Balancing natural radionuclides in drinking water supply [Elektronische Ressource] : an investigation in Germany and Canada with respect to geology, radiometry & legislation / Sascha Wisser

Sascha Wisser

Sujets

• Social work

Informations

• Publié par: johannes_gutenberg-universitat_mainz
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2003
• Nombre de lectures: 25
• Langue: Deutsch
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Balancing Natural Radionuclides
in Drinking Water Supply

-

an investigation in Germany and Canada
with respect to geology, radiometry & legislation



Dissertation zur Erlangung des Grades
„Doktor der Naturwissenschaften“


am Fachbereich Geowissenschaften der
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz



Sascha Wisser
geb. in Bad Marienberg

Mainz, Juni 2003




























Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 25. Juli 2003




















Hiermit versichere ich, die vorliegende Arbeit selbständig und ausschließlich
unter Benutzung der angegebenen Hilfsmittel angefertigt zu haben.



Mainz, im Juni 2003

-----------------------------------------




This thesis has in parts been published in the following papers:


I. Wisser, S. (2001): Natürliche Radionuklide im Thermalwasser des rheinland-
pfälzischen Kurortes Bad Kreuznach. Mitt. Pollichia, 88, pp. 115-121, Bad Dürkheim

II. Wisser, S. & Stüber, J. (2001): Radon in Wasserwerken: Ursache möglicher externer
Strahlenexposition. Strahlenschutzpraxis - Zeitschrift für den sicheren Umgang mit
ionisierender und nichtionisierender Strahlung, 4/01, pp. 46-49, TÜV-Verlag, Köln

III. Wisser, S. (2002): Außergewöhnliche Anreicherung natürlicher Radionuklide in
Thermalwasserleitungen. Wasser & Boden, 3/2002, pp. 20-22, Blackwell-Verlag,
Berlin

IV. Wisser, S. & Wilken, R.D. (2002): Radon in Ground and Drinking Water in South-
thWestern Hungary. Proceedings of the 5 International Conference on High Levels of
Natural Radiation and Radon Areas, Munich, September 4-7, 2000, Volume II, pp.
257-259

V. Wisser, S. & Bott, W. (2003): Uranentfernung aus Rohwässern mittels Aktivkohle-
filtration – ein Praxistest. Strahlenschutzpraxis - Zeitschrift für den sicheren Umgang
mit ionisierender und nichtionisierender Strahlung (submitted)

VI. Wisser, S. & Hintelmann, H. (2003): Natural Radionuclides in Potable Waters from
Central Ontario, Canada. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity (submitted)

VII. Wisser, S. & Wilken, R.-D. (2003): Determination of Uranium-Isotopes in Ground-
and Drinking Waters from Ontario, Canada. Publications du Centre Universitaire
Luxembourg (in press)


CONTENT
Preface .................................................................................................................. 7
1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 8
2 Goals of Thesis ............................................................................................ 10
3 Natural Radionuclides in the Environment............................................. 11
3.1 Geochemistry of Uranium, Thorium and Their Daughters...................................... 13
3.1.1 Properties of Uranium and Thorium ................................................................ 13
3.1.2 Geological Distribution of Uranium and Thorium........................................... 14
3.2 Properties of the Daughter Isotopes of Uranium and Thorium................................ 20
3.2.1 Radium.............................................................................................................20
3.2.2 Radon...............................................................................................................21
3.2.3 Lead and Polonium........................................................................................... 23
3.2.4 Protactinium.....................................................................................................24
3.3 Relevant Isotopes in Drinking Water Supply...........................................................
3.4 Natural Radionuclides in Drinking Waters .............................................................. 25
3.5 Health Effects of Natural Radionuclides in Drinking Water ................................... 28
3.5.1 Health Impacts of Uranium.............................................................................. 28
3.5.2 pacts of Radium................................................................................ 29
3.5.3 Health Impacts of Radon.................................................................................. 30
3.5.4 pacts of Lead and Polonium............................................................. 30
4 Basics of Radioactive Decay ...................................................................... 31
4.1 Decay Law................................................................................................................31
4.2 Half-life.................................................................................................................... 32
4.3 Modes of Radioactive Decay ................................................................................... 32
4.3.1 Alpha-Decay.....................................................................................................32
4.3.2 Beta-Decay.......................................................................................................33
4.3.3 Gamma-Emission.............................................................................................
4.4 Natural Radionuclides and Geochronology ............................................................. 34
5 Statistics of Radioactive Decay.................................................................. 35
5.1 Statistical Models for the Distribution of the Count Rate........................................ 35
5.1.1 Binomial Distribution.......................................................................................35
5.1.2 Poisson .........................................................................................36
5.1.3 Gaussian
5.2 Statistical Tests.........................................................................................................38
5.2.1 T-Test...............................................................................................................38
5.2.2 Q-Test
6 Legislation in Europe and Canada ........................................................... 39
6.1 European Union (EU)............................................................................................... 39
6.2 Legislation in Germany............................................................................................40
6.3 Canada...................................................................................................................... 41
7 Removal of Natural Radionuclides from Potable Waters...................... 44
7.1 Removal Processes...................................................................................................44
7.1.1 Aeration............................................................................................................
7.1.2 Filtration...........................................................................................................45
7.1.3 Ion Exchange / Water Softening ...................................................................... 46
7.1.4 Lime Softening.................................................................................................47
7.1.5 Granulated Activated Carbon...........................................................................
7.1.6 Flocculation / Precipitation .............................................................................. 48
7.1.7 Reverse Osmosis..............................................................................................49
7.1.8 Nanofiltration...................................................................................................
7.1.9 Greensand Filtration.........................................................................................50
7.1.10 Disposal of Waste from Water Treatment........................................................
7.2 Summary of Applicable Radionuclide Removal Methods....................................... 51
8 Experimental Part ...................................................................................... 53
8.1 Analytical Quality Assurance...................................................................................53
8.2 Detection of Radioactive Isotopes............................................................................ 54
8.2.1 Semiconductor Detectors.................................................................................55
8.2.2 Liquid Scintillation Counting........................................................................... 56
8.2.3 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry............................................. 57
8.3 Overview of the Measured Radionuclides with Detection Limits ........................... 60
8.4 Selectively Adsorbing Discs for the Radiometry of Natural Radionuclides............ 61
8.4.1 Discs for the Extraction of Radium and Polonium from Water Samples ........ 61
8.4.2 Discs fo