous effluent from nuclear power plants. It may be produced in the pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR). While a major component of the produced is contained or recovered, a very small component may be released into the atmosphere in the form of tritiated water vapour (HTO). However, such releases are strictly monitored and are kept well within the permissible limits set by the regulatory authority. In this paper we present the results of ³H monitoring in ambient air samples around the Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant. The ³H concentration in air varied in the range <0.04-6.64 Bq m^-3 with a median of 0.67 Bq m^-3. (author)

[en] Tritium (³H) is one of the important long-lived radioisotopes in the gaseous effluent from nuclear power plants. In this article, we present the results of ³H monitoring in ambient air samples around the Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant, on the West Coast of India. Air samples were collected by moisture condensation method and the ³H concentration was determined by liquid scintillation spectrometry. The ³H concentration in the 2.3-15 km zone of the power plant varied in the range of <0.04-6.64 Bq m^-3 with a median of 0.67 Bq m^-3. The samples collected from the 2.3-5 km zone of the power plant exhibit marginally higher concentration when compared to the 5-10 km and 10-15 km zones, which is as expected. The values observed in the present study for Kaiga region are similar to those reported from other nuclear power plants, both within India and other parts of the world. (author)

[en] Tritium concentration was monitored in different water sources collected around Kaiga Nuclear Power plant, India. The concentration was in the ranges < 1.9–27.4 Bq L⁻¹ (GM = 4.0 Bq L⁻¹) for groundwater, < 1.9–42.1 Bq L⁻¹ (GM = 3.5 Bq L⁻¹) for surface water and in 12.4–42.0 Bq L⁻¹ (GM = 24.07 Bq L⁻¹) for reservoir water. The concentration values observed in this study are similar to those reported for other PHWR stations of the world. The radiation dose to the public due to ingestion of Tritium through groundwater was computed to be 0.08 μSvy⁻¹.