Chemical fractionation of radium-226 in NORM contaminated soil from oilfields.

Contamination of soil with Ra is a common problem in the oilfields, leading to costly remediation and disposal programmes. The present study focuses on the chemical fractionation and mobility of Ra in contaminated soils collected from an oilfield using a three-step sequential extraction procedure (BCR). The total activity concentrations of Ra in contaminated soils were measured and found to be in the range from 1030 ± 90 to 7780 ± 530 Bq kg, with a mean activity concentration of 2840 ± 1840 Bq kg.

Monitoring of ¹³⁷Cs fallout in Syrian environment.

This paper presents measurements of cesium 137 ((137)Cs) in the Syrian environment during the period between 2006 and 2010. More than 1,000 samples of soil, water, plants and aquatic life were collected from different locations. The measurements were realized using gamma spectroscopy, and the results showed that radioactivity concentrations were low overall.