IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGING IN DIALOGUE WITH THE POPULATION AFTER A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT.

Human behaviour is primarily driven by perceptions and this is particularly important in the aftermath of a nuclear accident. One of the main lessons we can draw from the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents is that once the acute phase of the accident is over, it is important to engage in dialogue with the affected population. Science-based government measures, imposed from above, give rise to much opposition.

Biological carrier molecules of radiopharmaceuticals for molecular cancer imaging and targeted cancer therapy.

Many tumors express one or more proteins that are either absent or hardly present in normal tissues, and which can be targeted by radiopharmaceuticals for either visualization of tumor cells or for targeted therapy. Radiopharmaceuticals can consist of a radionuclide and a carrier molecule that interacts with the tumor target and as such guides the attached radionuclide to the right spot. Radiopharmaceuticals hold great promise for the future of oncology by providing early, precise diagnosis and better, personalized treatment.

Radiological impact of almost a century of phosphate industry in Flanders, Belgium.

In Belgium, since about 1920, the phosphate industry has been an important industrial activity. It is principally situated in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, and produces mainly phosphoric acid, fertilizers, and cattle food. At its height, between 1980 and 1990, it processed between 1.

Radon: a special case in radiation protection.

The conversion conventions of ICRP 65 are based on equality of detriment, not on dosimetry. They are derived from epidemiological studies on miners by comparing the risk of having fatal lung cancer with the detriment associated with a unit of exposure in ICRP 60. Things have moved on since ICRP 65 and the new scientific evidence (numerator change, denominator change and also the dosimetric approach in ICRP 66) is pointing away from ICRP 65 in the direction of the long-established UNSCEAR conversion factor of 9 (nSv h(-1))/(Bq m(-3)) radon progeny exposure, which is 50% higher than the ICRP 65 conversion convention for members of the public.

Assessment of radiation exposure in the uranium mining and milling area of Mailuu Suu, Kyrgyzstan.

The area of the town of Mailuu Suu, Kyrgyzstan, is polluted by radionuclides and heavy metals from tailing dumps and heaps resulting from the historic exploitation of uranium mines. In the frame of a European Commission-TACIS funded project, radiological assessment was performed for critical group members living in the city of Mailuu Suu, located downstream the tailings, or in the village of Kara Agach, partially located on a uranium mine waste dump. The actual external exposure is around 1.

The radiological impact from airborne routine discharges of a modern coal-fired power plant.

In this paper the radiological impact from the airborne routine discharges of a modern coal-fired power plant at Langerlo (Belgium) is evaluated. Therefore, the natural radioactivity contents of the coal and the fly-ash discharged were measured. With a bi-Gaussian plume model the maximum annual values of the 226Ra concentration in the air (4.

Mitigation of a radon-rich Belgian dwelling using active subslab depressurization.

In a radon prone area in Belgium, a dwelling with high indoor radon concentrations was identified through a passive measurement. Next, a continuous, active radon monitoring device was installed for one month. A 20-a retrospective radon assessment was also performed.

Field experience with volume traps for assessing retrospective radon exposures.

Approximately 200 volume traps were retrieved from dwellings in various radon prone areas in Europe. They were analysed for the purpose of retrospective radon assessment. Emphasis is put on specific problems encountered when using field samples as opposed to laboratory exposed samples.

Integrated natural radiation exposure studies in stable Yugoslav rural communities.

The results of field investigations of natural radiation exposures of the general population in two stable rural communities in Yugoslavia are presented. The principal emphasis was on exposures to contemporary indoor radon, but measurements of external penetrating radiation absorbed dose rates in air were carried out in the majority of cases. In addition, in a limited number of dwellings, measurements of thoron gas concentrations were made.

Retrospective assessment of historic radon concentrations in Norwegian dwellings by measuring glass implanted Po-210--an international field intercomparison.

The first Norwegian study of historic radon concentrations in 17 dwellings in the high radon areas in Norway has been conducted as part of an international field intercomparison during 1998. The retrospective radon concentration is estimated via measurements of Po-210, the long-lived decay product of Rn-222 implanted in glass surfaces of objects like pictures, mirrors, cabinet-glass, etc. the method called 'surface trap'.

Radium contamination of the banks of the river Laak as a consequence of the phosphate industry in Belgium.

For over half a century, phosphate ores of marine origin, containing 226Ra, have been processed in Belgium to produce calcium phosphate for use in cattle food. As a result, the waste water containing 226Ra were discharged into two little rivers, one of which is the Laak. The purpose of this study was to chart the radium contamination of the river banks and some areas that are regularly flooded by the river.

Retrospective radon assessment by means of 210Po activity measurements.

A method for retrospectively assessing the average radon concentration in a dwelling, for a period as long as 40 years or more, is described. It is based on the free penetration of radon gas into bulky spongy materials called volume traps, and subsequent trapping of radon decay products inside them. This leads to a build-up of 210Pb, a radon decay product with a half life of 22.

The usability of wood as a volume trap for the purpose of retrospective radon exposure assessment.

The possibility of using wood samples as a retrospective radon monitor was investigated. Retrospective radon monitors are based on the analysis of the enhanced 210Po content of the bulk of the sample as a result of radon exposure. Several wood samples in different sizes and shapes were tested for their radon penetrability and the speed at which radon can diffuse throughout the material.

Volume traps--a new retrospective radon monitor.

A new method to trace back average radon concentrations in dwellings over several decades in time has been developed. This retrospective radon monitor is based on the measurement of the alpha activity of 210Po deposited in volume traps, e.g.

Modeling radon progeny absorbed in glass.

The depth distribution of 214Pb and 210Pb in glass was calculated from 218Po and 214Po deposited on the surface. The activity is found in a very narrow zone near the surface (< 100 nm). A fraction of the absorbed 214Po is capable of reaching the surface by decay into 210Pb.

Three-dimensional treatment of steady-state 222Rn diffusion in building materials: introducing a practical modified one-dimensional approach.

A three dimensional solution of the steady state diffusion equation, with boundary conditions applicable to closed can 222Rn exhalation measurements is described. A modified one-dimensional formalism is introduced which allows the interpretation of the results from exhalation measurements in terms of one-dimensional 222Rn exhalation from walls.

Results of a preliminary survey on radon in Belgium.

Results of a preliminary national survey on radon in houses in Belgium are presented. The indoor radon concentration was determined in 1983 in 79 houses with passive integrating detectors. In 77 of the examined cases the radon concentration is less than 250 Bq/m3.

The equilibrium of attached and unattached radon daughters in the domestic environment.

The Jacobi Room Model is applied to fit radon daughter concentrations measured in a room. The aerosol size distribution and ventilation rate are measured simultaneously. The mean deposition rate fitted to these experiments is 16 h-1.

A closer look at the behaviour of radioactive decay products in air.

Apart from the "classical" processes like deposition, attachment and ventilation, we have also incorporated the clustering of condensable products around ions and the neutralisation of ions into the description of the behaviour of radioactive decay products in air. The interplay between these various processes and their effect on the active size distribution is studied by numerical model calculations.