Exposure to tungsten particles via inhalation triggers early toxicity marker expression in the rat brain.

Objective: Our work is focused on tungsten, considered as an emerging contaminant. Its environmental dispersion is partly due to mining and military activities. Exposure scenario can also be occupational, in areas such as the hard metal industry and specific nuclear facilities.

Impact of the Coarse Indoor Non-radioactive Aerosols on the Background Radon Progenies' Compensation of a Continuous Air Monitor.

This paper addresses the problem of false positive alarm when using a continuous air monitor (CAM) in decommissioning sites of nuclear facilities. CAMs are used to measure airborne activity and play an important role in the radiation protection of workers likely to be exposed to radioactive aerosols. Monitors usually sample aerosols on a membrane filter.

Aerosol release fraction by concrete scarifying operations and its implications on the dismantling of nuclear facilities.

The sanitation of concrete structures through dismantling of nuclear buildings is complicated by the radiological threat associated with the airborne release of fine dust. This is the reason why the aerosol release fraction (ARF) associated with mechanical removal of concrete structure containing radioactivity needs to be accurately evaluated to implement efficient radiological survey and containment techniques. We characterize experimentally the ARF resulting from milling operations on a standard non-radioactive concrete slab in a confined experimental chamber using an industrial scarifying machine.

Evaluation of the Nose-to-Brain Transport of Different Physicochemical Forms of Uranium after Exposure Inhalation of a Aerosol in the Rat.

Background: Health-risk issues are raised concerning inhalation of particulate pollutants that are thought to have potential hazardous effects on the central nervous system. The brain is presented as a direct target of particulate matter (PM) exposure because of the nose-to-brain pathway involvement. The main cause of contamination in nuclear occupational activities is related to exposure to aerosols containing radionuclides, particularly uranium dust.

Production of reference sources of radioactive aerosols in filters for proficiency testing.

In the framework of the organization of proficiency testing, filters with deposits of Cs and Sr+Y radioactive aerosols have been submitted to laboratories for radionuclide measurement. Procedures for the special preparation and characterization of filters have been developed. The different steps of filter preparation, determination of the deposited radionuclide activity and characterization of the homogeneity of these deposits are presented.