Levels Of Uranium In Groundwater Research Articles

Uranium Levels in Groundwater of North India

Ionizing radiations are continuously exposed to human being. Natural radionuclides are available in different amount in environment. Uranium is found everywhere in water, rocks, soil and building material. Ground water is the main source of drinking water. So it becomes important to review the water quality of north India in view of uranium. Uranium is inhaled through drinking water in human body. In this regard, an extensive data has been compiled and reviewed in this article from North India and compared with safe limits from worldwide data. The majority of the reported articles are about monitoring of uranium concentration in water samples. Most of the reported data have been obtained using Fission track technique, ICPMS, laser fluorimetery and LED fluorimetery.

High levels of uranium in groundwater of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Water samples collected from 129 wells in seven of the nine sub-divisions of Ulaanbaatar were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) using Clean Lab methods. The levels of many trace elements were found to be low with the average concentrations (ranges in brackets) being 0.9 (<0.1–7.9)μg/L for As; 7.7 (0.12–177)μg/L for Mn; 0.2 (<0.05–1.9)μg/L for Co; 16 (<0.1–686)μg/L for Zn; 0.7 (<0.1–1.8)μg/L for Se; <0.1 (<0.02–0.69)μg/L for Cd; and 1.3 (<0.02–32)μg/L for Pb. The levels of uranium were surprisingly elevated (mean, 4.6μg/L; range <0.01–57μg/L), with the values for many samples exceeding the World Health Organization's guideline of 15μg/L for uranium in drinking water. Local rocks and soils appear to be the natural source of the uranium. The levels of uranium in Ulaanbaatar's groundwater are in the range that has been associated with nephrotoxicity, high blood pressure, bone dysfunction and likely reproductive impairment in human populations. We consider the risk associated with drinking the groundwater with elevated levels of uranium in Ulaanbaatar to be a matter for some public health concern and conclude that the paucity of data on chronic effects of low level exposure is a risk factor for continuing the injury to many people in this city.

Concentration of uranium levels in groundwater

The uranium isotopes during their course of their disintegration decay into other radioactive elements and eventually decay into stable lead isotopes. The cause of environmental concern is the emanation of beta and gamma radiation during disintegration. The present study tends to estimate uranium in groundwater trapped in granite and gneiss rocks. Besides, the study aims at estimating the radiation during natural disintegration process. The water samples were collected and analyzed following inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric technique while water sample collection was given to the regions of Kolar District, South India, due to the representation. The significant finding was the observation of very high levels of uranium in groundwater compared to similar assays reported at other nearby districts. Also, the levels were considerable to those compared to groundwater levels of uranium reported by other scientists. On the basis of this study, it was inferred that the origin of uranium was from granite strata and there was a trend of diffusion observed in the course of flow-path of water in the region.

Health risk assessment for uranium in Korean groundwater

We analyzed the radiological and chemical risks of uranium in groundwater. The total sample number over 4 years was 498. There were several use patterns of groundwater in Korea, but we considered the risk only for drinking water. The geometric mean of uranium concentration in 10 areas in Korea was 0.17 μg·l −1. The excess cancer risks were in the 10 −7 level in the radiological risk aspect and the hazard quotient was 0.005 in the chemical risk aspect. Therefore, we could conclude that an adverse health risk is unlikely to be posed due to exposure to uranium. However, the concentration of uranium must be monitored periodically and adequate action taken in the few and small areas that contain high uranium levels in groundwater.