Uranium and thorium in soils,mineral sands,water and food samples in a tin mining area in Nigeria with elevated activity |
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Authors: | AM Arogunjo V Höllriegl A Giussani K Leopold U Gerstmann I Veronese U Oeh |
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Institution: | 1. Federal University of Technology, Department of Physics, P.M.B. 704, Akure, Nigeria;2. Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Radiation Protection, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany;3. Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy |
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Abstract: | The activity concentrations of uranium and thorium have been determined in soils and mineral sands from the Nigerian tin mining area of Bisichi, located in the Jos Plateau, and from two control areas in Nigeria (Jos City and Akure) using high-purity germanium detectors (HPGe). High resolution sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (HR-SF-ICP-MS) was used to determine uranium and thorium in liquids and foodstuffs consumed locally in the mining area. The activities of uranium and thorium measured in the soils and mineral sands from Bisichi ranged from 8.7 kBq kg−1 to 51 kBq kg−1 for 238U and from 16.8 kBq kg−1 to 98 kBq kg−1 for 232Th, respectively. These values were significantly higher than those in the control areas of Jos City and Akure and than the reference values reported in the literature. They even exceeded the concentrations reported for areas of high natural radioactive background. Radionuclide concentrations in samples of the local foodstuffs and in water samples collected in Bisichi were found to be higher than UNSCEAR reference values. The results reveal the pollution potential of the mining activities on the surrounding areas. |
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Keywords: | Uranium Thorium Tin mining Soil Food TENORM |
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