Environmental dependence of geometrical efficiency for the scintillation cell in radon and thoron measurement.

222Rn is recognized as a matter of international concern for human health risk. Because 220Rn as well as 222Rn coexist in the natural environment, thoron sometimes influences the experiment for radon measurement. It is important to measure radon and thoron separately to evaluate the risk of the exposure to 222Rn.

Distribution of total mercury in coastal sediments of Honda Bay, Palawan Island, the Philippines.

Honda Bay is considered as one of the mercury hotspots in the world due to its proximity to the abandoned Palawan Quicksilver Mine. In this study, a detailed sediment sampling conducted in between 2021 and 2022 where a total of 166 sediment samples were collected along the coast and analyzed for total mercury (THg) concentration. The study assessed mercury toxicity using the geoaccumulation index and compared Hg levels to sediment quality guidelines.

Effect of zirconium oxide nanoparticles on thermal, optical, and radiation shielding properties of BiO-BO-MnO glasses.

This study has explored the DSC, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, gamma ray and neutron shielding properties of BiO-BO-MnO: ZrO glasses. It demonstrates a unique approach to photon shielding analysis using JENDL/PD-2016 photonuclear data and employs a validated spherical neutron model for neutron shielding. Five transparent glasses were prepared with the chemical composition (in mol%) of 29BiO-70BO-(1-x)MnO: xZrO, and labeled as MZ (for x = 0), MZ (for x = 0.

Development of calculation tool for iodine 131 biodistribution depending on the aerosol particle distribution.

Radiation damage to tissues depends on radiation exposure levels. Therefore, we have studied accurate estimations of radiation exposure levels so far. Recently, we developed a tool that can calculate the respiratory tract deposition of radionuclides based on polydisperse particle size distribution.

Pollution assessment of mercury and other potentially toxic elements in the marine sediments of Mambulao Bay, Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte, Philippines.

In Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte, small-scale gold miners dispose of untreated tailings into nearby rivers, which eventually flow into Mambulao Bay. In this study, nine (9) marine sediments were collected and analyzed to assess the pollution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in Mambulao Bay. Au concentrations in the sediments were also determined.

I in the SE-Dome ice core, Greenland: A new candidate golden spike for the Anthropocene.

The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch that will mark the time when humans have irreversibly affected the Earth. One of the primary requirements to formally establish this is a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point or "golden spike" - a record of a planetary signal marking the new epoch's beginning. The leading candidates for the Anthropocene's golden spike are the fallout peaks of C (T = 5730 y) and Pu (T = 24,110 y) from nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s.

Mathematical simulation of the Pacific Proving Grounds I/I nuclear bomb peaks in coral cores from the Philippines.

One recent way of reconstructing the historical impact of aboveground nuclear weapons testing (ANWT) in places lacking historical data is by measuring I in natural archives such as coral cores. However, discussions arising from I in corals remain qualitative or semi-quantitative, which do not maximize the potential information derivable from the data. In this study, we construct a mathematical model that simulates the I bomb peaks from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) tests, as observed in available coral core data from the east (Baler) and west (Parola) sides of the Philippines.

Evaluation of the Radiation Shielding Characteristics of Several Glass Systems Using the EPICS2017 Library.

In this paper, the investigation of the Electron-Photon Interaction Cross Sections 2017 (EPICS2017) library on the shielding characteristics of several glasses under various chemical systems is presented. The EPICS2017 library of ENDF/B-VIII was interpolated to calculate the mass attenuation coefficients (MACs) of selected glass systems. Results from EPICS2017 have been compared with values from experimental and theoretical methods used to evaluate the photon shielding properties.

Influence of potassium-solubilizing bacteria on the growth and radiocesium phyto-transfer of Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis grown in contaminated Fukushima soils.

The supply of K, being the chemical analog of Cs, affects the phytotransfer of radiocesium such as Cs from contaminated soils and its accumulation in plant tissues. Since K and Cs have high affinity to the same clay particle surfaces, the presence of potassium-solubilizing bacteria (KSB) could increase the availability of not only K in the rhizosphere but also of radiocesium. In this study, we obtained five KSB isolates with the highest solubilization capacities from soybean rhizosphere on modified Aleksandrov medium containing sericite as K source.

Iodine-129 for determining the origin of salinity in groundwater in Pampanga, Philippines.

Assessing groundwater vulnerability from salinity contamination is vital and relevant to meet the increasing demand for freshwater. Iodine-129 (I, half-life = 15.7 million years), a radioisotope of iodine, was used as an environmental tracer for the possible origin of salinization in groundwater (e.