Ze port л*. OLOR - 116/D INFLUENCE OP INDUSTRY ON POLLUTION OP THB ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN POPULATION WITH NATURAL RADIONUCLIEBS AID HEAVY HBTALS Zbigniew Jaworowakl prepared in oooperation with Andrzej Barana4i Jan Bilkiewios Maria Byeiek Danuta Grzybowskm Ludwika Kownacke Maria Snplinaka and with technical aid of Adam Adancsyk Małgorzata Baranoweka Bdward Chrzanowaki Stanisława Desbinska Zbigniew Kryaa jjech Świtał Krystyna Trscialkowaka Central Laboratory for Radiological Prot*oti*n Department of Radiation Hygle-e 03-194 WARSAW, Konwaliowa 7 Poland July 1982 Report Ho.OLOH - 116/D IHPLUENC2 OP IBDUSTRY ON PGLLUTIOH OP THE EHVIROTHBH? ABD HTJMAF POPULATION WITH NATURAL RADIOBUCLUES AID ЫЕА7Т HETALS Zbigniew Jaworowski prepared is oooperatlon with Andrzej Barana4i Jan Bilkiewio» Maria Дуе1ек Danuta Grsybowek* J.udwlka Kownacka Baria Suplińeka and with teehnloal aid of Adas Adamcsyk Hałgorsata Baranowsk» Edward Chrzanowski Stanisława Desbirfska Zbigniew Xrysa ъесЬ Świtał Krystyna TrzoiałkowBka Central Laboratory for Radiological Proteotlea Department of Radiation Hygiene 03-194 9ARSAW, Eonwaliowa 7 Poland July 1982 Table of content5 Page Preface Part 1. Local effects и 1.1. Introduction и 1.2. Dispersion of pollutants from industrial emissions 7 226 21O 1.2.1. Content of Rav Pb,U,,ThtCci, Pb, and Za in the coal fly ash 7 1.2.2. Radium-226 in snow and dry fall- out in relation to distance fron emission sources 1С 1.3. Temporal changes of *"*" Ra concen- trations in glacier ice and of U, Th, and Pb in pine trees in Poland Ł2 1.4. Concentrations of pollutants in soil from industrial and rural re- gions 2Ъ 1.5. Concentrations of natural radio- nuclides and stable lead in plants **fc 1.6. Radionuclides and stable heavy me- tals in human bones ьг 1.7. Vertical distribution of pollutants in the atmosphere 79 1.8. Conclusions ^1 1.9. References 97 1.10. Appendix 102 Part 2. Global effects 109 2.1. Introduction 109 2.2. Glacier pollution study 11? 2.2.1. Sampling and analysis of ice 115 2.2.2. Concentrations of metals in ice 11U 2.3. Estimates of flows of metals in the global atmosphere 12C 2.4. References 125 2.5. Tables 134 151 Тле interest in observing the levels of pollutants ax local and regional levels stems from the important health effects whicn may be expected from localized emissions into the lower troposphere. The apparent lack of threshold for health effects due to some of tne pollutants, suggests that minor increase in their global con- centrations might be hazardous to the world population. Observation of the global distribution of these pollutants ana rt long-term changes in their concentrations supplies information for assesa- "aent of this hazard. For the study of local effects of industrial pollution, Poland is a suitable place, as a typical Industrialized country, where more trian 80 per cent of the energy supply comes from coal. With approximately 140 million tons of coal burned in 197b, and its world "first" in coal production per сер ~, Poland may be regarded as an example of the possible future situation in other regions where energy production nay become dominated by coal burning. For observing global distribution and temporal change-} of airborne pollutants, glaciers are excellent object of study. They are the cleanest parts of the surface of the earth on which changes of levels of pollutants may be more readily observed than for exam- ple in soil or sea water. Their annual stratification allows one to collect ice samples representing precipitation from the paat. Between 1972 and 1979, the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection in Warsaw, supported in part by the US idivlronmental Protection Agency, has studied pollution of the environment by Ha, Pb, uranium, thorium, radioactive fifiaion products and - 2 - by stable lead, cadmium, vanadium and mercury, on local and glo- bal scales. In the course of this study, we have succesively oublished the preliminary results of our investigations (refe- rencas 1-14}. This report contains detailed information from the orevious^y published reports, along with new data. It is ba- sed en tne unpublished Final Report to the United States Environ- mental Protection Agency concerning Research Contract No. 5-536-1 ana on the material published in Geochlmica et Cosmochimica Acta ub: 2183-2199, 1981. The study of local effects was confirmed to observation of dispersion patterns for airborne pollutant, and of their concen- trations in soil, plants, and human bones as a function of distan- ce from various emission sources in Polar.a. Temporal changes in concentrations of stable lead and natural radionuclides in trees and glacier ice were observed in the regions exposed to local or regional industrial emissions in Poland. We have also observed the vertical distribution of these substances and of fission products in the troposphere and stratosphere up to a height of 12 Km ever Poiand. To observe the global effects we organised rune expeditions to 1u glaciers in Northern and Southern Hemisphere, irom which we collected samples of snow deposited during the past гпгее decades and also in the pre-inaustrial period. Using virtu- ally the same sampling and analytical methods we determined in these samples the concentrations of Cs, U, Ra, Pb, Pb, Cd, V and Hg. tfe found that depending on weather conditions the points of maximum 22oRa fallout from industrial sources of emission were situated appr. 1 tc 17.5 km from the source; the soil and aeropby- tic clar.ts in industrial reeisns were more contamined with heavy - 3 - metals and natural radionuclides than the rural soils? a draaa- tic increase of pollutants in glacier ice from deposited during the last 100 years in Southern Poland was acconDanied by a much smaller increase in the concentrations 01 pollutants in th« pine trees and by a decrease of their levels in human bones from the same region; the levels of pollutants in himan bones were related ratner to the geological bacKgrouna than to the industrial emissions of pollutants; vertical distribution of pollutants in the atmos- phere indicate that there exists a quiescent upward transport ?f these substances from the surface of the earth into tne stra- tosphere. The principal aim of the glacier stuay was to estimate the flows of natural radionuclides and heavy metals intfc the global atmosphere. We were also interested ic finding their tenporal and geographical distribution in the global precipitation. Ve found that with exception of V, the natural flows of these nucliats are by orders of magnitude higher than the anthropoge- nic ilows; we were unable to detect any significant difference between the present and pre-industrial flows; and we found that the high concentration of metals in ice from remote glaciers is related to the presence of local or regional aer^sits of their ores. - 4 - Pmrt 1. LOCAL EFFECTS 1.1. INTRODUCTION Coal burning is the main source of industrial air pollution in Poland. Of about 140x10 tone of coal burned in 1976 in Poland, approximately 90x10 ton* were used for heating purposes and electric power generation (15) and SOxlO tons for other industrial and household uses. Assuming that 3 per cent of burned coal escapes as parti- culatcs from stacks, this corresponds to 4,2x10 tons of fly ash transferred to the atmosphere. This corresponds to about 1Э tons of dust fall per square kilometer per annum in Poland. This is approximately half of the actual dust fallout from industrial sources in Poland which was assessed to be 22 tons per square kilometer in 1973 and is in agreement with the 52 per cent contribution to the total industrial dust omission estimated for this source in Poland (16). Por comparison, tho man maoe dust em.' ssions from coal burning in the United States in 1968 were 19.8x10* tons (17) or approximately 2.1 tons per square kilometer, a value about one tenth that in Poland. This comparison suggests that some local effects of man-mado emission svay probably now be detected in Poland, even though not - 5 - yet detectable in regions with lore.- density of indust- ry and coal consumption per capita. Our study of the local effects was concentrated on four types of studies г 1. Dispersion and accumulation of pollutants in the vi- cinity of coal fueled power stations and other sources of industrial emission for comparison with less exposed rural regions. In the particular situation of Poland, these rural regions can not be regarded as free from the influence of regional industrial fallout, however, the rate of this influence is lower there than in the indus- trialized areas. 2.Geographical distribution of 226Ra, 2l0Pb, 90Sr, Cd.Zn and Pb concentrations in human bones in Poland. 3. Temporal changes of Ra and Pb in glacier ice and human bones, and of U„ Th, and Pb in pine trees in Poland. 4, Vertical distribution of pollutants in the atmosphere over Poland. The sampling sites for collection of industrial dust, soil, plants, glacier ice and human bones in Poland are presented in Figure 1. Z»ron WARSZAWA Si»ki»rki Kozienic» «^ Puławy FIGURE 1. MTTATRA MTMS. Sampling sites for collection of inaustrial dust = Q, soil = Д, plants = Ot glacier ice = 4 and human bones = in Poland . -7 - 1.2. DISPERSION OF POLLUTANTS FROM INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS 1.2.1. CONTENT OF 226Ra, Pb,U,Th,Cd,Pb, AND Zn IN COAL FLY ASH 1.2.1.1. Materials and methods We determined the concentrations of four natural radionuelides and three heavy metals in fly ash samples from electrostatic precipitators of the lignite coal power plant, Adamów, in Western Poland and of the bituminous coal power plant,Siersza, in Silesia, -and from the top of the stack of i:he bituminous coal power plant,Zcran, in Warsaw.