Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Department of Physics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Health Phys. 2021 Aug 1;121(2):111-116. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001421.
Secunda is a town built amid the coalfields of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Surrounding the town are 11 coal-fired plants (CFPs) contributing around 59% of the country's energy needs. It is also home to Sasol Synfuels, which produces synthetic gas through coal gasification and natural gas reforming. Coal, like most materials found in nature, contains trace elements of the naturally occurring primordial radionuclides 40K, 238U, 232Th, and their decay products. The milling and combustion of coal in a CFP increases the mass concentration of these trace elements, and the residuals end up on ash heaps as fly ash, bottom ash, and boiler slag. A small percentage of fly ash also ends up in the atmosphere. This paper sets out to determine the anthropogenic impact of the industrial activity on indoor radon in the town of Secunda in the Mpumalanga region of South Africa. Measurements were done in 37 homes during July when higher indoor radon levels are expected due to homes typically being closed due to the low temperatures. The average indoor radon concentration was found to be 76.4 Bq m-3. This indicates that the fallout from the industrial activity surrounding Secunda does not enhance the emanation of radon. This may be due to the type of activity or the climate and prevailing winds mitigating its indoor build-up. Measurements during the warmer months and in neighboring towns with different industrial activities are required to confirm the trends established by this research.
塞库达是南非姆普马兰加省的一个城镇，建在煤矿区。该镇周围有 11 座燃煤电厂（CFP），为南非提供约 59%的能源。这里也是萨索尔合成燃料公司的所在地，该公司通过煤的气化和天然气重整生产合成气。像自然界中发现的大多数物质一样，煤炭含有痕量的天然放射性核素 40K、238U、232Th 及其衰变产物。在 CFP 中磨碎和燃烧煤炭会增加这些痕量元素的质量浓度，残留物最终以粉煤灰、底灰和锅炉渣的形式堆积在灰堆上。一小部分粉煤灰也会进入大气。本文旨在确定南非姆普马兰加省塞库达镇工业活动对室内氡的人为影响。在 7 月进行了测量，因为由于低温，房屋通常关闭，所以预计室内氡水平会更高。发现平均室内氡浓度为 76.4 Bq m-3。这表明，塞库达周围工业活动的沉降物并没有增强氡的散发。这可能是由于活动的类型或气候和盛行风减轻了其在室内的积聚。需要在温暖的月份和具有不同工业活动的邻近城镇进行测量，以确认该研究确定的趋势。
