Environmental impact of radioactivity in waste from the coal and aluminium industries in western balkan countries

摘要

The paper deals with industrial tailings resulting from the use of coal and bauxite,rnassessing the impact on the population and the environment in the western Balkanrncountries (WBC). It considers the direct hazard resulting from the wastes on theirrnimmediate neighbourhood and the radionuclide dispersal in the environment throughrnsurface and groundwater. The selected test sites have been investigated by differentrnmethods assessing the presence and type of radionuclides in the primary and wasternproducts, analysing and identifying the pathways for dispersion of radionuclides in thernwaste surroundings, and defining the impact of the waste on the ecosystem. Thernprocesses of leachability and fractionation of the various radionuclides have beenrnstudied also. The transport of radionuclides in groundwater has been studied by 3-Drngroundwater flow and solute transport modelling. The following parameters have beenrnassessed: (1) gamma dose rate levels, (2) radon in soil gas, (3) radon exhalation, (4)rnindoor and outdoor radon, (5) radionuclide activity in soil and in waste material, (6)rnradionuclides in surface water and groundwater, and (7) radionuclides in biota. Severalrncase studies highlight the transfer of the radionuclides to plants and animal consumptionrnproducts. The radionuclide concentrations in the waste and in the surroundings rangernover three orders of magnitude. The radionuclide concentrations in groundwaterrnsurrounding the waste are low and have a lower variability than in the wastes. The radonrnconcentrations above the tailings are increased with respect to the surroundings. Therntransfer factors in the soil–plant–animal system indicate low bioavailability of the radionuclidesrninvestigated. A preliminary dose assessment shows that the highest contributionsrnto dose are from external and radon exposure. On the basis of the results obtainedrnby using transport model simulation and considering the high Kd values and lowrnconcentration of radium, radionuclide transport in groundwater is slow and limited to arnrestricted area around the tailings sites.