Influence of terrestrial radionuclides on environmental gamma exposure in a uranium deposit in Paraíba, Brazil.

Autor: Araújo Dos Santos Júnior J; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil. Electronic address: jaraujo@ufpe.br., Dos Santos Amaral R; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil. Electronic address: romilton@ufpe.br., Simões Cezar Menezes R; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil; Grupo de Biomassa, Departamento de Energia Nuclear (DEN), Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências (CTG), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Avenida Professor Luiz Freire, 1000, Cidade Universitária, 50740-540, Recife/PE, Brazil., Reinaldo Estevez Álvarez J; Centro de Aplicaciones Tecnológicas y Desarrollo Nuclear (CEADEN), Rua 30, 502, Havana 6122, Cuba. Electronic address: jestevez@ceaden.edu.cu., Marques do Nascimento Santos J; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil. Electronic address: neideden@hotmail.com., Herrero Fernández Z; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil; Centro de Aplicaciones Tecnológicas y Desarrollo Nuclear (CEADEN), Rua 30, 502, Havana 6122, Cuba. Electronic address: zahily1985@gmail.com., Dias Bezerra J; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil. Electronic address: jairo.dias@ufpe.br., Antônio da Silva A; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil; Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (IFPE), Departamento de Química. Fazenda Sapé, s/n, Zona Rural, 55560-000, Barreiros/PE, Brazil. Electronic address: alberto.silva@barreiros.ifpe.edu.br., Francys Rodrigues Damascena K; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil. Electronic address: kennedy.eng.ambiental@gmail.com., de Almeida Maciel Neto J; Grupo de Radioecologia (RAE), Brazil.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety [Ecotoxicol Environ Saf] 2017 Jul; Vol. 141, pp. 154-159. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Mar 22.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.02.004
Abstrakt: One of the main natural uranium deposits in Brazil is located in the municipality of Espinharas, in the State of Paraíba. This area may present high levels of natural radioactivity due to the presence of these radionuclides. Since this is a populated area, there is need for a radioecological dosimetry assessment to investigate the possible risks to the population. Based on this problem, the objective of this study was to estimate the environmental effective dose outdoors in inhabited areas influenced by the uranium deposit, using the specific activities of equivalent uranium, equivalent thorium and 40 K and conversion factors. The environmental assessment was carried using gamma spectroscopy in sixty-two points within the municipality, with a high-resolution gamma spectrometer with HPGe semiconductor detector and Be window. The results obtained ranged from 0.01 to 19.11 mSv y -1 , with an average of 2.64 mSv y -1 . These levels are, on average, 23 times higher than UNSCEAR reference levels and up to 273 times the reference value of the earth's crust for primordial radionuclides. Therefore, given the high radioactivity levels found, we conclude that there is need for further investigation to evaluate the levels of radioactivity in indoor environments, which will reflect more closely the risks of the local population.
(Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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