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Chapter 4 - Natural Radioactivity in the Quaternary Vulsini Volcanic District (Central Italy): Evaluation of Potential Indoor Radiological Risk

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Chapter 4 - Natural Radioactivity in the Quaternary Vulsini Volcanic District (Central Italy): Evaluation of Potential Indoor Radiological Risk Università di Bologna Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e Geologico-Ambientali DOTTORATO DI RICERCA IN SCIENZE DELLA TERRA XXIV CICLO Coordinatore: Prof. Roberto Barbieri Tesi di Dottorato INDOOR AND OUTDOOR NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY IN THE VULSINI VOLCANIC DISTRICT (CENTRAL ITALY): ESTIMATION OF DOSES AND RADIOLOGICAL RISKS Settore concorsuale: 04/A1 – GEOCHIMICA, MINERALOGIA, PETROLOGIA, VULCANOLOGIA, GEORISORSE ED APPLICAZIONI Presentata da: Relatore Giorgia Cinelli Prof. Bruno Capaccioni Co-relatori Prof.ssa Laura Tositti Prof. Domiziano Mostacci Ciclo di studi 2009-2011 Abstract Terrestrial radioactivity for most individual is the major contributor to the total dose and is mostly provided by 238U, 232Th and 40K radionuclides. In particular indoor radioactivity is principally due to 222Rn, a radioactive noble gas descendent of 238U, second cause of lung cancer after cigarettes smoking. Vulsini Volcanic District is a well known quaternary volcanic area located between the northern Latium and southern Tuscany (Central Italy). It is characterized by an high natural radiation background resulting from the high concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K in the volcanic products. In this context, subduction-related metasomatic enrichment of incompatible elements in the mantle source coupled with magma differentiation within the upper crust has given rise to U, Th and K enriched melts. Almost every ancient village and town located in this part of Italy has been built with volcanic rocks (particularly tuffs, due to their mechanical properties) pertaining to the Vulsini Volcanic District. The radiological risk of living in this area has been estimated considering separately: a. the risk associated with buildings made of volcanic products and built on volcanic rock substrates b. the risk associated to soil characteristics (permeability, soil radon concentration). The former has been evaluated both using direct 222Rn indoor measurements and simulations. Direct 222Rn indoor measurements, carried out in the Bolsena village, have revealed extremely high values in the old centre due to the combined effect of building materials, volcanic basement and low air exchange rates. Simulations of ―standard rooms‖ built with the tuffs and lavas from the Vulsini Volcanic District investigated in this work, have provided estimations of the effective doses and lifetime risk for radiogenic cancer. The latter has been carried out by using in situ measurements of 222Rn activity in the soil gases. A radon risk map for the Bolsena village has been developed using soil radon measurements integrating geological information. According to this, this area can be defined with no doubts a radon-prone area. Available epidemiological data have not been fully utilizable to research an eventual increase of cancer in this area, but useful for some remarks. Data of airborne radioactivity in ambient aerosol at two elevated stations in Emilia Romagna (North Italy) under the influence of Fukushima plume have been collected, effective doses have been calculated and an extensive comparison between doses associated with artificial and natural sources in different area have been described and discussed. Riassunto Per la maggior parte della popolazione il contributo predominante all‘esposizione annuale alle radiazioni ionizzanti è rappresentato dalla radioattività naturale dovuta in maggior parte ai radionuclidi 238U e 232Th, alle loro catene di decadimento e al 40K. In ambienti chiusi la radioattivà è principalmente dovuta al 222Rn, gas nobile radioattivo presente nella catena di decadimento dell‘238U, che è stato riconosciuto essere la seconda causa di tumore al polmone dopo il fumo di sigaretta. Il Distretto Vulcanico Vulsino, area vulcanica localizzata tra il nord del Lazio e il sud della Toscana (Italia centrale), è caratterizzato da un alto fondo di radioattività naturale derivante dalle alte concentrazioni di 238U, 232Th e 40K presenti nei prodotti vulcanici. In questo contesto le sorgenti mantelliche metasomatizzate arricchite di elementi incompatibili, insieme alla differenziazione magmatica all‘interno della crosta superiore, ha dato origine a fusi ricchi di U, Th e K. La maggior parte delle città storiche localizzate in questa area dell‘Italia sono state edificate utilizzando roccia vulcanica estratta nel Distretto Vulcanico Vulsino, in particolare il tufo grazie alle sue buone proprietà meccaniche. E‘ stato perciò stimato il rischio radiologico per i residenti in quest‘area e sono stati considerati separatamente: a. il rischio associato all‘utilizzo di prodotti vulcanici come materiali da costruzione per edifici costruiti su un substrato di roccia vulcanica, b. il rischio legato alle caratteristiche del suolo (concentrazione di radon nel suolo, permeabilità). Il primo è stato valutato mediante misure di concentrazione di 222Rn in ambienti chiusi e attraverso simulazioni di una stanza tipo. Le misure dirette di 222Rn in ambienti chiusi sono state effettuate nella città di Bolsena e hanno rilevato valori estremamente alti soprattutto nel centro storico, dovuti all‘effetto combinato di: materiali da costruzione, basamento vulcanico e bassi ricambi d‘aria. Le simulazioni della stanza tipo, costruita con tufi e lave del Distretto Vulcanico Vulsino studiate in questo lavoro, hanno fornito una stima della dose efficace e del rischio di sviluppare un tumore radiogenico nel tempo vita. Il secondo è stato valutato utilizzando misure di concentrazione di 222Rn nei gas del suolo con cui è stata sviluppata una mappa di rischio per la città di Bolsena in cui vengono prese in considerazione anche le informazioni geologiche. Dalla mappatura appare senza alcun dubbio che questa è un‘area ad elevata probabilità di alte concentrazioni di radon (radon prone area). I dati epidemiologici disponibili ad oggi non sono pienamente utilizzabili per studiare un eventuale aumento di tumori nella popolazione di quest‘area, ma utili per fare osservazioni e considerazioni più generali. A seguito dell‘incidente nella centrale nucleare di Fukushima sono stati raccolti dati di radioattività nell‘aerosol ambientale in due stazioni dell‘Emilia Romagna (Nord Italia) e sono state ricavate le dosi efficaci ricevute dalla popolazione. Inoltre dosi associate a sorgenti naturali ed artificiali in diverse aree sono state confrontate e discusse. Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................... i Riassunto .................................................................................................................................................................. i Chapter 1 - Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1 References ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 - Natural Radioactivity .............................................................................................................................5 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 Cosmic radiation ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Cosmogenic radionuclides ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.4 Primordial radionuclides......................................................................................................................... 7 2.4.1 Non series primordial radionuclides ................................................................................................. 7 2.4.2 Elements in the natural radioactive decay series .............................................................................. 8 2.5 Abundance of uranium, thorium, and potassium in minerals and rocks ................................................ 11 2.5.1 Igneous rocks .................................................................................................................................. 12 2.5.2 Metamorphic rocks ......................................................................................................................... 12 2.5.2 Sedimentary rocks .......................................................................................................................... 13 2.6 Radon ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.6.1 Emanation and transport in materials ............................................................................................. 13 2.7 Exposure to natural sources ................................................................................................................... 16 2.7.1 Exposure to cosmic radiations ........................................................................................................ 16 2.7.2 Exposure to terrestrial radiation ..................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 3 - Detection and Measurement of Natural Radioactivity. Calibration procedure of NaI detector for in situ γ-spectrometry .............................................................................................................................................24
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