Environmental Radioactivity and Pollution

Dear Colleagues,

Human beings are subjected to radiation coming from natural and artificial sources in their living environments. These radionuclides and their products of decay are commonly found in different concentrations in environmental and food matrices, in particular in water, rocks, and soils.

Natural radioactivity is due to the presence of cosmogenic and primordial radionuclides in the Earth’s crust. Cosmogenic radionuclides are produced by the interaction of cosmic-rays with atomic nuclei in the atmosphere, while the origin of primordial radionuclides goes back to the formation of the Earth, when they were produced by the process of nucleo-synthesis. Only radionuclides with half-lives comparable to the age of the Earth (⁴⁰K and members of the radioactive chains from ²³⁸U, ²³⁵U and ²³²Th) are now present in different geological materials, and their gamma radiation emission is the main external source of irradiation of the human body. Knowledge of the natural radioactivity level in any region is important not only for allowing people to recognize the natural radioactivity levels of their living area but also for detecting any possible variation in radioactivity levels.

Artificial fallout radionuclides, such as ¹³⁷Cs, are derived mainly from global nuclear tests conducted between the mid 1940s and the 1980s, as well as from nuclear accidents. In addition to its ionising effects, ¹³⁷Cs may be toxic and can undergo bioconcentration and bioaccumulation and have an adverse impact on human and ecosystem health.

Out of these pollutants, metals are a major concern for their persistent and bio-accumulative nature. They can be introduced into the aquatic environment and accumulate in sediments through the disposal of liquid effluents, chemical leachates, and runoff originating from domestic, industrial, and agricultural activities, as well as atmospheric deposition. These metals can be released from sediments to the overlying water via natural or anthropogenic processes, consequently causing potential danger to ecosystems.

This Special Issue ‘’Environmental Radioactivity and Pollution’’ aims to provide a working tool that contains information regarding the main aspects of environmental radioactivity and pollution monitoring and control; to provide radiation protection in the fields of health, research, and the environmental; as well as to represent a practical guide for dose calculation in different scenarios.

Topics of interest include (but are not restricted to) the following:

• Environmental radioactivity;
• Pollution monitoring and control;
• Radiation protection from healthcare to the environment and scientific research.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Caridi
Dr. Giuseppe Sabatino
Dr. Antonio F. Mottese
Guest Editors

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