Influence of terrestrial radionuclides on environmental gamma exposure in a uranium deposit in Paraíba, Brazil
| Autor: | Romilton dos Santos Amaral, Jairo Dias Bezerra, José Araújo dos Santos Júnior, Juan Estévez Álvarez, José de Almeida Maciel Neto, Alberto Antônio da Silva, Rômulo Simões Cezar Menezes, Zahily Herrero Fernández, Josineide Marques do Nascimento Santos, Kennedy Francys Rodrigues Damascena |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Population chemistry.chemical_element 010403 inorganic & nuclear chemistry 01 natural sciences 030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Radioecology Radiation Monitoring medicine Background Radiation Humans Soil Pollutants Radioactive Radiometry education Radioisotopes Hydrology Radionuclide education.field_of_study Thorium Radiochemistry Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Environmental Exposure General Medicine Environmental exposure Uranium Natural uranium Pollution 0104 chemical sciences Spectrometry Gamma chemistry Gamma Rays Radiation monitoring Environmental science Brazil |
| Zdroj: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 141:154-159 |
| ISSN: | 0147-6513 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.02.004 |
| Popis: | One of the main natural uranium deposits in Brazil is located in the municipality of Espinharas, in the State of Paraiba. 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 40K 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. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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