(SPERA). Environmental Radioactivity And
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AU9918790 *#*""• «*> SPERA98 Radioactivity and the Environment Christchurch, New Zealand 16 - 20 February 1998 Environmental Radioactivity and its Application in Environmental Studies Conference Papers 30-49 SPERA98 The 5th Conference of the South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY AND ITS APPLICA TION IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES The South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association, SPERA, is an apolitical, scientific organisation whose primary objective is to encourage and facilitate communication among scientists working in the South Pacif c region in the field of environmental radioactivity, involving study of the occurrence, behaviour and impact of radioactive species present in the environment due either to natural processes or resulting from human activities. Since its inception in 1991, the membership of SPERA has grown steadily and includes scientists working in the fields of environmental radioactivity monitoring, marine and estuarine studies, geochemistry (including soil erosion studies and waste disposal), uranium mining and mineral sands industries, radioecology, education, archaeology, and radon studies, from many countries around the world. Previous SPERA Environmental Radioactivity Workshops were held in 1991 (Tahiti - the Association's foundation meeting), 1992 (Dunedin, New Zealand), 1994 (Canberra, Australia), and 1996 (Darwin, Australia), with participants coming from many countries around the world. Although SPERA has a South Pacific focus, the Workshops are more international with participants welcome from all countries. The 1998 meeting, SPERA98, was styled more as a Conference than a Workshop, because of the record attendance by 53 participants from 14 countries, with 48 papers presented. The meeting focused primarily on applications of environmental radionuclides in environmental studies and problem solving, though many papers concerning other areas within the Association's interests were also presented. The meeting was a 5 day event, 16-20 February, 1998, held at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch. It included a field trip to South Island high-country areas where deposited 137Cs was being used in soil erosion studies. The conference programme included 7 sessions covering the topics: soil erosion and related studies; waste disposal and treatment; atmospheric studies; radioactivity in w;:ter; human exposure pathways, and foodchains; sediment studies; and atmospheric radon. All of the conference papers are presented here in this published volume in order to make them more available to other scientists working in the field of environmental radioactivity. Papers are presented here in the order in which they appeared in the programme. Conference Organiser: Dr K Murray Matthews, Sational Radiation Laboratory-, PO Box 25 099, Christchurch, Xew Zealand. I SPERA98 South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association Conference 16-20 February 1998 Venue: Canterbury University MONDAY 16 February 0800 - 0900 Registration - lecture room E7, Engineering School 0900 - 0910 Welcome Dr Murray Matthews 0r' 10 - 0920 Official opening Dr Riaz Akber, SPERA President Session 1 SOIL EROSION AND RELATED STUDIES 0920- 1020 T A Quine Geomorphological applications of environmental D E Walling radionuclides 1020- 1100 MORNING TEA 1100- 1120 L R Basher Surface erosion assessment in New Zealand using caesium-137: applications and limitations 1120- 1140 P J Wallbrink Using tracer-based sediment budgets to quantify B P Roddy erosion and deposition within harvested forests in J M Olley south-east NSW, Australia 1140- 1200 F J Dyer The effects of fluvial transport on radionuclide JM Olley concentrations on different particle size classes 1200- 1220 V N Golosov Radionuclide migration in the Chernobyl E V Kvasnikova contamination zone A V Panin 1220- 1300 DISCUSSION 1300- 1400 LUNCH 1400- 1420 P Szerbin Survey of l57Cs migration in Hungarian soils L Koblinger E Koblinger-Bokori I Vegvari A Ugron 1420- 1440 J K Dharmasiri Further studies on tritium tracing of soil moisture for rainwater infliltration measurements in Gatton, Qld 1440- 1500 M D Taylor Fate of uranium contaminants in New Zealand soils: Speciation of uranium isotopes in amended and unamended soil 1500- 1520 DISCUSSION 1520- 1600 AFTERNOON TEA Session 2 WASTE DISPOS 1600- 1620 K Kleinschmidt Assessment of land contaminated with radioactive B Wallace material 1620-• 1640 P Martin Radiological impact assessment of the rehabilitated S Tims Nabarlek uranium minesite B Ryan J B Prendergast 1640 - 1700 B Cassels Determination of distribution coefficients through R Akber batch and column experiments 60 1700-• 1720 B Cassels Determination of distribution coefficient of Co R Akber through batch and column experiments with selected soils from the Northern Territory of Australia 1720 -• 1740 S A Brown Behaviour of polonium-210 during anode slimes processing 1740- 1800 DISCUSSION 1900 BBQ TUESDAY 17 February Session 3 ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES 0900 - 0920 G Le Petit Measurement of radioactive aerosols as an original J-C Millies-Lacroix indicator of atmospheric pollution in urban areas F Simon 0920 - 0940 K Bradshaw Fallout Pb-210 and Cs-137 on air filters from Western JD Smith Australia M B Cooper 0940- 1000 C Jeffries Characterisation of radioactivity carrying aerosol in a L Morawska mineral sand processing plant 1000- 1020 A V Jenkinson The use of honey bees in environmental monitoring of R Chisari 137Cs S Flood H Heijnis 1020- 1100 MORNING TEA liOO- 1120 I J Graham l0Be and 7Be measurements of New Zealand rains R G Ditchburn (1995 to 1997) B J Barry 1120- 1140 K M Matthews Beryllium-7 and lead-210 deposition in New Zealand 1140- 1200 S Garimella Concentration of 7Be in surface air at Suva, Fiji 1200- 1220 DISCUSSION Session 4 RADIOACTIVITY IN WATER 1220-1240 M Cooper The application of national and international guidelines in the assessment of the radiological quality of drinking water 1240- 1300 R A Tinker Radium in potable waters from Central Victoria, J D Smith Australia M B Cooper 1300- 1400 LUNCH 1400- 1420 P Szerbin International joint research of the Danube radioactivity C Dovlete G Szabo Gy Ruzsa J Guczi E Koblinger-Bokori E Kurtacs 1420- 1440 P Martin Development of a bioreactor for removal of E Larsen radionuclides from wastevvater LI Sly D Dixon 1440- 1500 J Pfitzner Radiochemical tools at the Experimental Lakes Area G Brunskill (ELA) in Ontario, Canada 1500- 1520 DISCUSSION 1520- 1600 AFTERNOON TEA Session 5 HUMAN EXPOSURE 1600- 1620 J Twining Report on the findings given to the final IAEA/FAO Research Co-ordination meeting on "Radionuclide transfer parameters from air, soil and freshwater to foodchain of man in tropical and sub-tropical environment"; Vienna, 16-20 June 1997 1620- 1640 R U Domel The design and application of a radiological F F Harris consequence model for tropical and subtropical J Crawford regions 1640- 1700 M Eriksson A radioanalytical study of radionuclides in a G Peck dysoligotrophic lake in southern Sweden PRoos EHolm 1700- 1800 SPERA ME 1800- 1900 DRINKS A 6 WEDNESDAY 18 February Session 5 HUMAN EXPOSURE PATHWAYS, AND FOODCHAINS (continued) 0900- 0920 S JHu Spatial variation of natural terrestrial y-ray dose KKLai rates in Brunei 0920- 0940 S Garimella Natural radioactivity levels in soils of Fiji 0940- 1000 I R McAulay Assessment of cosmic radiation doses received by air crew 1000- 1020 DISCUSSION 1020- 1100 MORNING TEA Sessior16 SEDIMENT STUDI 1100- 1200 S E Taylor Historical pollutant trends in Port Jackson estuary, A Jenkinson Sydney, Australia G F Birch H Heijnis 1200- 1220 J M Fernandez Sedimentary records, reconstructing past trends in S Bellet environmental changes and anthropogenic influences P Harris in the tropical lagoons of Tahiti and New Caledonia C Badie R Fichez S Chiffiet M Trescinski C Bernard 1220- 1240 J D Smith Radionuclides in sediments from Port Phillip Bay, R A Tinker Australia P H Tovvler 1240- 1300 C Matthai Sediment resusnension on the middle continental shelf G F Birch adjacent to Sydney, Australia - Evidence using 2l0Pb A Jenkinson H Heijnis 1300- 1400 LUNCH 1400- 1420 G F Birch The ' ,e of the size-normalisation technique in the A Jenkinson interpretation of radiometric data H Heijnis S E Taylor C Matthai 1420- 1440 G J Hancock Radium isotopes in Port Phillip Bay: estimation of the I T Webster rate of bioirrigation of sediments, and water residence time 7 1440-1500 NEWhitehead How :i0Pb dating gives information about volcanic radionuclides 1500- 1520 DISCUSSION 1520 - 1600 AFTERNOON TEA Session 7 ATMOSPHERIC RADON :;: 1600- 1620 C Samuelsson The use of long-lived Rn decay products (LRnD) as natural tracers in the indoor environment 1620 - 1640 D J Steck Outdoor radon in Central North America R W Field 1640- 1700 N Giannakis A performance study of a radon/thoron activity-flux R A Akber measurement device for routine applications 1700- 1720 F Quintarelli Seasonal and diurnal variations in potential alpha R Akber energy concentrations at a location in tropical J Pfitzner Australia 1720- 1740 DISCUSSION 1900 DINNER THURSDAY 19 February Session 7 ATMOSPHERIC RADON (continued) 0900-0920 S Tims Radon levels at the rehabilitated Nabariek mine site B Ryan P Martin 0920-0940 R G Lyons The dynamics of radon in New Zealand tourist caves S B Solomon R Langroo J R Peggie 0940 - 1000 T Boal Radon and radon progeny concentration in tourist J Hedt caves in victoria 1000-1015 DISCUSSION 1015-1030 CONCLUSION 1030-1100 MORNING TEA 1 100 FIELD TRIP DEPARTURE POSTERS S E Taylor Temporal sediment