TY - CHAP
T1 - Radionuclides in the Environment : Radium
AU - Vandenhove, Hildegarde
AU - Verrezen, Freddy
AU - Landa, E.R.
A2 - Hurtgen, Christian
N1 - Score = 3
PY - 2010/5/25
Y1 - 2010/5/25
N2 - Radium (chemical symbol Ra) is a radioactive element with chemical properties similar to calcium and barium. The isotopes of environmental concern are 226Ra
with a half-life of 1600 years, and 228Ra with a half-life of 5.7 years; these isotopes are naturally occurring and are the decay products within the 238U and 232Th radioactive series, respectively (see Uranium; Thorium). Radium occurs
in minute quantities in the environment, but is of concern due to its high radiotoxicity. Hence much public health attention has focused on its assessment and control in water and soil. Elevated radium concentrations in environmental
media can be the result of natural processes (as in the case of some groundwater), or associated with either nuclear fuel cycle activities (such as uranium mining and milling) or nonnuclear industry activities (such as phosphoric acid production and oil-field brine disposal). Concerns regarding the biological uptake of radium, and its incorporation into human food chains have been the impetus for considerable environmental monitoring and research on the partitioning
between soil and water (as described by ‘‘distribution coefficients’’) and between soil and plant tissues (as described by ‘‘concentration factors’’).
AB - Radium (chemical symbol Ra) is a radioactive element with chemical properties similar to calcium and barium. The isotopes of environmental concern are 226Ra
with a half-life of 1600 years, and 228Ra with a half-life of 5.7 years; these isotopes are naturally occurring and are the decay products within the 238U and 232Th radioactive series, respectively (see Uranium; Thorium). Radium occurs
in minute quantities in the environment, but is of concern due to its high radiotoxicity. Hence much public health attention has focused on its assessment and control in water and soil. Elevated radium concentrations in environmental
media can be the result of natural processes (as in the case of some groundwater), or associated with either nuclear fuel cycle activities (such as uranium mining and milling) or nonnuclear industry activities (such as phosphoric acid production and oil-field brine disposal). Concerns regarding the biological uptake of radium, and its incorporation into human food chains have been the impetus for considerable environmental monitoring and research on the partitioning
between soil and water (as described by ‘‘distribution coefficients’’) and between soil and plant tissues (as described by ‘‘concentration factors’’).
KW - radium
UR - http://ecm.sckcen.be/OTCS/llisapi.dll/open/ezp_106921
UR - http://knowledgecentre.sckcen.be/so2/bibref/7103
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9780470714348
T3 - Radionuclides in the Environment
SP - 97
EP - 108
BT - Radionuclides in the Environment
PB - Wiley - John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
CY - West Sussex, United Kingdom
ER -