Assessment of uranium in soils of Kota Samarahan, Sarawak

Abstract

A study on the levels of uranium (U) in urban soils of Samarahan was conducted to assess the contamination of uranium in the soil. Uranium was extracted from soil samples using aqua regia and extract was analyzed using ICP-OES. Results showed that acidic soils influence the absorption of uranium in soils and the binding of uranium due to the presence of organic matter. The highest concentration of uranium obtained from UM2 with 60 mg kg-1 and the lowest from UM3 with < 0.01 mg kg-1. Based on the contamination factors (CF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) calculations, the locations presented from low to high contamination of uranium and fall in Class 0 to Class 3. Most of the concentrations of the studied areas are within the tolerable value which was 23 mg kg−1 for residential lands and 33 mg kg−1 for commercial lands except for UM2 based on the soil quality guidelines. In conclusion, the current U concentrations in soil of Kota Samarahan do not pose any hazardous effect towards the environment and human health.