Assessment of released natural radionuclides by waste rock pile and mining pit associated with a uranium mine at Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2022-08, Vol.29 (38), p.58065-58077
• Main Authors: Pereira, Wagner S., Kelecom, Alphonse, Charles-Pierre, Maxime, Lopes, José M., Campelo, Emanuele L. C., Espindola, Cleber B., Carmo, Alessander S., Junior, Delcy A. Py, Pelegrineli, Samuel Q., Silva, Ademir X.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Effluents; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Lead isotopes; Radioactivity; Radioisotopes; Radium 226; Radium isotopes; Radium radioisotopes; Rainfall; Rainfall index; Research Article; Spectrophotometry; Statistical analysis; Uranium; Variance analysis; Waste Water Technology; Wastewater; Water analysis; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water sampling
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19887-4

The Ore Treatment Unit was a uranium mining company that is currently being decommissioned. The local rainfall index makes it necessary to release effluents into the environment. After releasing, the wastewater is available for unrestricted use. Current study aims to use national and international recommendations to assess the radiological potability of released effluents at one of the three points of company’s interface with the environment. Twenty-four samples of water were collected and activity concentrations (AC) were obtained by gross alpha count, gross beta count, and for arsenazo spectrophotometry. Statistical analysis techniques were applied to the data with the purpose of understanding the results for the soluble, particulate, and total fractions. The mean AC for effluents were 3.580, 0.082, 0.103, 0.063, and 0.090 Bq L −1 for U nat , 226 Ra, 210 Pb, 232 Th, and 228 Ra, respectively, for the total fraction. The analysis of variance pointed to U nat as a critical radionuclide, since it presented more than 90% of the total AC released into the environment. Pearson’s R 2 pointed to soluble fraction as a major contributor to the total AC released. The guidance level proposed by WHO was used to assess the radiological potability of the effluents. The results obtained indicated the need for trigger other analyses. Committed effective dose was estimated due to the unrestricted use of effluents and the value obtained, 0.23 mSv year −1 , was below the maximum allowed limit. Finally, the radiotoxicity of the released effluent was evaluated and the value obtained was ~ 50% of the maximum allowed limit. In conclusion, the present study showed that the level of radioactivity released into the environment by the Ore Treatment Unit does not present a radiological risk to the surrounding population.