Wagner de S. Pereira^*, Alphonse Kelecom, Juliana R. de S. Pereira

Show more
1Multidisciplinary Group of Radioprotection (GMR), Servi?o de Radioprote??o, Unidade de Tratamento de Minério, Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil, Caldas, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Radiobiology and Radiometry Pedro Lopes dos Santos (LARARA-PLS), Group of Environmental Themes Assessment (GETA), Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói, Brazil.
Laboratory of Radiobiology and Radiometry Pedro Lopes dos Santos (LARARA-PLS), Group of Environmental Themes Assessment (GETA), Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói, Brazil.
Interdisciplinary Under- Graduation in Science and Technology, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Po?os de Caldas, Brazil.
Show less

Abstract: The radium isotopes 226Ra and 228Ra were analyzed in surface water at six points in the neighborhood of a mine of phosphate, associated with uranium, in the region of Santa Quitéria, state of Ceará, Brazil. Water samples were collected during twenty months, filtered and the concentrations of activity determined in the soluble and particulate phases. The results were analyzed using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for ordination of environmental data, and also by ANOVA, Tukey and Z tests to compare sets of data considering the radionuclides, the two analyzed phases and the six collecting points. The PCA identified four groups that included all collecting points, using aggregation features such as radionuclide and analyzed phase. The first group is composed by the samples of 226Ra in the soluble phase; the second group by samples of 226Ra in the particulate phase; the third one by 228Ra in the soluble phase, and finally, the fourth group by 228Ra in the particulate phase. This last group has two discrepant points (01 and 06). Statistical analysis identified differences between the concentrations of activity of radionuclides (228Ra higher than 226Ra) and in analyzed phases (soluble phase higher than the particulate one) but showed no differences between sampled points.

Keywords: Radioecology; Environmental Radioprotection; NORM Mining; Radium Isotopes; PCA

Cite this paper: W. Pereira, A. Kelecom and J. Pereira, "Analysis of Radium Isotopes in Surface Waters nearby a Phosphate Mining with NORM at Santa Quitéria, Brazil," Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 5 No. 3, 2014, pp. 193-199. doi: 10.4236/jep.2014.53023.

References

[1]   E. M. Ashraf, H. A. Khater and A. L. Sewaidan, “Radiation Exposure Due to Agricultural Uses of Phosphate Fertilizers,” Radiation Measurements, Vol. 43, No. 8, 2008, pp. 1402-1407.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2008.04.084

[2]   P. M. Rutherford, M. J. Dudas and J. M. Arocena, “Radio-Activity and Elemental Composition of Phosphogypsum Produced from Three Phosphate Rock Sources,” Waste Management & Research, Vol. 13, No. 5, 1995, pp. 407-423.

[3]   H. Beddow, S. Black and D. Read, “Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) from a Former Phosphoric Acid Processing Plant,” Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Vol. 86, No. 3, 2006, pp. 289-312.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2005.09.006

[4]   I. Othman and M. S. Al-Masri, “Impact of Phosphate Industry on the Environment: A Case Study,” Applied Radiation and Isotopes, Vol. 65, No. 1, 2007, pp. 131-141.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2006.06.014

[5]   N. Casacuberta, P. Masqué and J. Garcia-Orellana, “Fluxes of 238U Decay Series Radionuclides in a Dicalcium Phosphate Industrial Plant,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 190, No. 1-3, 2011, pp. 245-252.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.03.035

[6]   J. R. Silva, “Caracterizacao Hidrogeologica da Jazida de Itataia,” M.Sc. Dissertation, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Ceara, 2003, p. 126.

[7]   National Commission for Nuclear Energy—CNEN, Standard CNEN-NN-4.01, “Requisitos de Seguranca e Protecao Radiologica para Instalacoes Minero-Industriais,” 2005, p. 19.

[8]   National Commission for Nuclear Energy—CNEN, Standard CNEN-NN-3.01, “Diretrizes Basicas de Protecao Radiologica,” 2005a, p. 34.

[9]   National Commission for Nuclear Energy—CNEN, “Standard Posicao Regulatoria 3.01/008:2011 Programa de Monitoracao Radiologica Ambiental,” 2011, p. 5.

[10]   National Commission for Nuclear Energy—CNEN, “Standard Posicao Regulatoria 3.01/009:2011 Modelo para Elaboracao de Relatorios de Programa de Monitoracao Radiologica Ambiental,” 2011, p. 5.

[11]   M. Garcia-Talavera, J. L. M. Matarranz, R. Salas and L. Ramos, “A Regulatory Perspective on the Radiological Impact of NORM Industries: The Case of the Spanish Phosphate Industry,” Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Vol. 102, No. 1, 2011, pp. 1-7.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.08.007

[12]   A. J. Ceteno, “Curso de Estatistica Aplicada a Biologia,” Universidade Federal de Goias, Goiania, 1999, p. 188.

[13]   H. G. Arango, “Bioestatistica: Teorica e Computacional Com Bancos de Dados Reais em Disco,” 3rd Edition, Guanabara & Koogan, 2009, p. 438.

[14]   M. A. Schork and R. D. Remington, “Statistics with Applications to the Biological and Health Science,” 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2000, p. 478.

[15]   B. Rosner, “Fundamentals of Biostatistics,” 5th Edition, Duxbury Thomson Learning, Stamford, 2000, p. 792.

[16]   D. F. Ferreira, “Estatistica Multivariada,” Editora da UFLA, Lavras, 2008, p. 650 p.

[17]   J. L. Valentin, “Ecologia Numérica. Uma Introducao a Analise Multivariada de Dados Ecologicos,” Interciência, Rio de Janeiro, 2000, p. 117.

[18]   N. J. Gotelli and A. M. Ellison, “A Primer of Ecological Statistic,” Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, 2004, p. 510.

[19]   J. M. Godoy, D. C. Lauria, M. L. D. P. Godoy and R. P. Cunha, “Development of a Sequential Method for Determination of 238U, 234U, 232Th, 230Th, 228Th, 228Ra, 226Ra and 210Pb in Environmental Samples,” Journal of Radio-Analytical Nuclear Chemistry, Vol. 182, No. 1, 1994, pp. 165-169. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02047980