IAEA-CN-145/157P

Environmental monitoring and dose assessment due to radon/thoron and their progeny in LPG bottling plant

K. Kanta, S. B. Upadhyayb
a

Department of Physics, KL Mehta Dayanand College for Women, Faridabad (Haryana), India Department of Physics, B S A College, Mathura (U P), India

Abstract. Measurement of radon, thoron and their progeny is important because the radiation dose to human population due to inhalation of radon and its progeny contribute more than 50% of the dose from all sources of radiation, both naturally occurring and man-made. In the present work, inhalation dose rates and annual effective dose contribution from the mixed field of radon and thoron present in the environment of LPG bottling plant were measured, as it very much essential from health and hygiene point of view of the workers in the plant. The radon and thoron concentration and the inhalation dose were found to vary from 7.78 2.02 Bq/m3 to 59.015.57 Bq/m3, 1.160.28 Bq/m3 to 65.085.09 Bq/m3, and 0.23 mSv/y to 2.29 mSv/y respectively. The concentration of radon daughters was found to vary from 0.84 mWL to 6.38 mWL, the concentration of thoron daughters was found to vary from 0.03 mWL to 1.76 mWL, the annual exposure due to radon and thoron daughters, collectively, was found to vary from 0.036 WLM to 0.273 WLM, the life time fatality risk was found to vary from 0.11 10-4 to 0.82 10-4 and the annual effective dose from radon and thoron (PAEC) was found to vary from 0.14 mSv/y to 1.06 mSv/y. Key words: Radon, Thoron, Progeny, Inhalation dose, LPG, Health

1.

1 Introduction

Radon, which is a topic of public health concern, has been found to be a ubiquitous air pollutant in homes and in the environment of work stations viz. thermal power plants, refineries, LPG bottling plants etc., to which all persons are exposed1-2. Risk projections imply that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking3. Measurement of radon, thoron and their progeny is important because the radiation dose to human population due to inhalation of radon and its progeny contribute more than 50% of the dose from all sources of radiation, both naturally occurring and man-made4. A relationship between lung cancer and inhalation of radon and its decay products has been demonstrated5. Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that inhalation of radon and its decay products in domestic environments could also be a cause of lung cancer6-8. Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) is found throughout the natural environment, in man-made materials such as building materials, fertilizer and in the crude oil and natural gas operations. It can occur in oilfield production, gas processing, and in the delivery and transport of propane. NORM originating in geological oil and gas formations is usually brought to the surface in produced water. As the water approaches the surface, temperature changes cause radioactive elements to precipitate. Resulting scales and sludge may collect in water separation systems. Radium is usually found in this type of NORM contamination. Radon gas brought to the surface will enter the gas production stream. As it decays, thin radioactive lead films may form on the inner surfaces of gas processing equipment. In sales gas, the radon concentrations are identical in both the inlet and outlet gas and are generally low. It has been found that the propane and LPG production process generally

International Atomic Energy Agency

K. Kant and S. B. Upadhyay concentrates radon and this is where the NORM hazard potential may be the greatest. Propane transport equipment may be contaminated with NORM. This includes pipelines, rail cars and truck tanks. Even if the production site does not concentrate significant amounts of radon, loading contaminated transport tanks that vent into the facility may contaminate the loading facilities. Radium, radon, and their decay products are radioactive elements of concern in petroleum production and gas processing. Human exposure may occur when contaminated dusts and sludge are inhaled or ingested (internal exposure) or when gamma radiation from surrounding equipment strikes the body (external exposure). Radium is found in most oil and gas fields in the world in varying concentrations. There is a potential to find radium in significant amounts in almost all types of equipment. Radon itself does not present a health hazard because it is not easily absorbed into the body and is quickly cleared when absorbed. Radons radioactive daughters may be hazardous. Radon naturally breaks down into radioactive metals before it finally decays to non radiative lead. Radon daughters may be inhaled or ingested when attached to scale or dust generated during equipment inspection and repair. Radon daughter exposure has been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Unprotected overexposure to radium and radium daughter contaminated dusts has been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and leukemia. Most NORM material taken into the body is deposited in bones where it will reside for a long time. Radium will not clear from the body significantly over time. For this reason, all exposures should be kept below recognized exposure standards for the general public and unnecessary exposure to radiation should be minimized. Various researchers have reported that exposure to high levels of environmental radioactive pollutants at the workplace and in other public sector indoor settings are important risk factors for lung cancer risk in workers 9-10. Radioactivity in the natural gas was reported in Europe and North America in the early 20th century. McLennan reported radioactivity in Canadian natural gas in 1904 and further measurements were reported in 191811-14. LPG is a mixture of commercial butane and commercial propane having both saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons 15. LPG is a gas at ATP, which is 1.5 to 2.0 times heavier than air. It is readily liquefied under moderate pressures. The density of the liquid is approximately half that of water and ranges from 0.525 to 0.580 at 150C. Since LPG vapour is heavier than air, it would normally settle down at ground level/low lying places, and accumulate in depression giving rise to potential fire and explosion hazards. LPG is inherently dangerous on account of fire, explosion and other hazards. Water present in LPG may cause rust and corrosion and freeze-up of valves, drain valves, excess flow check valves, bleeders in LPG vessels and lines, self closing valves, etc. and result in leakage of LPG thereby irradiating the persons working in the plant and the residents of that area. The quantification of individual radon exposure over a long time period is fundamental as it poses grave health hazards not only to uranium miners but also people living in normal houses and at workplaces where the norm levels are expected to be high in the ambient air. This paper highlights the dosimetry of radon-thoron and their progeny in the LPG bottling plant Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Piyala (Faridabad), Haryana. This plant is spread in an area of 150 acres and is the largest LPG plant in Asia marketing about 170 TMT of LPG in a year. The bottling plant is fed mainly through pipeline and rail wagons (Pipeline-GAILs Jamnagar Loni Pipeline and Rail wagons-Kandla, Jaipur and Hazira). It caters to the need of Delhi market and part of Haryana viz. Faridabad, Gurgaon, Panipat and Sonipat. It has a storing capacity of 8050 MT in Seven Spheres. This data will be very useful to find out the dose received by the radiation workers doe to radon, thoron and their progeny.

2.

Experimental Methods

The Radon and thoron measurements were carried out using LR-115 plastic track detector (Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors) exposed in the mixed field of radon-thoron in the environment of LPG bottling plant. It consists of a 12-13 m thick alpha-sensitive layer of red dyed cellulose nitrate plastic deposited on a 100 m thick non etchable polyester base. It is sensitive to alpha particles with energies in the range of 1.7- 4.2 MeV emitted by radon in the surrounding air for a distance of 1-6 cm. The LR115 detectors were used in view of the fact that LR-115 detectors do not develop tracks originating

K. Kant and S. B. Upadhyay from the progeny alphas deposited on them and are therefore best suited for alpha radioactive measurements in the ambient air 16-17. The dosimeter employed for the measurement consists of twin chamber system with SSNTDs placed on the two sides of the central partition inside the cup and a bare film placed outside it (for details, see reference18). Each chamber has a length of 4.5cm and a radius of 3.1cm. The LR-115 film was fixed in the dosimeter system and mounted at the same place and the standard etching procedure specified by the manufacturer has been followed for the same. The etched films after removal of the base has been recorded for its track density using the well calibrated spark counter design characteristics are similar to the one discussed by Garakani19.

3.

Results and Discussion

3.1. Radon-thoron dosimetry:

From the track density radon and thoron concentrations were calculated using the sensitivity factor determined from the controlled experiments. The concentrations of radon (CR) and thoron (CT) were calculated by using the following relations 20-21. CR (Bqm-3) = Tm/d Sm -----------------------------------(1) CT (Bqm-3) = Tf - d CR Srf /d Stf ---------------------- (2) Where, CR CT Tm Tf d = = = = = Radon concentration Thoron concentration Track density in membrane compartment Track density in filter compartment Exposure time (100days)

Sensitivity factor for membrane compartment (Sm) = (0.0190.003Trcm-2d-1/Bqm-3) Sensitivity factor for radon in filter compartment (Srf) = (0.0200.004 Tcm-2d-1/Bqm-3) Sensitivity factor for thoron in filter compartment (Stf) = (0.0160.005 Tcm-2d-1/Bqm-3) and the inhalation dose in mSvY-1 was estimated using the formula. D = {(0.17 + 9FR) CR + (0.11 + 32FT) CT} 7000 10-6 --------------(3)

The values of radon & thoron concentration and inhalation dose obtained by using equations1, 2, and 3 are given in table1.

3.2.

Radon-thoron daughters dosimetry:

From the obtained values of radon and thoron, the daughter concentration of radon, thoron in terms of Potential Alpha Energy Concentration (PAEC) in mWL, annual exposure in WLM, life time fatality risks and annual effective dose were calculated and the results are given in table 2. The measured radon/thoron concentration was converted into equilibrium equivalent concentration (EEC), which was further converted into Potential Alpha Energy Concentration (PAEC) using the formula

K. Kant and S. B. Upadhyay CR or CT (Bq/m3) = PAEC (WL) 3700/ F, Where F is equilibrium factor and its value is 0.4 and 0.1 for radon and thoron, respectively4. Annual exposure due to radon and its progeny have been calculated by using the generic relations 22. In a home with PAEC of 1mWL, the annual exposure in WLM is (365240.8/170 1000) = 0.0412 WLM. The PAEC was converted into annual effective dose by using dose conversion factors; the radon daughter dose conversion factor for members of the public is 3.9mSv per WLM 8, where as the effective dose equivalent for thoron is 3.4mSv per WLM 23. The lifetime risk associated with indoor radon exposure was calculated by using 1 WLM = 10 10-6 cases/year. If the risk persists for 30 years, Life time fatality risk = 3 10-4 cases/WLM16. The radon and thoron concentration and the inhalation dose were found to vary from 7.78 2.02 Bq/m3 to 59.015.57 Bq/m3, 1.160.28 Bq/m3 to 65.085.09 Bq/m3, and 0.23 mSv/y to 2.29 mSv/y with an average of 1.24 0.19 mSv/y respectively. The radon and thoron concentration and the inhalation dose were within the permissible limits. The concentration of radon daughters was found to vary from 0.84 mWL to 6.38 mWL, the concentration of thoron daughters was found to vary from 0.03 mWL to 1.76 mWL, the annual exposure due to radon and thoron daughters, collectively, was found to vary from 0.036 WLM to 0.273 WLM, the life time fatality risk was found to vary from 0.11 10-4 to 0.82 10-4 and the annual effective dose from radon and thoron (PAEC) was found to vary from 0.14 mSv/y to 1.06 mSv/y with an average of 0.56 0.07 mSv/y .

4.

Conclusions

The measurements indicate moderate to high levels of radon/thoron concentrations at different locations in the environment of the LPG bottling plant. The average value of inhalation dose in the LPG bottling plant was 1.24 0.19 mSv. This indicates that at certain locations, the inhalation dose is almost 100% more than that the Global average value 24. However the dose levels observed in the environment of the refinery premises were marginally below the ICRP recommendations8. In the light of these findings, the LPG bottling plants may affect doses from external irradiation and the inhalation of radon decay products is significant from health point of view. Necessary steps should be taken to minimise the adverse effects on the environment from NORM exposures through monitoring, safe work guidelines, and handling of contaminated wasters.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our sincere thanks to the officials of LPG bottling plant, particularly Mr. Gautam and Mr. Tarun Kumar for allowing and helping in installation of the detectors to carry out this study successfully. Financial assistance from UGC is thankfully acknowledged.

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