Uranium mining and ore processing in Ukraine – radioecological effects on the Dnipro River water ecosystem and human health

Abstract

Abstract Results on the ecological impact of radionuclides from a uranium tailing dump in Dniprodzerzhinsk (Ukraine) and from leaching of contaminated water from an ore processing tailing pond close to the town of Zhovti Vody into the rivers are presented. It appears that most of the former uranium mining and milling operations have been conducted without sufficient and adequate care for the environmental consequences. An inventory of the waste related to the uranium industry was carried out during the recent decade, however, a complete picture of the spatial and temporal dispersion of radioactive and chemical contaminants into the surrounding environment is not clear. Close to uranium tailing and mines, hydrometallurgical and chemical plants in the studied areas also produce fertilizer and wastes containing radioactive substances and may have an affect on the aquatic environment, creating in some cases rather high concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in the river’s water and may constitute a risk to the population and environment. The highest levels of human exposure, which can be expected to be potentially received by inhabitants of settlements located on the banks of Zheltaya River are 0.10–0.15 mSv yr−1. For people who (hypothetically) consume water from the Konoplyanka River the dose is expected to be 0.01–0.05 mSv yr−1.