Uranium: occurrence, distribution across India and its potential health effects

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry 2022-07, Vol.331 (7), p.2805-2815
• Main Authors: Daniel, Ruth, Tripathi, Dhananjay, Singh, Sukhvir, Sharma, Navneet, Yuvraaj, Arihant, Katyal, Deeksha, Kumar, Vinod
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic environment; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Contamination; Developing countries; Diagnostic Radiology; Drinking water; Global economy; Groundwater; Hadrons; Health aspects; Heavy Ions; Inorganic Chemistry; LDCs; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear Physics; Physical Chemistry; Surface water; Sustainable development; Uranium; Water
• ISSN: 0236-5731; 1588-2780
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-022-08373-3

Uranium contamination in the aquatic environment is an emerging concern worldwide. With the development of the global economy, uranium contamination has gradually increased in recent years due to industrialization, agriculture practices and overexploitation of groundwater resources. Because of the complexity of uranium in the environment, the primary concern is to understand the potential impacts on human health and the environment, especially in a developing country like India where groundwater and surface water are the major sources of drinking water. This review presents an understanding of the sources and distribution of uranium contamination in parts of India along with its interaction and potential impacts on human health. This paper further emphasizes that there is a need for efficient strategies and low-cost removal techniques for the poor population in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6.