JOURNAL DESCRIPTION
The Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety journal ISSN 1024-6177 was founded in January 1956 (before December 30, 1993 it was entitled Medical Radiology, ISSN 0025-8334). In 2018, the journal received Online ISSN: 2618-9615 and was registered as an electronic online publication in Roskomnadzor on March 29, 2018. It publishes original research articles which cover questions of radiobiology, radiation medicine, radiation safety, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and scientific reviews. In general the journal has more than 30 headings and it is of interest for specialists working in thefields of medicine¸ radiation biology, epidemiology, medical physics and technology. Since July 01, 2008 the journal has been published by State Research Center - Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of Federal Medical Biological Agency. The founder from 1956 to the present time is the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, and from 2008 to the present time is the Federal Medical Biological Agency.
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Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026. Vol. 71. № 4
DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-4-47-55
P.S. Miklyaev1, T.B. Petrova2, D.V. Shchitov3, P.A. Sidyakin3, M.A. Murzabekov3, D.N. Tsebro3, E.I. Kaygorodov1, 4
PATTERNS OF SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF RADIUM-226 SPECIFIC ACTIVITY IN SOILS AND RADON EXHALATION RATE FROM THE SOIL SURFACE IN THE TERRITORY OF PYATIGORSK
1 E.M. Sergeev Institute of Environmental Geoscience, Moscow, Russia
2 M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
3 North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russia
4 Federal State Unitary Enterprise Research and Technical Center of Radiation-Chemical Safety and Hygiene, Moscow, Russia
Contact person: P.S. Miklyaev, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To identify spatial distribution patterns of ²²⁶Ra specific activity in soils and radon flux density (RFD) from the soil surface within the territory of Pyatigorsk, and to determine the correlation between these parameters and indoor radon concentrations (IRC) for the purpose of developing medium- and large-scale mapping of areas by potential radon hazard levels.
Material and methods: RFD measurements were primarily conducted during the dry season using the open-chamber method with activated charcoal, employing equipment from the “Kamera-01” measuring complex. Measurements of dose rate were performed using DRG-01T and DKg-07D “Drozd” gamma dosimeters at a height of 1 m above the ground surface. Measurements of specific activity of natural radionuclides in soil samples were carried out using a gamma spectrometric system equipped with a NaI(Tl) 63×63 mm scintillation detector and “Progress-2000” software in a 1-liter Marinelli beaker geometry. The samples were preliminarily stored for two weeks in hermetically sealed Marinelli containers to achieve radioactive equilibrium between radium and radon. In total, the study included 224 measurements of RFD from the ground surface, 47 determinations of specific activity of natural radionuclides in samples of bedrock and unconsolidated deposits, and approximately 200 measurements of dose rate.
Results: Radium specific activity values within the city ranged from 15–195 Bq/kg, and the RFD ranged from 10–567 MBq/m2∙s. The lowest values of radiation parameters are typical for the floodplain and the I-II upper floodplain terraces of the Podkumok River, the highest values are for territories composed of Maikop clays. In most of the city’s territory, except for the floodplain of terraces I–II, the average RFD values exceed the level of 80 mBq/m2∙s, and the proportion of private values exceeding this level is more than 50%, which makes it possible to classify this territory as a potentially radon-hazardous category. Extremely high 226Ra concentrations (477–868 Bq/kg) and RFD (679–2760 mBq/m2∙s) were recorded in the distribution sites of fresh travertines precipitating from hot hydrogen sulfide-carbon dioxide waters in the Goryachaya Mountain area. Several local radon anomalies have also been detected in the Pyatigorsk (RFD values reach 5260 mBq/m2∙s), which appear at separate points and do not repeat over time, which are apparently associated with local convective radon transport in the soil. The paper presents the results of radon monitoring at anomalous points in different seasons of the year.
Keywords: radon exhalation rate, soil radium specific activity, mapping, zoning, geological data
For citation: Miklyaev PS, Petrova TB, Shchitov DV, Sidyakin PA, Murzabekov MA, Tsebro DN, Kaygorodov EI. Patterns of Spatial Distribution of Radium-226 Specific Activity in Soils and Radon Exhalation Rate from the Soil Surface in the Territory of Pyatigorsk. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026;71(4):47–55. DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-4-47-55
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PDF (RUS) Full-text article (in Russian)
Conflict of interest.The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Financing. The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant No. 24-17-00217.
Contribution. Article was prepared with equal participation of the authors.
Article received: 20.03.2026. Accepted for publication: 25.04.2026.