Saint-Fort Roger, Alboiu Mirtyll, Hettiaratchi Patrick
Department of Chemical, Biological & Environmental Sciences, Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2007 Sep;42(11):1649-54. doi: 10.1080/10934520701518158.
The occurrence of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORMs) concentrated through anthropogenic processes in contaminated soils at oil and gas facilities represent one of the most challenging issues facing the Canadian and US oil and gas industry today. Natural occurring radioactivity materials (NORMs) field survey techniques are widely used as a rapid and cost-effective method for ascertaining NORMs risks associated with contaminated soils and waste matrices as well other components comprising the environment. Because of potentially significant liability issues with Norms if not properly managed, the development of quantitative relationships between TENORMs field measurement techniques and laboratory analysis present a practical approach in facilitating the interim safe decision process since laboratory results can take days. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between direct measurements of field radioactivity and various laboratory batch techniques using data collection technologies for NORM and actual laboratory radioactivity concentrations. The significance of selected soil characteristics that may improve or confound these relationships in the formulation of empirical models was also achieved as an objective. The soil samples used in this study were collected from 4 different locations in western Canada and represented a wide range in terms of their selected chemical and physical properties. Multiple regression analyses for both field and batch data showed a high level of correlation between radionuclides Ra-226 and Ra-228 as a function of data collection technologies and relevant soil parameters. All R2 values for the empirical models were greater than 0.80 and significant at P<0.05. The creation of these empirical models could be valuable in improving predictability of radium contamination in soils and therefore, reduce analytical costs as well as environmental liabilities.
通过人为过程在油气设施受污染土壤中浓缩的技术强化天然放射性物质（TENORMs）的出现，是当今加拿大和美国油气行业面临的最具挑战性的问题之一。天然放射性物质（NORMs）现场调查技术被广泛用作一种快速且经济高效的方法，用于确定与受污染土壤和废物基质以及构成环境的其他成分相关的NORMs风险。由于如果管理不当，Norms可能会带来重大责任问题，因此在实验室结果可能需要数天的情况下，开发TENORMs现场测量技术与实验室分析之间的定量关系，为促进临时安全决策过程提供了一种实用方法。本研究的主要目标是使用NORM数据收集技术和实际实验室放射性浓度，评估现场放射性直接测量与各种实验室批量技术之间的关系。作为一个目标，还实现了确定在经验模型制定中可能改善或混淆这些关系的选定土壤特性的重要性。本研究中使用的土壤样本取自加拿大西部的4个不同地点，在所选化学和物理性质方面具有广泛代表性。对现场和批量数据的多元回归分析表明，作为数据收集技术和相关土壤参数的函数，放射性核素Ra - 226和Ra - 228之间具有高度相关性。经验模型的所有R2值均大于0.80，且在P<0.05时具有显著性。这些经验模型的建立对于提高土壤中镭污染的可预测性可能具有重要价值，因此可以降低分析成本以及环境责任。
