[en] In line with it activities the department of organization of activity of emergency situations warning of the Ministry of Emergency Situation of Republic of Azerbaijan is conducting necessary actions in the territory of the republic in a way of protection of population and territories from emergency situations, warning, as well as identification and eradication of short comings existing in different fields that might have hazardous impact to population health and environment. Although several activities had been already conducted in the field of provision of security of population and territories still there are serious problems that are not solved in this field. Thus, as the territory of the republic is situated in seismological active zone, as well as there is rich oil and gas resources in the core of the earth, this area is very rich with natural radionuclides at the moment.

[en] This study was conducted to determine major cation (Ca, K, Mg, and Na), heavy metal (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Mn, Pb, Ni, V and Zn) and radionuclide (U, Th) contents of the water samples taken from the four different sampling point in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Elemental concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer system. Measured concentrations of the dissolved metal elements (except for As, Mg, and Na) in investigated water samples from Aras River and Shirarkh Canal were under the limit values presented in World Health Organization (WHO) guideline. Results of the analysis showed that all measured metal concentrations (dissolved) in investigated Arpachay River water samples also were below WHO guideline limit value. Determined radionuclide (U and Th) concentrations in all investigated samples were also below suggested values of the WHO guideline. Heavy metal pollution index (HPI), non-cancer risk (HQ) and cancer risk (CR) were calculated for investigated water samples. Calculated HPI values in this research classified investigated water samples as mediumly polluted with heavy metals. The carcinogenic risk of As through ingestion exceeded the tolerable risk of 1x10^-4 indicating that the usage of these river waters as a drinking water for a long period could raise the probability of cancer. Calculated HQ values are bigger than 1 in Aras River and Shirarkh Canal waters which means using these waters for drinking purposes raises the potential risk for human health.

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No abstract available

[en] Pioneer investigation of radon distribution over the territory of Azerbaijan started early 1990's. But the first comprehensive research on radon detection began from 2010. In 2010-2013 the Institute of Geology of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences carried out a research project founded by Swiss National Sciences Foundation. The project, titled ''Moving towards the eradication of lung cancer caused by radon gas at homes and workplaces: the radon risk map in Azerbaijan-(cadastre and database)'', was aimed to study the radon distribution over the territory in order to create the first national radon cadastre in Azerbaijan. The main purpose of the project was the creation of a radon cadastre and the ''Map of distribution of air radon concentration in Azerbaijan''. Results of their research have shown some zones of Azerbaijan are prone to high radon levels.

[en] In current article were reported results of chemical and radiochemical measurements from formation waters separated from oil pumped from approximately 700 m below ground near Baku, Azerbaijan. The results also include data from a formation water storage pond (''radium lake'') where the waters are temporarily stored after oil is separated and then eventually disposed of by pumping into the Caspian Sea. It was obtained that, there is a relatively strong inverse relationship to bicarbonate and sulfate, the bicarbonate dependency appears stronger. The radium-bicarbonate relationship, however, suggests that carbonate precipitation in formation waters is significant and may be an important control on the radium concentration.

[en] Samur River is the largest river in northeastern Azerbaijan. Samur is the fourth largest river in Azerbaijan. Its waterproofer is mainly located in Dagestan, and runs along the border between Azerbaijan and Dagestan in the downstream. Therefore Samur River is a river belonging to both republics.The lenth of the Samur River is 216 km, and the area of the reservoir is 4430 km₂. The Samur River is fed by the snow, glacier, underground, and rainwater of the highland zone between in Main Caucasus Range and the Samur River Range. The source of the river is 3699m. Samur, which produces a large delta covered with forests on the Caspian coast. Snow and groundwater are the main sources of nutrition in the Samur River. The large snow-covered peaks in the river basin (albeit with a small area) cause prolonged periods in the river. This period begins in spring and covers summer. 20% of the annual water consumption of the Samur River is spent in the spring, 49% in the summer, 20% in the fall and 10% in the winter.

[en] Concentrations of Th and U, and physicochemical parameters such as DO, TDS, Conductivity, pH, Temperature in water samples were measured and statistically analyzed. Concentrations of uranium and thorium in water samples collected from different rivers of Azerbaijan Republic has been measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The uranium concentration varies in the range between 0.017–3.263 ug L-1 with a mean value of 0.385 ug L-1 in analyzed water samples. Thorium concentration is less than 0.01µg/L in all sampling points (except two stations). The measured uranium content in all water samples has been found to be less than the limit of 30 ug/L recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Environmental Protection Agency

[en] Radon is the one of the most toxic and radioactive gases. The problem is radiological influence of radon on people arose at the beginning of 80-ies. According to the International Committee on Radiation Protection, 40-75 percent from common doze of people's exposure by natural radioactive sources comes from radon and its decay products. Lung cancer caused by radon is the sixth leading cause of cancer death.

[en] Azerbaijan has no nuclear facilities or nuclear materials. Its nuclear activities are limited to typical uses in the oil industry, medicine, agriculture and scientific research. However, Azerbaijan has a special geographical location in terms of land and sea borders with countries having nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors and nuclear materials. This means that nuclear related technology, equipment and materials can be transported both illegally and legally through Azerbaijan's borders. (author)