C6830 Radioecology

Faculty of Science
Spring 2004
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (fasci plus compl plus > 4). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Jiří Hála, CSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Jiří Hála, CSc.
Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
C4430 Nuclear Chemistry || C5040 Nuclear Chemistry
Mastering nuclear chemistry at the level of the basic course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course covers information on the occurrence and behavior of radionuclides in the environment, on natural and man-made sources of ionizing radiation and their effects on man, and on monitoring radionuclides in the environment.
Syllabus
  • 1.Basic concepts. Quantities used in assessment of biological risk of ionizing radiation. Exposure limits. Pathways of radionuclides in the environment and into the human body. Distribution and excretion of radionuclides from the human body. Radiotoxicity. Difference in effects of low and high radiation doses. Contemporary problems of the assessment of risk from low doses. 2. Natural long-lived radionuclides in the environment. Environmentally important radionuclides, radioactive series, radiation maps, Czech regulatory limits. Radioactivity of ashes, coal, and building materials. Natural radioactivity of water. Determination of radium. Radioactivity of the atmosphere, measurement of radioactive aerosols. 3. Radon and its decay products. Sources of indoor radon, regulatory limits. The radon program in the Czech Republic. Exposure of lung tissue: potential energy of alpha radiation, equivalent volume activity of radon, WL, WLM. Risk assessment for uranium miners and the general public. Protective measures, water treatment. Determination of radon and its decay products in air and water. 4. Environmental impact of uranium mining and milling. The fuel cycle of nuclear power plants (NPP). Chemical processing of uranium ore, production of the uranium concentrate. Sources of environmental pollution. Mine waters, tailing ponds. Subsurface chemical leaching of uranium. Situation in the Czech Republic, remediation measures. 5. Cosmic radiation. Components and their abundance. The effects of altitude and latitude. Exposures of commercial airline crews and astronauts. Cosmogenic radionuclides. 6. Nuclear power plant and the environment. NPP as a source of radiation and radionuclides. Radiactive releases under normal operation. Gaseous and liquid releases, important radionuclides, their removal. Regulatory limits. The situation at the Dukovany NPP. The effect of releases on man. The role of nuclear energy in the world energy strategy. Nuclear power and the environment: greenhouse effect, socio-economic factors. 7. Monitoring of radiation and radionuclides from NPP in the environment. European monitoring networks, quantities monitored, principles of their determination. Methods of the determination of selected radionuclides. 8. Nuclear power plant accidents. Causes and health impact of the accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Environmental impact and health consequences in the Ukraine and Europe. Accidents of nonpower nuclear facilities. 9. Radioactive waste. Production, classification, and pathways. Processing and disposal of low- and medium-level waste from nuclear industry and non-energy sector, types of repositories. High-level waste: spent nuclear fuel, interim and final repositories, economical and political problems. Other types of high-level waste, vitrification. Environmental impact of radioactive waste.
Literature
  • J. Beneš, Radioaktivní zamoření biosféry. Praha, 1974. J. Jandl, I. Petr, Ionizující záření v životním prostředí. Praha, 1988.
  • J. Hála, radioaktivita, ionizující záření, jaderná energie. Brno, 1998.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Přednáška, zkouška písemná a ústní.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2008 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Spring 2011 - only for the accreditation, Spring 2001, Spring 2002, Spring 2003, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, spring 2012 - acreditation, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2004, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2004/C6830