Human health risk screening of radioactive and nonradioactive contaminants due to uranium industry operation (original) (raw)
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Radioprotection, 2012
Uranium is known for both chemical and radiological toxicity. East Singhbhum is known for uranium mining, and radionuclides can be expected in its groundwater. Groundwater was collected around two proposed sites of Bagjata and Banduhurang and analysed for U(nat). The study reveals that the U(nat) varied from <0.5-11.2 and <0.5-27.5 µg.L-1 for the Bagjata and Banduhurang mining areas, respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk due to the consumption of uranium in water was calculated to be in the range of 8.81 × 10-6 to 4.34 × 10-5 and 3.36 × 10-6 to 9.55 × 10-5 for the two study areas, which are within the acceptable cancer risk value of 1 × 10-4. However, the risk at a few locations is very close to the threshold value. The chemical risk evaluated by the hazard quotient was found to be within 0.05-0.23 and 0.02-0.6 for the two study areas and did not exceed the limit of 1. Thus, the concentration of U(nat) in the groundwater presently does not pose any serious threat to local people but must be monitored periodically and adequate actions must be taken in the few areas with elevated levels of uranium in the groundwater.
Groundwater samples collected from 96 bore wells in the study area (city of Bangalore) were analysed for concentration of natural uranium using laser-induced fluorimetry. The risk to the population of the region associated with radiological and chemical toxicity of uranium due to its ingestion through drinking water over a lifetime was estimated. The concentration of uranium was found to be in the range 0.136 to 2027.5 μg L −1 with an average value of 92.42 μg L −1. In the present study, about 61% of the samples show concentrations of uranium within the safe limit of 30 μg L −1 as set by the world health organisation. The radiological risk estimated as lifetime cancer risk is in the range 4.3 × 10 −7 to 6.4 × 10 −3 with an average of 2.9 × 10 −4. The chemical toxicity risk measured as lifetime average daily dose is found to range from 0.005 to 75.42 μg kg −1 d −1. The reference dose estimated as 1.12 μg kg −1 d −1 was used to assess the chemical toxicity. The results indicate that the chemical toxicity due to ingestion of uranium through drinking water is of more concern than the radiological toxicity. The present study, being the first of its kind in this region, will augment the database of uranium in groundwater.
International Association of Research and Science, 2017
In the present study, 40 water samples from different locations in Aurangabad districts of Maharashtra state were collected to analyze for Uranium and associated water quality parameters. Uranium was analyzed with the help of LED Flourimeter (Quantalas India Pvt. Ltd) Model no. LF-2a. The uranium concentration in collected water is varying in the range of 0.012 ppb to 16.673 ppb with an average value 2.75ppb and Median is 3.77 ppb. The Average concentration of uranium was calculated with the range 0.0003 Bq/L to 0.417 Bq/L with an average value 0.068 Bq/L and median is 0.025 Bq/L. The calculated cancer risk of mortality was found in the range of 1.270 X 10-8 to 1.7465 X 10-5 with an average value 2.8466 X 10-6 , and also the calculated cancer risk of Morbidity was found in the range from 1.9440 X 10-8 to 1.4580 X 10-1 with the mean value 3.6494 X 10-3 respectively. In the calculation of Lifetime Average Daily Dose was found in the range from 0.00034 to 0.47637 µg/kg/Day with an average value 0.07764 µg/kg/Day and median value 0.02834 µg/kg/Day. The calculated Annual Effective Dose due to ingestion of Uranium in drinking water is varying in the range from 0.00680 to 9.44796 µSv/Year with an average value 1.53991µSv/Year and the median value is 0.56207 µSv/ Year
Radioprotection, 2012
The mass concentration of uranium in water samples collected from the Bathinda district of Punjab state, India, was estimated using the laser fluorimetric technique. The study region has shown a pronounced number of cancer cases in the recent period. The study aims to calculate the human radiological risk and chemical toxicity associated with uranium consumption through drinking water. The mass concentration of uranium was found to vary from 0.48 to 571.7 µg/l with a mean value of 84.70 µg/l. The radiological risk due to consumption of uranium through contaminated drinking water was observed to be in the range of 1.34 × 10-6 to 1.60 × 10-3 with a mean value of 2.37 × 10-4. The chemical toxicity was found to vary from 0.04-43.11 µg.kg-1 .day-1 with a mean value of 6.38 µg.kg-1 .day-1 .
Uranium in drinking water: a public health threat
Archives of Toxicology, 2020
Uranium (U) has no known essential biological functions. Furthermore, it is well known for its toxicity, radioactivity, and carcinogenic potency. Impacts on human health due to U exposure have been studied extensively by many researchers. Chronic exposure to low-level U isotopes (radionuclides) may be interlinked with cancer etiology and at high exposure levels , also kidney disease. Other important issues covered U and fertilizers, and also U in soils or human tissues as an easily measurable indicator element in a pathophysiological examination. Furthermore, phosphate fertilization is known as the important source of contamination with U in the agricultural land, mainly due to contamination in the phosphate rock applied for fertilizer manufacture. Therefore, long-term usage of U-bearing fertilizers can substantially increase the concentration of U in fertilized soils. It should also be noted that U is an active redox catalyst for the reaction between DNA and H 2 O 2. This review is aimed to highlight a series on various hydro-geochemical aspects in different water sources and focused on the comparison of different U contents in the drinking water sources and presentation of data in relation to health issues.
International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 2016
Consistent with best practices in uranium mining, the collection and use of site characterisation data are indispensable to ensure compliance with regulations. To comply with this requirement, two samples from each of the 47 locations were collected in an area of about 1300 km 2 in the vicinity and concession area of the Mkuju River Project. The samples were analysed for radioactivity using alpha spectrometry. The activity concentrations were used to estimate health risks attributable to the consumption of drinking water containing radionuclides. The range of activity concentrations (mBqL-1) were much higher in groundwater collected from the concession area for 238
Toxicological risk assessment of protracted ingestion of uranium in groundwater
Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2018
Groundwater samples have been collected from far-reaching locations in Solan and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh, India, and studied for uranium concentration using LED fluorimetry. In this region, uranium in groundwater varies from 0.12 to 19.43 lg L-1. Radiological and chemical toxicity is accounted for different uranium isotopes. The average mortality risk for uranium isotopes 234 U, 235 U, and 238 U are 2.6 9 10-12 , 3.5 9 10-10 , and 5.9 9 10-8 , respectively. Similarly, the mean morbidity risk for 234 U, 235 U and 238 U are 4.1 9 10-12 , 5.6 9 10-10 and 9.5 9 10-8 , respectively. An attempt has also been made to calculate doses for different age-groups. Highest doses, ranging from 0.30 to 48.23 lSv year-1 , are imparted to infants of 7-12 months of age which makes them the most vulnerable group of population. Using Hair Compartmental Model for uranium and mean daily uranium intake of 3.406 lg for 60-year exposure period, organspecific doses due to uranium radioisotopes, retention in prime organs/tissues and excretion rates via urine, feces and hair pathway are estimated. In this manuscript, the transfer coefficients for kidney, liver, skeleton, GI tract, soft tissues, urinary bladder, and blood are analyzed. Hair compartment model and ICRP's biokinetic model are compared in terms of uranium load in different organs after 60 years of protracted ingestion. The study on biokinetic behavior of uranium is the first of its kind in the area which is dedicated to environmental and social cause. Keywords Uranium biokinetics Á LED fluorimetry Á Hazard quotient Á Lifetime average daily dose Á Ageadjusted dose Á Organ-specific dose Á Transfer coefficients
Pure and Applied Physics, 2017
The common purifying technique of water for public (human) consumption in Nigeria is by chlorination which only eliminates the microbial contaminants, but the radioactive contaminants remain unaffected. There had been no serious radiological and related chemical health impact assessments of pipe borne water in the country. Water samples were collected from five waterworks across Lagos Metropolis and a single crystal NaI (Tl) detector was used to determine the activity concentration of 238U radionuclide in the water. The radiological health impact assessment determined includes annual effective dose rates and risk of incurring cancer. Using activity concentrations obtained and the relation from United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the chemical health impact such as life average daily dose (LADD) and hazard quotient (HQ) due to ingestion of 238 U in water were determined and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The mean 238 U activity concentrations were 1...
Exposure and Health, 2016
The activity level of natural uranium pollutant in surface-based water around Princess Gold Mine in Roodepoort, South Africa was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The highest activity level of 6.39E?04 mBq/L is reported in the reddish brown ochre surface water from tailing (SWA-RB) close to the houses, whereas the lowest value of 1.92E?03 mBq/L is reported in the flowing surface water (SRWA-5) 1 km away from the dump. Along the path high values of 1.56E?04, 1.07E?04, 1.57E?04 and 8.46E?03 mBq/L were reported at SRWA-2, SRWA-3 and SRWA-4, respectively. The inhabitants living around the tailings use the surface water for daily consumption. Based on the annual limit guideline for drinking water recommended by World Health Organization (731 L/ year), this study revealed that, the community around this vicinity receives 2.10 mSv as the highest annual collective effective dose due to 238 U in the drinking surface water. The radiological-health risks of 238 U in the water samples analysed revealed the highest cancer mortality and morbidity values of 2.40E?03 and 3.67E?03, respectively. The mean chemical toxicity risk for the natural uranium over the lifetime consumption is 5.31E?05 lg/kg/day which shows that the main human risk may likely be due to the chemical toxicity of natural uranium.