Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

Quality of ground water, which is often used as raw water for drinking, can vary in a wide range. In the case of high natural radionuclides content, especially content of radium 226 and radium 228, the most often used process of their removing is aeration followed by the filtration on gravity or pressure filters filled with sand covered with iron and manganic oxide, eventually with other medium as Birm or Greensand. These procedures had been used for the water treatment before the radioactive substances content in water and their ingestion risk were known. During the water treatment process, the radioisotopes of radium 226 and radium 228 are retained in the filter media together with iron and manganese. Retained radium 226 generates its daughter radionuclide- gaseous radon 222. During the filters washing, radon 222 is released into the air of the water treatment plant hall. This will be shown on an example, when the radon 222 concentration in raw ground water is low but it gets into the treated water during the treatment process. When the filters are being washed, the radon 222 concentration in the air of the plant significantly increases. The dependence of radon concentration in the air on the radium 226 activity in the sand of the particular filters was assessed. The inhalation dose rates due to radon 222 for the operating personnel were evaluated.

Biography

Eduard Hansl?k has completed his PhD at Technical University, Prague in 1980, his topic for thesis was ?Radon 222 in water its properties and removal?. Since 1983, he has been a head of Radio Ecological Department in T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, P.R.I. and leader of research project and studies. He has published his work in reputed journals. He is the scientific guarantee of conference Radionuclides in water management (1978-2014) and Radiological methods (2003-2013). Further, he is a member of commission for doctoral degrees Charles University Prague and he participates in development of Czech Standards for Determination of Radionuclides in Water as a co-author.