High-background radiation areas

Krishnan K and Vijayalakshmi NR. 2005. Alterations in lipids lipid peroxidation in rats fed with flavonoid rich fraction of banana (Musa paradisiaca) from high background radiation area. Ind J Med Res 122(6) 540-546. 

Tao, Z., Zha, Y., Akiba, S., et al., 2000. Cancer mortality in the high background radiation areas of Yangjiang, China during the period between 1979 and 1995. J. Radiat Res. 41 Suppl, 31-41. 

UPTAKE OF NATURAL URANIUM BY NATIVE PLANTS GROWN IN A HIGH BACKGROUND RADIATION AREA... 

Uptake of Natural Uranium by Native Plants Grown in a High Background Radiation Area 165... 

Soil samples at the epicentre of the nuclear bomb explosion site in Semipalatinsk93 were measured with ESR. Although the dependence on the distance from the epicentre was not presented, ESR will be potentially useful for tooth enamel of residents nearby the accident and the high background contaminated area. It must be noted, however, that the high dose-rate effect will appear in the case of direct A-bomb radiation leading to lower dose estimation than real one. Radiation effect from the contamination, which is the case for residents, may be estimated if artificial dose rate is around 100 Gy/h or less. 

The relative role of thorium (and especially cerium) was never established. In mona-zite-processing workers exposed again to a mixture of rare earth elements and thorium, slight effects on peripheral lymphocytes and on liver function were found (Farid and Con-ibear 1983, Serio 1983). On the other hand, Thampi et al. (2002) have not observed differences between newborns from high-level natural radiation (HLNR) and natural-level natural radiation (NLNR) areas with respect to chromosome aberrations and constitutional anomalies, nor was there any association with the background radiation levels. The injection of considerable amounts of thorotrast in diagnostic medicine without apparent acute effects is another indication of the absence of shortterm effects (Ishikawa et al. 1999). 

Areas of high natural radiation background (UNSCEAR 2000f)... 

It should be emphasized that along with acceptable, on the whole, averaged contamination local deviations have been discovered with contamination levels considerably above the permissible limits. The examples are, in particular, CMBs in Andreeva Bay and Gremikha where highly contaminated sections of outer walls of buildings and structures within the sites of these bases are found. At certain areas of the CMB in Andreeva Bay y-radiation dose rates, surface contamination and specific concentrations of Cs and Sr exceed the background... 

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