Naslov
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF RADIOACTIVITY IN WASTE FROM THE COAL AND ALUMINIUM INDUSTRIES IN WESTERN BALKAN COUNTRIES

Autori
Klerkx, Jan ; Bituh, Tomislav ; Kovac, Jadranka ; Petrinec, Branko ; et., al ;

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
NORM V - Naturally Occuring Radioactive Material Proceedings of an international symposyum / - Beč : International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 2008, 467-478

ISBN
978-92-0-101508-2

Skup
NORM V - Naturally Occuring Radioactive Material

Mjesto i datum
Sevilla, Španjolska, 19.03.2007. - 22.03.2007

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
NORM, industrial tailings, INTAILRISK

Sažetak
The paper deals with industrial tailings resulting from the use of coal and bauxite, assessing the impact on the population and the environment in the western Balkan countries (WBC). It considers the direct hazard resulting from the wastes on their immediate neighbourhood and the radionuclide dispersal in the environment through surface and groundwater. The selected test sites have been investigated by different methods assessing the presence and type of radionuclides in the primary and waste products, analysing and identifying the pathways for dispersion of radionuclides in the waste surroundings, and defining the impact of the waste on the ecosystem. The processes of leachability and fractionation of the various radionuclides have been studied also. The transport of radionuclides in groundwater has been studied by 3-D groundwater flow and solute transport modelling. The following parameters have been assessed: (1) gamma dose rate levels, (2) radon in soil gas, (3) radon exhalation, (4) indoor and outdoor radon, (5) radionuclide activity in soil and in waste material, (6) radionuclides in surface water and groundwater, and (7) radionuclides in biota. Several case studies highlight the transfer of the radionuclides to plants and animal consumption products. The radionuclide concentrations in the waste and in the surroundings range over three orders of magnitude. The radionuclide concentrations in groundwater surrounding the waste are low and have a lower variability than in the wastes. The radon concentrations above the tailings are increased with respect to the surroundings. The transfer factors in the soil– plant–animal system indicate low bioavailability of the radio-nuclides investigated. A preliminary dose assessment shows that the highest contributions to dose are from external and radon exposure. On the basis of the results obtained by using transport model simulation and considering the high Kd values and low concentration of radium, radionuclide transport in groundwater is slow and limited to a restricted area around the tailings sites.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Fizika, Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

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