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Technologically elevated natural radioactivity and assessment of dose to workers around a granitic uranium deposit area, China

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Abstract

Gamma dose rates in a uranium site in Guangdong, China were measured based on different functioning areas (mining area, milling area, tailings area and downstream area); four representative soil profiles were measured with HP Ge gamma spectrometry. The gamma dose rates as well as annual effective dose overall exceeded the relevant values reported from other countries. Both the external and the internal hazard index overwhelmingly exceeded the recommended value. Some areas were heavily polluted with technologically elevated concentrations of 238U and 226Ra, while others were observed with extremely high background level of natural radioactivity, mainly stemming from granitic lithology.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41303007, 41372364, 41373117, U1501231, 41573008, 41573119 and 41273100); Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2015A030313512 and 2014A030313527); Guangzhou Education Bureau (1201431072) and open fund granted by Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KLMM20150108). We would like to thank Ms. Zhu Li and Feng Yingsi for technical assistance, and anonymous reviewers who greatly improved the quality of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, and Innovation Center of Waters Safety and Protection in the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, 230 Waihuan Str., Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Jin Wang, Juan Liu, Yongheng Chen, Gang Song, Diyun Chen & Meiling Yin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 46 Guanshui Str., Guiyang, 550002, China

    Tangfu Xiao

  3. CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Str., Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Shijun Wu & Fanrong Chen

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  1. Jin Wang
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  2. Juan Liu
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  9. Meiling Yin
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Correspondence to Jin Wang or Yongheng Chen.

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Wang, J., Liu, J., Chen, Y. et al. Technologically elevated natural radioactivity and assessment of dose to workers around a granitic uranium deposit area, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 310, 733–741 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4809-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4809-2

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