Analysis of Radium Isotopes in Surface Waters nearby a Phosphate Mining with NORM at Santa Quitéria, Brazil

The radium isotopes super( 226)Ra and super( 228)Ra were analyzed in surface water at six points in the neighborhood of a phosphate mine associated with uranium in the region of Santa Quiteria, state of Ceara, Brazil. Water samples were collected during twenty months, were filtered, and the concentr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental protection (Irvine, Calif.) Calif.), 2014-02, Vol.5 (3), p.193-199
Main Authors: Pereira, Wagner de S., Kelecom, Alphonse, Pereira, Juliana R. de S.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The radium isotopes super( 226)Ra and super( 228)Ra were analyzed in surface water at six points in the neighborhood of a phosphate mine associated with uranium in the region of Santa Quiteria, state of Ceara, Brazil. Water samples were collected during twenty months, were filtered, and the concentrations of activity were determined in the soluble and particulate phases. The results were analyzed using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for the ordination of environmental data, and also by the ANOVA, Tukey, and Z tests to compare sets of data considering the radionuclides in the two analyzed phases and the six collecting points. The PCA identified four contaminated groups that included all collecting points, using aggregation features such as radionuclide levels and the analyzed phase. Statistical analysis identified differences between the concentrations of radionuclides in the analyzed phases, but showed no differences between the sampled points.
ISSN:2152-2197
2152-2219
DOI:10.4236/jep.2014.53023