engleski

Radium in environment due to phosphate fertilizer production

The Radiation Protection Unit of the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb, as a part of systematic radioactive measurements in the Croatian environment performed an investigation in the area of a phosphate fertilizer factory in central Croatia. The local dump sites, containing radium are often unprotected and may be a source of contamination to surface or ground waters. The practical implication of this finding are important from the point of view of possible environmental contamination in the area around a fertilizer plant. The samples of waste water, trickling water and well water were collected during the period 1986-2005 and analysed.. On all samples were performed gammaspestrometric analyses. In addition, 226Ra was determined by alpha spectrometric measurements after radiochemical treatment of samples. The distribution of total radium by the components of the production process was obtained on basis of the radium initial activity contained in raw material and for values of radium mean activity concentrations in waste water, trickling water from piezometers, phosphogypsum deposit and final products The purpose of this study was to determine radium activity concentrations resulting from the phosphate fertilizer production in the samples of waste water, trickling water and well water in order to investigate whether consumption of drinking water in this area posed a health risk for the local population.

radium; phosphate fertilizer production; phosphogypsum; trickling water; waste water

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