Assessment of environmental radioactivity at uranium mining, processing and tailings management facility at Jaduguda, India

Determination of uranium at ultra trace level in packaged drinking water by laser fluorimeter and consequent ingestion dose

“…The committed effective dose due to uranium through packaged drinking water intake was found to vary from 0.08-3.19 µSv y -1 , with an average value of 1.21 µSv y -1 . The committed dose estimated in the present study is comparable to other reported value of 1.43-3.79 µSv y -1 for Himachal Pradesh and 2.18 µSv y -1 for Jaduguda region but lower than 7.56-24.65 µSv y -1 Punjab in India (Rani et al, 2006;Tripathi et al, 2008). The frequency distribution of committed effective dose due to uranium through packaged drinking water is given in Figure 4. …”

Distribution of natural radionuclides in surface soils in the vicinity of abandoned uranium mines in Serbia

“…The uranium and thorium concentrations in the affected area are higher than worldwide average values for these radionuclides as reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR 2010). The uranium concentration in soils of affected area is also higher than uranium concentration in soils collected from uranium processing and tailings management facility in India, where various safety measures are taken to reduce radiation exposures to levels that are as low as reasonably achievable (Tripathi et al 2008). The uranium concentrations obtained in this study are similar to those reported for uranium mining and milling sites in Portugal (Carvalho et al 2007(Carvalho et al , 2009), Namibia (Oyedele et al 2010), and Brazil (Fernandes et al 2006).…”

Technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials

“…51 Although many former uranium-and radium-mining sites have no enhanced radionuclide concentrations, former uranium-milling sites may contain tailings with up to 200 times the radioactivity of surrounding soils. 52,53 Large quantities of tailings were produced during the nuclear arms race of the cold war. The former Soviet Union is estimated to have 5 billion tons of uranium mill tailings to give a total activity of 2 × 10 16 Bq.…”