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E Silva CR, de Oliveira FM. Natural radioactivity in mineral phosphate fertilizers and its impacts on human health: an overview. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:118149-118160. [PMID: 37936035 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30467-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Humans are constantly exposed to radioactivity present in rocks, soils, and water, mainly from materials in the Earth's crust that contain chemical elements belonging to the radioactive series of uranium and thorium. An important anthropogenic source of these natural radioisotopes to the environment is fertilizers, widely used to increase agricultural productivity. Exposure to ionizing radiation can become a public health problem worldwide, since it is related to the development of different cancers in humans. The present study aimed to survey research on the radioactive content in different types of mineral phosphate fertilizers used around the world through a comprehensive review of the Scopus and Web of Science databases. About 80 scientific articles fit the purpose of this review. The concentration activity values found varied widely from one country to another, and there is no specific legislation that determines the maximum allowed limits of radioisotopes in these agricultural inputs. In addition, there are still uncertainties regarding the impact of natural radioactivity from fertilizers on human health, highlighting the need for further investigations on the subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Rodrigues E Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Chemistry, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro de São João Batista, s/n, Niterói, RJ, 24020-141, Brazil.
| | - Fabiana Monteiro de Oliveira
- Postgraduate Program in Chemistry, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro de São João Batista, s/n, Niterói, RJ, 24020-141, Brazil
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Wang Q, Wang H, Ma Y, Wang J, Su W, Xiao E, Du J, Xiao T, Zhong Q. Geochemical distributions of natural radionuclides in surface soils and sediments impacted by lead-zinc mining activity. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 263:115210. [PMID: 37418943 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the distribution features of uranium-238 (238U), radium-226 (226Ra), thorium-232 (232Th), and potassium-40 (40K) and evaluated the associated environmental radiological hazards of the topsoil and river sediments in the Jinding lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) mine catchment from Southwest China. The activity concentrations of 238U, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K ranged from 24.0 ± 2.29-60.3 ± 5.26 Bq.kg-1, from 32.5 ± 3.95-69.8 ± 3.39 Bq.kg-1, from 15.3 ± 2.24-58.3 ± 4.92 Bq.kg-1, and from 203 ± 10.2-1140 ± 27.4 Bq.kg-1, respectively. The highest activity concentrations for all these radionuclides were primarily found in the mining areas and decreased with increasing distance from the mining sites. The radiological hazard indices, including radium equivalent activity, absorbed gamma dose rate in the air, outdoor annual effective dose equivalent, annual gonadal dose equivalent, and excess lifetime cancer, revealed that the highest values were observed in the mining area and downstream, specifically in the vicinity of the ore body. These elevated values exceeded the global mean value but remained below the threshold value, suggesting that routine protection measures for Pb-Zn miners during production activities are sufficient. The correlation analysis and cluster analysis revealed strong associations between radionuclides such as 238U, 226Ra, and 232Th, indicating a common source of these radionuclides. The activity ratios of 226Ra/238U, 226Ra/232Th, and 238U/40K varied with distance, suggesting the influence of geological processes and lithological composition on their transport and accumulation. In the mining catchment areas, the variations in these activity ratios increased indicated the impact of limestone material dilution on the levels of 232Th, 40K, and 238U in the upstream region. Moreover, the presence of sulfide minerals in the mining soils contributed to the enrichment of 226Ra and the removal of 238U caused those activity ratios decreased in the mining areas. Therefore, in the Jinding PbZn deposit, the patterns of mining activities and surface runoff processes in the catchment area favored the accumulation of 232Th and 226Ra over 40K and 238U. This study provides the first case study on the geochemical distributions of natural radionuclides in a typical Mississippi Valley-type PbZn mining area and offers fundamental information on radionuclide migration and baseline radiometric data for PbZn deposits worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiugui Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yujun Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Land Surface Processes and Ecological Conservation (Ministry of Education), Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
| | - Jinlong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Weigang Su
- Qinghai Earthquake Agency, Xining 810001, China
| | - Enzong Xiao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jinzhou Du
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Tangfu Xiao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Qiangqiang Zhong
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
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Lee J, Yi SC. Assessment of radiological impact on the surrounding environment and biota for phosphogypsum waste stockyard in Korean facility. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:767. [PMID: 37249702 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11387-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the effects of deposited gypsum residues on the surrounding environment and radiation exposure in plants and animals were evaluated under various exposure situations. A waste stockyard in a Korean facility (surrounded by mountains and sea) was used to store phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphoric acid processes, in a slurry form in a large gypsum storage facility (provided separately on the facility site). The ERICA tool was used to evaluate the impact of radiation on nonhuman environments for mineral processing and waste storage for risk estimation. The impact of radiation on the environment due to the phosphogypsum stockyard was negligible with a screening dose of less than 10 μGy h-1. However, to conservatively evaluate the environmental impact of rain and wind in the phosphogypsum stockyard, the soil at the interface of the stockyard, where plants could not grow, was considered as an input value, and the estimated dose rate of shrubs was found to be 45 μGy h-1. The effects of the phosphogypsum stockyard on the surrounding environment accounted for 95-100% of the total dose for internal exposure in biota. In general, radium was found to be the highest contributor to biota, and the next lead and polonium were contributors to the dose. The findings contribute to an understanding of the radiological impact of waste stored and disposed of at the facility on the environment and biota (all routes of exposure) and to developing sustainable operations and pollution monitoring policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- JuHyun Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
- Department of NORM Analysis, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Chul Yi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-Ro, Seongdong-Gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
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Li Q, Wu Q, Zhang T, Xiang P, Bao Z, Tu W, Li L, Wang Q. Phosphate mining activities affect crop rhizosphere fungal communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156196. [PMID: 35623536 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Phosphate mining releases heavy metals into the surrounding environment. In this study, the effects of phosphate mining on rhizosphere soil fungi in surrounding crops, including Lactuca sativa var. angustata, Glycine max (L.) Merr., and Triticum aestivum L., were assessed. Phosphate mining significantly reduced the crop rhizosphere fungal diversity (P < 0.05). The relative abundances of Fusarium and Epicoccum increased in mining rhizosphere soil compared with the baseline. Beta diversity analysis indicated that phosphate mining led to the differentiation of fungal community structure in plant rhizospheres. Guild analysis indicated that different plant rhizosphere fungi developed various guilds in response to phosphate mining stress. Nine fungi were isolated from soil samples, with solubilization index values ranging from 1.1 to 2.5. Two efficient phosphate solubilizers, Epicoccum nigrum and Fusarium verticillioides, were enriched in phosphate mining rhizosphere soil samples. The dissolution kinetics of inorganic phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase activity assay showed strong phosphorus dissolution ability of the isolated fungi. Penicillium aculeatum, Trichoderma harzianum, Chaetomium globosum, and F. verticillioides showed strong tolerance to multiple heavy metals. This study furthers our understanding of how rhizosphere fungal ecology is affected by phosphate mining and provides important resources for the remediation of phosphate mining soil pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Peng Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhijie Bao
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wenying Tu
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lijiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qiangfeng Wang
- Biotechnology and Nuclear Technology Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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Korany KA, Masoud AM, Rushdy OE, Alrowaili ZA, Hassanein FH, Taha MH. Phosphate, phosphoric acid and phosphogypsum natural radioactivity and radiological hazards parameters. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-07796-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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First-Principles Insight into Pd-Doped C 3N Monolayer as a Promising Scavenger for NO, NO 2 and SO 2. NANOMATERIALS 2021; 11:nano11051267. [PMID: 34065876 PMCID: PMC8151280 DOI: 10.3390/nano11051267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The adsorption and sensing behavior of three typical industrial toxic gases NO, NO2 and SO2 by the Pd modified C3N monolayer were studied in this work on the basic first principles theory. Meanwhile, the feasibility of using the Pd doped C3N monolayer (Pd-C3N) as a sensor and adsorbent for industrial toxic gases was discussed. First, the binding energies of two doping systems were compared when Pd was doped in the N-vacancy and C-vacancy sites of C3N to choose the more stable doping structure. The result shows that the doping system is more stable when Pd is doped in the N-vacancy site. Then, on the basis of the more stable doping model, the adsorption process of NO, NO2 and SO2 by the Pd-C3N monolayer was simulated. Observing the three gases adsorption systems, it can be found that the gas molecules are all deformed, the adsorption energy (Ead) and charge transfer (QT) of three adsorption systems are relatively large, especially in the NO2 adsorption system. This result suggests that the adsorption of the three gases on Pd-C3N belongs to chemisorption. The above conclusions can be further confirmed by subsequent deformable charge density (DCD) and density of state (DOS) analysis. Besides, through analyzing the band structure, the change in electrical conductivity of Pd-C3N after gas adsorption was studied, and the sensing mechanism of the resistive Pd-C3N toxic gas sensor was obtained. The favorable adsorption properties and sensing mechanism indicate that the toxic gas sensor and adsorbent prepared by Pd-C3N have great application potential. Our work may provide some guidance for the application of a new resistive sensor and gas adsorbent Pd-C3N in the field of toxic gas monitoring and adsorption.
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Radioactivity of blast-furnace slags from metallurgical enterprises of Ukraine. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-020-07505-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Semenova Y, Pivina L, Zhunussov Y, Zhanaspayev M, Chirumbolo S, Muzdubayeva Z, Bjørklund G. Radiation-related health hazards to uranium miners. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:34808-34822. [PMID: 32638305 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09590-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Concerns on health effects from uranium (U) mining still represent a major issue of debate. Any typology of active job in U mines is associated with exposure to U and its decay products, such as radon (Rn), thorium (Th), and radium (Ra) and its decay products with alpha-emission and gamma radiation. Health effects in U miners have been investigated in several cohort studies in the USA, Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, and France. While public opinion is particularly addressed to pay attention to the safety of nuclear facilities, health hazard associated with mining is poorly debated. According to the many findings from cohort studies, the most significant positive dose-response relationship was found between occupational U exposure and lung cancer. Other types of tumors associated with occupational U exposure are leukemia and lymphoid cancers. Furthermore, it was found increased but not statistically significant death risk in U miners due to cancers in the liver, stomach, and kidneys. So far, there has not been found a significant association between U exposure and increased cardiovascular mortality in U miners. This review tries to address the current state of the art of these studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Semenova
- Semey Medical University, Semey, Kazakhstan
- CONEM Kazakhstan Environmental Health and Safety Research Group, Semey Medical University, Semey, Kazakhstan
| | - Lyudmila Pivina
- Semey Medical University, Semey, Kazakhstan
- CONEM Kazakhstan Environmental Health and Safety Research Group, Semey Medical University, Semey, Kazakhstan
| | | | | | - Salvatore Chirumbolo
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- CONEM Scientific, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Geir Bjørklund
- Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Toften 24, 8610, Mo i Rana, Norway.
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