Radon exposure at drinking water supply plants in Slovenia

Radon was measured at ten drinking water supply plants in Slovenia, in rooms attended by workers. Concentrations ranged from 40 to 2600 Bq x m(-3) resulting in annual effective doses of the personnel, calculated according to the ICRP 65 methodology, of below 0.5 mSv at 6 places, and of 0.6-3.0 mSv at the others. In addition, at each plant water was analyzed for 222Rn and 226Ra and ranges of 0.5-33 kBq x m(-3) and 5-34 Bq x m(-3), respectively, were obtained.     

Radon concentration in Jordanian drinking water and hot springs.

The radon concentration in Jordanian drinking water and hot springs has been measured using the electret-passive environmental radon monitoring method. This study maps out Jordanian water sources from the north to the south as well as the area around the capital Amman and the Jordan valley. Samples from 30 sources were collected and analysed during the period from November 2001 to June 2002. We have found that 60% of the drinking water sources have radon concentrations above the proposed US Environmental Protection Agency limit of 11 Bq l(-1); these are mostly situated in the northern region of the country. Fortunately, these sources supplied only a small number of people since they were mainly located in rural areas. Tap water in the capital Amman, where approximately 35% of the population live, has a very low radon concentration, 3.9 Bq l(-1). However, the isolated northern drinking water wells did show a radon level as high as 117 Bq l(-1). Hot springs in Jordan have a radon level ranging between 63 and 81 Bq l(-1), again mainly in the northern region. In general we conclude that Jordanian drinking water is safe as far as radon concentration is concerned with the exception of a few isolated local drinking water wells.     

郑州市中原区二次供水设施卫生调查与分析

目的　了解辖区日益增多的二次供水设施卫生状况。方法　对辖区内 5 8家正在使用的二次供水设施进行卫生情况调查。结果　卫生许可证持有率仅有 3.4 % ;无行业差别 (P >O .0 0 5 )。管水人员健康证持有率仅有 3.2 % ,其卫生知识知晓率也很低。结论　主要储水、供水设施存在很多卫生问题和隐患。     

京津冀地区自建设施供水单位水质卫生学调查

目的了解京津冀地区自建设施供水单位的水质现状,分析存在的风险指标。方法于2015年对108家自建设施供水单位的基本情况进行调查,并采集出厂水进行水质检测。结果京津冀地区自建设施供水单位多以深井水为水源,48%(52/108)的单位未采取水处理措施,26.8%(29/108)的单位采取了消毒措施,超过1/2的自建设施供水单位日供水能力在500 t以下。氟化物、硝酸盐氮合格率分别为67.6%(73/108)和86.1%(96/108)。结论本次调查的京津冀地区自建设施供水单位的供水规模大多较小,供水水质与水源地质因素和处理工艺落后有关。     

Radon and radon daughter measurements in solar buildings

Measurements of radon and radon daughters in 11 buildings in five states, using active or passive solar heating, showed no significant excess in concentrations over the levels measured in buildings with conventional heating systems. Radon levels in two buildings using rock storage in their active solar systems exceeded the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's limit of 3 pCi/l. for continuous exposure in uncontrolled areas. In the remainder of the buildings, radon concentrations were found to be at levels considered to be normal. It appears that the slightly elevated indoor radon concentrations result from the local geological formations and from the tightening of the buildings rather than as a result of the solar heating technology.     

Cross‐sector emergency planning for water supply utilities and healthcare facilities

The purpose of this article is to outline the criticality of water supply in sustained operations of healthcare facilities, particularly during community emergencies, and to advocate for enhanced cross‐sector support from the water utilities in meeting this need. Information and ideas presented here were developed in the course of a regional project sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) for development of emergency water supply operations plans for critical water uses in the Washington, DC, area.     

Personal exposure level and environmental ethylene oxide gas concentration in sterilization facilities of hospitals in Japan

Personal and environmental (stationary) ethylene oxide (EO) gas concentrations in gas sterilization facilities were measured at six workplaces in five hospitals. An ethylene oxide gas monitor (3M #3551) was used for both personal and stationary samplings. A gas detector tube was also used for instantaneous sampling. In most workplaces, the personal exposure levels of EO were below the detection limit of the gas monitor. Most of the time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations by the stationary sampling were below the threshold limit value of EO (TLV-TWA = 1 ppm), but in one workplace, more than 4 ppm of EO were detected in front of the sterilizer in a clean room during a 24-hour measurement, although all the personal exposure levels were below the detection limit. Method of aeration after the sterilization was very important for reducing the EO exposure. The EO gas concentrations in two workplaces where sufficient aeration was carried out were below the detection limit in all the stationary samples. In one workplace where insufficient aeration was performed, EO was detected from 16 of 17 stationary samples, and more than 90-200 ppm of EO was determined by the gas detector tube near the worker's face at the moment when the door of the sterilizer was opened and the sterilized materials were removed.     

北京市部分农村饮用水水质和设施卫生状况

目的 研究北京市农村生活饮用水水质、设施卫生状况和相关影响因素.方法 在北京市3个区县,采用随机抽样调查的方法抽取652个农村供水单位,进行生活饮用水水质检测和生活饮用水设施卫生状况调查.采用Epidata 3.1软件建立数据库,使用SPSS 13.0统计软件包进行统计分析.结果 共调查供水单位652家,正常运行的供水...     

Analysis of personnel exposures in neutron therapy facilities

In conventional radiation-therapy facilities, radiation doses to medical personnel originate from the leakage radiation of 60Co teletherapy systems or from photoneutrons produced during the operation of x-ray generators at energies over 10 MeV in unsuitably shielded therapy rooms. In neutron-therapy facilities, during patient set-ups and position verifications, medical personnel are exposed to photons from remanent radioactivity induced in the shielding around the neutron-producing targets and in the beam collimators. At Fermilab, the use of an elevating platform limits personnel exposure periods to those times when collimators are being exchanged. Comparisons with other facilities are shown.     

Mould exposure in museum personnel

Summary In the basement archives of a local arts and crafts museum where the books and bookkeeping registers were handled, a woman on the museum staff had had ten attacks of fever, chill, nausea and cough during one year. The symptoms appeared at the end of the working day and disappeared after one to three days at home. No symptoms could be detected during the summer holidays. The books stored in the basement archives had earlier been stored in a small house with a leaky roof, which had led to the growth of mould on the books. When the books were handled at the museum, they were still covered with mould. The exposure measurements showed 10⁶ CFU/m³ and a total of 10⁸ microorganisms/m³.     

集中式饮水除砷装置的研制

为验证本专题研制的强化除砷剂的除砷效果、除砷容量以及再生效果 ,必须有中试规模的试验装置及其运行状况 ,以便推进饮水除砷剂及其除砷技术的产业化进程 ,中试基地选在源水含砷量超标的浙江省某天然泉水饮料厂 ,该集中式饮水除砷装置的处理能力为 1m3 h ,自 1999年 4月起连续运行至今 ,处理后出水符合国家生活饮用水有关卫生标准的要求 ,除砷容量高 ;成本低 ,设备管理简单 ,进水和出水均无需调节pH ;再生剂安全、价廉、效果好 ,适宜用于水砷高的农村或含砷的自备水厂     

Relationship between fluoride levels in the public water supply and dental fluorosis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of dental fluorosis among schoolchildren subjected to different fluoride concentrations in the public water supply of their cities. METHODS: The sample comprised 386 seven-year-old schoolchildren living in two municipalities in the State of S?o Paulo that practiced external control over the fluoridation of the water from 1998 to 2002: one with homogenous fluoride concentration and the other with oscillating concentration. Dental fluorosis was determined by dry examination of the upper permanent incisors using Dean's index. Scores classified as questionable were considered to represent fluorosis. Sociodemographic variables and questions regarding oral health were assessed using a structured questionnaire sent to the children's parents or the adults responsible for these children. Correlates of fluorosis were assessed using multivariate logistic regression (p<0.05). RESULTS: Both municipalities presented a mild degree of fluorosis. The prevalence of fluorosis in the municipality with oscillating fluoride content in the water was 31.4%, and it was 79.9% in the municipality with homogenous fluoride content. The prevalence of fluorosis was associated with the municipality with homogeneous fluoride levels in the water (OR=8.33, 95% CI: 5.15;13.45) and with not owning a car (OR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.27;3.49). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental fluorosis was higher in the city with better control of fluoride levels in the water supply, however, this higher prevalence was not related with children's satisfaction with the appearance of their teeth.     

Rural drinking water at supply and household levels: quality and management

Access to safe drinking water has been an important national goal in Bangladesh and other developing countries. While Bangladesh has almost achieved accepted bacteriological drinking water standards for water supply, high rates of diarrheal disease morbidity indicate that pathogen transmission continues through water supply chain (and other modes). This paper investigates the association between water quality and selected management practices by users at both the supply and household levels in rural Bangladesh. Two hundred and seventy tube-well water samples and 300 water samples from household storage containers were tested for fecal coliform (FC) concentrations over three surveys (during different seasons). The tube-well water samples were tested for arsenic concentration during the first survey. Overall, the FC was low (the median value ranged from 0 to 4 cfu/100ml) in water at the supply point (tube-well water samples) but significantly higher in water samples stored in households. At the supply point, 61% of tube-well water samples met the Bangladesh and WHO standards of FC; however, only 37% of stored water samples met the standards during the first survey. When arsenic contamination was also taken into account, only 52% of the samples met both the minimum microbiological and arsenic content standards of safety. The contamination rate for water samples from covered household storage containers was significantly lower than that of uncovered containers. The rate of water contamination in storage containers was highest during the February-May period. It is shown that safe drinking water was achieved by a combination of a protected and high quality source at the initial point and maintaining quality from the initial supply (source) point through to final consumption. It is recommended that the government and other relevant actors in Bangladesh establish a comprehensive drinking water system that integrates water supply, quality, handling and related educational programs in order to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies.