Abstract
An attempt has been made to examine uranium distribution in groundwater from Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. Groundwater occurs under porous sedimentary, fractured, and weathered hard rock formations ranging in age from recent sediments to the oldest Archean formations. A total of 186 groundwater samples were collected during Pre- Monsoon (May) and Post-monsoon (January) and analyzed for major cations, anions, and uranium using standard procedures. Major anions and cations follow the order Cl- >H4SiO4>HCO3- >NO3- > Na+> Ca2+> Mg2+>K+>SO42- > F-> PO43- irrespective of seasons. Uranium in groundwater ranges from 0.1 micro gram per liter (µg/l ) to 24.67 µg/l with average 1.82 µg/l. The spatial representation maps isolated areas of higher and lower uranium and statistical analysis inferred uranium sources to the groundwater environment.
Highlights
The groundwater chemistry is of greater importance in determining the suitability for utilities corresponding industrial, agricultural, and domestic utilities [1,2,3,4]
Attempt has been made to focus on the spatial distribution of uranium occurrences in Cuddalore district of Tamilnadu, India, along with its geochemical significances aided by statistical analysis
Higher uranium during PRM was confined to Southern parts of the study area, and lower were confined to eastern, southwestern, and northern parts of the study area (Figure 4a)
Summary
The groundwater chemistry is of greater importance in determining the suitability for utilities corresponding industrial, agricultural, and domestic utilities [1,2,3,4]. In coastal regions where groundwater being the primal source for clean water, like that of the study area, human interventions like over-drafting result in water quality degradation due to seawater intrusion and. Uranium (U) is found in soil, water and humans in three isotopic forms (U-238, U-235, and U-234). Uranium in the groundwater environment seems to be influenced by factors like lithology, geomorphology, and other environmental considerations of the study area. Uranium in groundwater is harmful to human exposure due to the chemical influence of aqueous hexavalent ions on the kidneys. Isolating uranium in water is of primal significance because of the hydrogeochemical significance and health risk assessment. Uranium in groundwater and its influence on human health has been attempted in India [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Attempt has been made to focus on the spatial distribution of uranium occurrences in Cuddalore district of Tamilnadu, India, along with its geochemical significances aided by statistical analysis
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