Water, Air, and Soil Pollution

, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp 199–206 | Cite as

Medically used radionuclides in sewage sludge

  • B. Erlandsson
  • S. Mattsson
Article
Received:
Revised:

Abstract

The concentration of medically used radionuclides has been studied in sludge from the sewage treatment plant serving the borough of Malmo. In this area all nuclear medicine procedures are carried out in one hospital and almost all patients live in the borough. Therefore, the input of medically used radionuclides into the sewage system can be estimated with good accuracy. Samples of digested sludge have been taken once or twice a week during half a year.

Iodine-131 (physical half life (T) = R.05 d) was detected in all samples. The 131I-activity concentration due to medical use varied between (0.03±0.01) and (0.12±0.02) nCi kg−1. The ratio between the total output of 131I via the sludge and an adherent input of the radionuclide into the sewage system was determined to (2.6 ± 0.6) × 10−3, which is equivalent to a ratio of (2 ± 1) × 10−2 for stable I.

Occasionally measurable activities of 198Au (T=2.7 d) and 201T1(T=3.l d) have been found.

The radioactivity concentration of medically used radionuclides in the sludge is low and constitutes no health problems for the persons involved. The sludge however has proved to be a very sensitive and suitable integrator of radioactive material released from a large urban area.

Keywords

Sludge Radionuclide Sewage Half Life Treatment Plant 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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References

  1. DeGeer, L-E.: 1976, Private communication. The Research Institute of National Defence, Sundyberg, Sweden.Google Scholar
  2. Erlandsson, B. and Mattsson, S.: 1978, to be published.Google Scholar
  3. Finck, R., Liden, K., and Persson, R. B. R.: 1977, Paper presented at the IRPA IV Int. Congress, Paris, 24–30 April, 1977.Google Scholar
  4. International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements: 1972, Measurement of Low-Level Radioactivity, Report 22, ICRU, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.Google Scholar
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Copyright information

© D. Reidel Publishing Company 1978

Authors and Affiliations

  • B. Erlandsson
    • 1
    • 2
  • S. Mattsson
    • 1
    • 2
  1. 1.Technical DepartmentPersonnel Health Care, City of MalmöCalmöSweden
  2. 2.Department of Radiation PhysicsMalmö General HospitalMalmöSweden

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