## Special Issue on Advances in Environmental Applied Physics
### [PERSON] (c)
The article titled \"Natural Radioactivity and Radon Exhalation from Building Materials in Underground Parking Lots\" is focused on the change in natural ionizing radiation and the radon exhalation rates from typical building materials in underground parking lots. The activity concentration of natural radionuclides \({}^{232}\)Th, \({}^{226}\)Ra, and \({}^{40}\)K in six important types of construction materials, which are mostly used in Lithuania, were analyzed via the use of high-resolution gamma spectroscopy. The highest values were found in concrete and ferroc concrete samples, and a strong positive correlation (0.88) was observed between radium activity concentration and radon concentration. The activity indices (I\({}_{\upalpha}\) and I\({}_{\upgamma}\)) and radium equivalent activity (Ra\({}_{\text{eq}}\)), evaluating the suitability of materials for such constructions from the view of radiation safety, were determined. The average values of the calculated absorbed dose rate in samples ranged from 18.24 nGy h\({}^{-1}\) in the sand to 87.26 nGy h\({}^{-1}\) in ferroc concrete. The calculated annual effective dose was below the limit of 1.0 mSv y\({}^{-1}\). The values of the external and internal hazard indices (H\({}_{\text{ex}}\) and H\({}_{\text{in}}\)) were all below unity, and the values of I\({}_{\upgamma}\) and I\({}_{\upalpha}\) were below the recommended levels of 0.5 and 1. A dosimetric analysis of underground parking lots was carried out. It was determined that the external equivalent dose rate caused by \({}^{222}\)Rn progeny radiation in the underground car parking lots varied from 17 to 30% of the total equivalent dose rate [17; 18]. The main topic of the paper \"Evaluation of the Radiological and Chemical Risk for Public Health from Flour Sample Investigation\" is an investigation on flour, in terms of physical and chemical pollutants as well as mineral content; these are of great interest, in view of flour's high consumption for nutritional purposes. In this study, eleven types of flour (five samples for each one), from large retailers and employed by people for different food cooking purposes, were investigated through high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma spectrometry in order to estimate natural (\({}^{40}\)K)- and anthropogenic (\({}^{137}\)Cs)-radioisotope-specific activity and, thus, to assess radiological risk due to flour ingestion. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) were also employed to evaluate any possible heavy metal contamination and the mineral composition, as well as to perform a multivariate statistical analysis to deduce the flour authenticity. The evaluation of dose levels due to flour ingestion was performed for the age category higher than 17 years, taking into account the average yearly consumption in Italy and assuming this need to be satisfied from a single type of flour as a precaution. All of the obtained results are under the allowable level set by Italian legislation (1 mSv y\({}^{-1}\)), thus excluding the risk of ionizing radiation effects on humans. As far as heavy metal contamination is concerned, Cd and Pb concentrations were seen to be lower than the threshold values, thus excluding their presence as pollutants. Finally, the multivariate statistical analysis allowed the unambiguous correlation of flour samples with their botanical origins, according to their elemental concentrations [19; 20; 21]. Finally, the research paper \"Assessment of Natural Radioactivity and Radiological Risks in River Sediments from Calabria (Southern Italy)\" was developed to carry out a comprehensive radiological assessment of natural radioactivity for river sediment samples from Calabria, Southern Italy, and to define a baseline background for the area on a radiation map. In the studied area, elevated levels of natural radionuclides were expected due to the outcropping acidic intrusive and metamorphic rocks from which the radioactive elements derive.