The examination of building materials for natural radioactivity to comply with legal regulations is a standard procedure in all European countries. This paper presents the results of measurements conducted in recent years at our laboratory within ISO 17025 - accredited procedure. The vast majority of the results meet the accepted activity- concentration requirement. However, due to the mandatory use of bio-fuels, some building materials showed the presence of 137Cs in addition to natural radionuclides. The presence of an artificial radionuclide is a new feature for mineral-base building materials.

Over the last century, alpine glaciers have melted rapidly. According to current climate models, it is predicted that 80% of these glaciers will likely disappear between the 2060s and the 2080s. The storage of natural and anthropogenic contaminants in these ice masses, which might be released with water, creates a potential threat for communities, especially those closely related to glacierised regions, and the surrounding glacier habitats.In recent years, cryoconite – a mineral-organic debris that accumulates on the glacier surface - has been the subject of interest due to its ability to accumulate specific substances, surpassing levels found in other terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., proglacial, sediments, soil, lichens, mosses). This phenomenon is attributed to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors, yet still not well-studied. The majority of artificial radionuclides released into the environment can be attributed to nuclear reactor accidents like Chernobyl (1986) and the stratospheric global fallout.Our main objective is to comprehensively understand the accumulation of natural (210Pb) and artificial (137Cs, 238,239,240Pu) radioisotopes in cryoconite and identify the different sources of contamination based on isotopic and mass ratios of subject radionuclides. To achieve these objectives, we analysed activity concentrations, their relation with the global and local signals, and their variability between glaciers. Samples were collected from eight glaciers in the European Alps, including the glaciers Blanc, Gries, Mandrone, Pastrze, Preda Rossa, Tsanteleina, Ventina, and Zebrù.The highest values of 210Pb were found in cryoconite from the Ventina and the Zebrù Glaciers (more than 11,000 Bq kg−1). The lowest values of 210Pb in individual samples (

A method for tritium determination in air precipitation via electrolytic enrichment and liquid scintillation counting (LSC) was developed at the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN). Tritium activity was measured using a Tri-Carb 5110TR counter at the University of Silesia. Calibration was performed with tritiated water (142 Bq/g, June 11, 2019). Additionally, three water samples from Almera 2023 and ICHTJ 2023 were analyzed. The method was validated based on these interlaboratory tests. The detection limit of 1.1 Bq/kg enables precise environmental monitoring. The study presents tritium activity in precipitation collected in February 2023 in Krakow, Poland.

The dark sediment on the surface of glaciers, called cryoconite, plays an important role in accumulating various contaminants during glacier melting. One of the high-risk is anthropogenic fallout radioisotopes, which have been accumulating since 1945. The melting of alpine glaciers is accelerating, rapidly releasing stored pollutants, and becoming secondary sources of radioisotopes for nearby ecosystems. This study indicates the potential sources of radioisotopes based on their signatures with global and local signals using wide sampling covering eight glaciers in distinct regions of the Alps. For this purpose, the activity ratios of anthropogenic radionuclides (238Pu/239+240Pu, 239+240Pu/137Cs, 241Am/239+240Pu) and mass ratios (240Pu/239Pu) were determined. The activity ratio of 238Pu/239+240Pu in Alpine glaciers shows that plutonium-related radioactivity is mostly from global fallout, with an additional contribution from the atmospheric re-entry of the SNAP 9A satellite. 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratio suggests the heterogeneous contribution of low- and high-yielded nuclear detonations. The activity ratios of 241Am/239+240Pu are partly comparable to the reference isotopic ratio for global fallout, but the impact of unknown local radioactive contamination source(s) is also considered. The post-Chernobyl and global fallout account of 137Cs in the examined glacial area of the Alps. The results confirm the ability of cryoconite to accumulate artificial radioisotopes while recording the influence of multiple regional and global sources. Cryoconite is confirmed as an extremely valuable environmental matrix for studying radioactive contamination in glacial environments.

Contemporary melting glaciers are considered a secondary source of pollutants including radionuclides. Cryoconite - biogenic sediment on the glacier surface - exhibits high concentrations of natural and anthrophogenic radioisotopes. Understanding the interactions between radioisotopes and organisms is essential for evaluating their potential impact on glacier-related ecosystems. Using a multidimensional approach and intensive sampling (17 glaciers), we investigated the relationships between activity concentrations of 137Cs and 210Pb and various biotic components of cryoconite such as the amount of organic matter, chlorophyll concentration, the ratio of cyanobacteria to all bacteria, and size of cryoconite granules. Additionally, to better understand the bioavailability and fate of radioisotopes in this ecosystem, we measured the uptake ratio of 137Cs, 210Pb, 238Pu, and 239+240Pu in the top consumers, and examined the mobility of radioisotopes by measuring 137Cs and 210Pb activity concentrations after a parallel extraction using media with different specific ion exchange capacities. The activity concentrations of both 137Cs and 210Pb showed a large variability reaching 5.8 kBq kg-1 and 7.2 kBq kg-1, respectively. Their activity concentrations were positively related to the amount of organic matter, however, the 210Pb also increased with the chlorophyll concentration. This might be due to the difference in the deposition of both elements: lead, being deposited constantly, binds also to currently developing communities, while caesium deposition peaked in the 1960s. The mobility analysis revealed that the loosely bound fraction of 210Pb was more strongly related to organic-metallic complexes than 137Cs. Firmly bound radioisotope fractions (anhydrous interlayer sites of minerals) were three times higher for 137Cs than for 210Pb. The median uptake ratios of radioisotopes were determined as 0.07-0.111 for 137Cs, 0.177 for 210Pb, 0.07 for 239+240Pu. Our findings emphasize the importance of organisms in the accumulation of radioisotopes on glaciers and suggest an impact of radionuclides on glacier organisms.

Glaciers are considered secondary sources of pollutants, including radioisotopes such as Cesium or Plutonium, with heightened concentrations compared to other ecosystems. The predicted melting of glaciers poses a substantial risk of releasing stored radioisotopes, yet understanding the glacier-specific factors influencing their concentration remains limited. This study investigates the relationship between glacier altitude, surface area, organic matter content in dark supraglacial sediment (cryoconite), precipitation, and activity concentrations of natural (210Pb) and anthropogenic radionuclides (137Cs and 241Am) across 19 Alpine glaciers. Results indicate that radioisotope concentrations depend on organic matter content in the cryoconite, highlighting the role of biotic-abiotic interactions in pollutant accumulation on glaciers. Moreover, 210Pb activity concentration decreases with glacier altitude, likely due to atmospheric variations in 222Rn. Water precipitation events, such as during peaks in 137Cs deposition and after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster, do not impact current activity concentrations. Importantly, radioisotope concentrations in cryoconite are higher on smaller glaciers. This directly supports the hypothesis that the cryoconite retains a significant share of radioisotopes stored in the ice during intensive melting. Since many small glaciers in the Alps are predicted to disappear within the next 50 years, we anticipate release of radioisotopes to mountain ecosystems might be higher than previously forecasted.

A low background gamma spectrometer with an Etruscan, 2500 years old lead shield and a muon veto detector were applied to study 22Na and 7Be activity concentration in ground level air aerosol samples collected weekly over the years 2003–2006 in Kraków. Each sample was formed with ca 100 000 m3 of passed air, collected with two parallel ASS-500 high volume air samplers. The results for 40K and 137Cs are also presented for reference and comparison. Presented frequency distributions for activity concentration and correlation between the obtained results are discussed. The activity concentration results confirmed seasonal variation of activity to be different for all the investigated radionuclides. Moreover, the seasonal variation in nucleus activity ratio was also noticed for 22Na and 7Be. Cosmogenic radionuclides being mainly of stratospheric origin, are subsequently attached to fine aerosols, via which they are transported to the ground level air. The mean aerosol transport time within the troposphere was estimated as equal to 7.5 days on average, reaching even 50 days in warm seasons. Limitations of the applied model were identified.

Fruiting bodies of fungi belonging to more than 70 species were collected within a few thousand square meter area of one forest during 2006 and 2007. The soil profile was collected to check the cumulative deposition of Cs-137, which was relatively high, equal to 64 +/- 2 kBq/m(2) (calculated for October 2006). The majority of this activity was in the first 6 cm. Fruitbodies were analyzed for radiocesium and K-40 by means of gamma-spectrometry. The highest Cs-137 activity was 54.1 +/- 0.7 kBq/kg (dry weight) for a sample of Lactarius helvus collected in 2006. The results for 2006 were higher than those for 2007. In a few cases the traces of short-lived (T-1/2 = 2.06 a) Cs-134 were still found in samples. The importance of mycorrhizal fungi for radiocesium accumulation is confirmed. The differences in activity among the species are discussed in relation to observations and predictions from previous studies, where the change in relative accumulation between fruiting bodies of different species was at least partially explained by the differences in the depth of the mycelium localization in a litter/soil system. It is concluded that in some cases, such as Boletus edulis and Xerocomus badius, this prediction is fulfilled and therefore this explanation confirmed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Results are presented for (137)Cs, (90)Sr and plutonium activity concentrations in more than 20 samples of terrestrial invertebrates, including species of beetles, ants, spiders and millipedes, collected in the highly contaminated area of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The majority of samples were collected in Belarus, with some also collected in the Ukraine. Three other samples were collected in an area of lower contamination. Results show that seven samples exceed an activity concentration of 100 kBq/kg (ash weight--a.w.) for (137)Cs. The maximum activity concentration for this isotope was 1.52+/-0.08 MBq/kg (a.w.) determined in ants (Formica cynerea). Seven results for (90)Sr exceeded 100 kBq/kg (a.w.), mostly for millipedes. Relatively high plutonium activity concentrations were found in some ants and earth-boring dung beetles. Analyses of activity ratios showed differences in transfer of radionuclides between species. To reveal the correlation structure of the multivariate data set, the Partial Least-Squares method (PLS) was used. Results of the PLS model suggest that high radiocesium activity concentrations in animal bodies can be expected mainly for relatively small creatures living on the litter surface. In contrast, high strontium activity concentrations can be expected for creatures which conduct their lives within litter, having mixed trophic habits and a moderate lifespan. No clear conclusions could be made for plutonium.

Relative electrophilic activities of substituted nitroarenes in the vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) reaction with carbanion ofchloromethylp-chlorophenyl and bromomethyl phenyl sulfones, 1 and 2, were determined via competitive experiments. The results are in good agreement with relative activities determined earlier in the competitive experiments with carbanion of chloromethyl phenyl sulfone 3 confirming reliability of these data. On the other hand, analogous competitive experiments with tertiary carbanions of chloroform and 1 -chloroethyl phenyl sulfone gave results much affected by steric effects thus the VNS reaction with these carbanions cannot be used for evaluation of electrophilic activities of nitroarenes.

The relative rate constants for the vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) of the anion of chloromethyl phenyl sulfone (1(-)) with a variety of nitroheteroarenes. for example, nitropyridines, nitropyrroles, nitroimidazoles, 2-nitrothiophene, and 4-nitropyrazole, have been determined by competition experiments. It was shown that nitropyridines are approximately four orders of magnitude more reactive than nitrobenzene. Among the five-membered heterocycles 2-nitrothiophene is the most active followed by nitroimidazoles and 4-nitropyrazole. Nitropyrroles are the least electrophilic nitroheteroarenes with reactivities comparable to nitrobenzene. Quantum chemically calculated methyl anion affinities (B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d)) of the nitroarenes correlated only moderately with the partial relative rate constants. The correlation of these activities with the LUMO energies of nitroarenes is even worse. By measuring the second-order rate constants of the addition of 1(-) to nitroarenes and to diethyl arylidenemalonates 10, it was possible to link the electrophilic reactivities of nitroheteroarenes with the comprehensive electrophilicity scale based on the linear-free-energy-relationship log k(20 degrees C) = s(N + E).

The paper presents the analysis method and determination results of 137 Cs, 40 K, 90 Sr, 238 Pu, 239+240 Pu and 241 Am concentrations in bone samples of 7 species of diurnal birds of prey and owls from the eastern Poland. The samples consisted of mostly complete skeletons separated mechanically from the soft tissues. The analytical method consisted of two main steps preceded by ignition in 400°C: gamma spectrometric measurements and radiochemical analyses. Radiochemical analysis required dissolution of the samples in hot acids and subsequent separation ofPu, Am, and Sr by co-precipitation with oxalates, followed by anion exchange and extraction chromatography. No correlation between Sr, Cs, Am, and Pu activities for the whole set of samples was observed. Even 238 Pu and 239+240 Pu showed no clear correlation. However, some results indicated higher 235 Pu/ 239+240 Pu activity ratio than that observed for the global fallout. In this case, the influence of the Chemobyl fallout was suggested. Significant correlation between 90 Sr and 239+240 Pu for Tawny owl Strix aluco and between 241 Am and 239+240 Pu for three subgroups was observed. Although some results for Pu isotopes might indicate that the traces of the Chernobyl fallout are measurable in birds from the eastern part of Poland, no clear geographical pattern related to the known distribution of the Chernobyl fallout has been observed yet.

This paper reports results of gamma and alpha spectrometric measurements for mosses, lichens, fungi and soil samples from areas in the Balkans targeted by depleted uranium (DU). Samples were collected in 2002 and 2003 in the vicinity of several villages, principally Han Pijesak (Bosnia and Herzegovina, hit by DU in 1995) and Bratoselce (South Serbia, hit by DU in 1999) and in lesser numbers from Gornja Stubla, Kosovo (which is identified as a high natural radon/thoron area) and Presevo close to the Kosovo border. In the course of gamma spectrometric measurements some results suggested samples with unusual high uranium contents which might be considered to be a signature for the presence of DU, although many samples had very high detection limits. Alpha spectrometric measurements directly proved the presence of DU for five samples, all from directly targeted places. These were samples of mosses, lichens and soil. For some samples homogeneity tests were applied which showed a rather even distribution of DU in these samples. No trace of DU was found in any sample from a dwelling.

The effect on electrophilic activity of substituents located para, ortho, and meta to the nitro group of nitrobenzenes was determined by using vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen (VNS) with the carbanion of chloromethyl phenyl sulfone (1) as the model process. Values for the relative activities of substituted nitroarenes are given relative to nitrobenzene, which was taken as the standard. This process was chosen as a model reaction because it meets key criteria, such as the wide range of substituents that can be present on the nitrobenzene ring, a low sensitivity to steric hindrance, and in particular the possibility of ensuring conditions in which the overall relative rates of reaction in competitive experiments are equal to the relative rates of nucleophilic addition. The values of relative rates of addition, which were taken to be a measure of electrophilic activity, were determined by competitive experiments in which pairs of nitroarenes competed for the VNS reaction with carbanion of 1. A comprehensive set of data for effects of substituents on the electrophilic activity of nitroarenes is presented for the first time.

Activity concentrations and inventory for Pu-238, Pu239+240, Am-241, Sr-90, and Cs-137 in soil from Tatra Mountains of Poland are presented. Soil samples were collected using 10 cm diameter cores down to 10 cm and sliced into 3 slices. Details of the applied procedure are described with the quality assurance program. The maximum activity concentrations found for various samples were: 1782 +/- 13 Bq/kg, 17.4 +/- 0.9 Bq/kg, 3.4 +/- 0.3 Bq/kg and 84 +/- 7 Bq/kg for Cs-137, Pu239+240, Am-241 and Sr-90, respectively. The maximum cumulated deposition of Pu239+240 is 201 +/- 8 Bq/m(2). The origin of radionuclides is discussed, based mostly on the observed isotopic ratio of Pu. Significant correlations were found between Pu239+240, Am-241 and Cs-137. The effective vertical migration rate seems to be in the order of: Sr-90>>Pu>Am>Cs.

The studies presented explore post-depositional changes of zinc, cadmium, lead, manganese and 137Cs distribution in alluvial sediments accumulated in the upper Odra River valley in southern Poland. The rate of these changes was estimated by comparing metal and 137Cs distributions in four vertical alluvial profiles with a history of river pollution and sediment deposition. The untypical 137Cs distribution with peaks in the surface 40–60 cm and lower down, even at a depth of 2.5 m in strata deposited before the beginning of nuclear tests in 1954, indicates rapid post-depositional migration of this isotope from the surface and its retention in lower, less permeable layers. Moreover, the highest concentrations of lead, zinc and cadmium were found at a depth of 4 m in sediments accumulated in the mid-nineteenth century in spite of the growth of industrialization and the pollution of the Odra River with heavy metals until the end of the twentieth century. The post-depositional changes in heavy metals and 137Cs are rapid in comparison with the slow element migration usually observed in uninundated soils. This difference is explained by the frequent and easy infiltration of polluted river water into the gravelly and sandy sediments present in the profiles.

The paper presents results for the Cs-137, Sr-90 K-40 activity concentrations and Th-228/Th-232, Th-230/Th-232 activity ratios in several samples needles from two Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees and two soil samples collected in the Tatra Mountains (Poland) area. Activities for artificial Cs-137 and Sr-90 show moderate values. Statistically different values were found between the mean concentration of Sr-90 and Cs-137 in current (C) and two years old (C + 2) needles of the first tree, whereas for potassium no significant difference was observed. For the second, fallen tree, no significant difference between the mean activity concentration in needles for C+1 and C+2 was found for each radionuclide, but much lower levels Of Cs-137 contamination were observed. Observed values of the aggregation coefficients for Cs-137 and Sr-90 are presented.

Nucleophilic addition of α-halo-4-tolylsulfonyl methyl anions to quinone methides and subsequent reactions were studied. Three kinds of consecutive reaction products were isolated, depending on the substrate structures and reaction conditions. Two of them were identified as rearrangement products and one as the vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) product. An unexpected 1,2-migration of the tosyl group was observed. The mechanism of the reactions is briefly discussed.

Rapid protonation of short lived sigma(H) adducts of carbanions of aryl alkyl sulfones to 2,4-disubstituted nitrobenzenes results in elimination of nitrous acid giving 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzenes as products of cine-substitution of the nitro group. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.