Nuclear Engineering and Technology

  • 제56권5호
  • /
  • Pages.1781-1795
  • /
  • 2024
  • /
  • 1738-5733(pISSN)
  • /
  • 2234-358X(eISSN)
한국원자력학회 (Korean Nuclear Society)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Determine the hazards of radioactive elements and radon gas manufacturing processes in an Egyptian fertilizer factory

  • Soad Saad Fares (Department of Radiation Physics, National Center for Radiation, Research and Technology NCRRT)
  • 투고 : 2023.11.21
  • 심사 : 2023.12.15
  • 발행 : 2024.05.25
PDF 다운로드
⟨ 이전 논문 다음 논문 ⟩

초록

This study investigated the levels of radioactivity in soil surrounding a phosphate fertilizer factory in Egypt, aiming to assess potential risks to the population exposed to radiation. Concentrations of 238U, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were measured in soil samples collected from two subsites: one near the factory (subsite 1) and another further away (subsite 2). Two different systems were used for measuring radioactivity, a high-purity gamma ray spectroscopy system with an HPGe detector for gamma-emitting isotopes and a CR-39 solid nuclear track detector for alpha-emitting radon gas. Subsite 1, located close to the factory, displayed significantly elevated levels of 226Ra compared to global background levels (514 and 456 Bq/kg vs. 35 Bq/kg). Additionally, the concentrations of 238U (241.06 Bq/kg vs. global average 35 Bq/kg), 232Th (16.15 Bq/kg vs. global average 30 Bq/kg), and 40K (146.36 Bq/kg vs. global average 400 Bq/kg) were all above global averages. Furthermore, a high concentration of radon gas (337.06 μSv/y) was measured at subsite 1. The strong positive correlation observed between 226Ra and 238U (0.96256) provides further evidence of potentially elevated radioactivity levels near the factory. In contrast, subsite 2, situated farther from the factory, exhibited natural radioactive background levels within international limits. Quantitative analysis revealed that gamma ray absorbed doses for 226Ra and 232Th exceeded global averages in some samples. Specifically, 226Ra doses ranged from 7.8 to 46.26 ppm (exceeding the 20 ppm global average in some cases), and 232Th doses ranged from 1.98 to 9.14 ppm (exceeding the 10 ppm global average in some cases). The concentration of 40K, however, remained within the global range (0.07%-0.69 %). The observed imbalances in the ratios of Th/U (0.17-0.24 Bq/kg and 0.73-0.24 ppm) and U/Ra (0.81-0.73 Bq/kg and 0.73-0.17 ppm), both of which are significantly lower than their respective global averages of 4 and 2.4, point towards the presence of fertilizer-derived contamination. This conclusion is further supported by the high phosphate concentrations detected in the samples. Overall, this study suggests that radioactive contamination near the phosphate fertilizer factory significantly exceeds global background levels and international limits in some cases. This raises concerns about potential risks posed to surrounding agricultural land and crops.

키워드

과제정보

The author would like to thank members of our Central lab, in National Center for Radiation Research and Technology NCRRT, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt in the preparation of this manuscript. The authors also thank the staff of laboratory chemical warfare, radioactive materials department, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense for the helpful and cooperated contribution in achieving this work.

참고문헌

  1. S. Abdullahi, A.F. Ismail, M.S. Yasir, Radiological hazard analysis of Malaysia's ceramic materials using generic and RESRAD-BUILD computer code approach, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 324 (2020) 301-315. 
  2. P.W. Abrahams, Soils: their implications to human health, Sci. Total Environ. 291 (2002) 1-32. 
  3. H.S.O. Abuelnaga, E. Aboud, F.A.I. Alqahtan, M. Abdulfarraj, S. Almalki, O. A. Fallatah, M.M.T. Qutub, Radiation hazards in selected areas in the adham governorate, Southwest of Saudi Arabia, Arabian J. Geosci. 14 (2021), 2656. 
  4. O. Fallatah, M.R. Khattab, Evaluation of environmental radioactivity and hazard impacts Saudi Arabia granitic rocks used as building materials, Minerals 13 (2023), 165, 2023. 
  5. A.E. Khater, R. Higgy, M. Pimpl, Radiological impacts of natural radioactivity in Abu-Tartor phosphate deposits, Egypt, J. Environ. Radioact. 55 (3) (2001) 255-267. 
  6. UNSCEAR, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation, Report of UNSCEAR to the General Assembly, 2000. 
  7. M.S. Khan, D.S. Srivastava, A. Azam, Study of radium content and radon exhalation rates in soil samples of northern India, Environ. Earth Sci. 67 (5) (2012) 1363-1371. 
  8. S.A. Durrani, R. Ilic, J.N. Bailey, Assessment of the effectiveness of CR-39 detectors for radon measurement in soil, Radiat. Meas. 27 (5-6) (1997) 891-895. 
  9. C.A. Papachristodoulou, P.A. Assimakopoulos, N.E. Patronis, K.G. Loannides, Use of HPGe gray spectrometry to assess the isotopic composition of uranium in soils, J. Environ. Radioact. 64 (2-3) (2003) 195-203. 
  10. R.M. Keyser, Characterization and Applicability of Low-Background Germanium Detectors, Technical Note, EG&G ORTEC, Oak Ridge, TN, USA, 1995. 
  11. A.A. Majeed, M.M. Abu-Khader, Determination of natural radioactivity in environmental samples using high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 299 (1) (2014) 49-57. 
  12. A. Kurnaz, B. Kucukomerodlu, R. Keser, N.T. Okumusoglu, F. Korkmaz, G. Karahan, U. Cevik, Determination of radioactivity levels and hazards of soil and sediment samples in firtina valley (Rize, Turkey), Appl. Radiat. Isot. 65 (2007) 1281-1289, 2007. 
  13. Mirjana Radenkovic, Saeed Masaud Alshikh, Velibor Andric, Scepan S. Miljanic, Radioactivity of sand from several renowned public beaches and assessment of the corresponding environmental risks, J. Serb. Chem. Soc. 74 (4) (2009) 461-470. 
  14. A.J. Khan, M. Sadiq, K.M. Khan, M. Tufail, Determination of surface exhalation rate of radon from the soil using CR-39 solid state nuclear track detectors, J. Environ. Radioact. 71 (1) (2004) 75-82. 
  15. B.K. Sahoo, S. Kumar, K.S.V. Nambi, Measurement of radon concentration in soil using the CR-39 track detector technique, Radiat. Protect. Dosim. 101 (1-4) (2002) 201-204. 
  16. K. Kant, S. Kumar, Assessment of radon exposure and exhalation rate using CR-39 track detectors in dwellings of northern India, Indoor Built Environ. 26 (6) (2017) 848-857. 
  17. M.A. Tawfik, I. El-Kamel, A. El-Hussein, Measurement of radon exhalation rate from soil using CR-39 track detector, Radiat. Meas. 40 (12) (2005) 1325-1328. 
  18. Rajesh Kumar, D. Sengupta, Rajendra Prasad, Natural radioactivity and radon exhalation studies of rock samples from Surda Copper deposits in Singhbhum shear zone, Radiat. Meas. 36 (2003) 551-553. 
  19. International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), The 2007 recommendations of the international commission on radiological protection. Publication 103, Ann. ICRP 37 (2-4) (2007). 
  20. K. Debertin, R.G. Helmer, Gamma- and X-Ray Spectrometry with Semiconductor Detectors, North-Holland Publishing Company, 1988. 
  21. J.M. Montiel-Leon, R. Perez-Lopez, Relationship between soil radon exhalation and uranium content, Appl. Radiat. Isot. 70 (3) (2012) 484-488. 
  22. M. Markkanen, H. Arvela, J. Lehto, Radon exhalation and radium content of soil samples in Finland, J. Environ. Radioact. 63 (1) (2002) 75-88. 
  23. W.W. Nazaroff, Radon transport in porous media, Environ. Sci. Technol. 26 (9) (1992) 1694-1703. 
  24. R. Rodriguez-Clemente, E. Pardo-Iguzquiza, A. Barahona-Echeverria, Chemical composition and reactivity of phosphate rocks and byproducts in Spain, Geoderma 173-174 (2012) 203-211. 
  25. Y. Yuan, S. Li, Z. He, H. Yang, Mineralogy and microstructure of phosphorus-rich soils as affected by long-term fertilization in a subtropical paddy soil, Soil Tillage Res. 213 (2021), 105091. 
  26. Z. Yao, Z. He, D. Chen, B. Huang, Q. Tian, Phosphate fractions and their response to long-term fertilization in a red soil, J. Soils Sediments 11 (8) (2011) 1232-1239. 
  27. M. Zhang, Z. He, L. Shao, P. Li, D.V. Calvert, Phosphorus transformations after long-term fertilization in a typical red soil of subtropical China, Geoderma 232-234 (2014) 67-76. 
  28. L. Bouguerra, K. Messaoudi, Radioactivity levels in phosphate fertilizers produced in Tunisia, J. Environ. Radioact. 189 (2018) 11-16. 
  29. A.H. El-Kamel, H.M. El-Arabi, A. El-Taher, Radiological study of phosphate fertilizers produced in Egypt, Radiat. Phys. Chem. 157 (2019) 104-108. 
  30. M.M. Al-Kofahi, Y.M. Al-Saad, Assessment of natural radioactivity levels in phosphate fertilizers used in Jordan, J. Environ. Radioact. 178 (2017) 199-203. 
  31. J.H. Al-Zahrani, F.B. Ahmed, Radiological assessment of natural radioactivity levels in commercially available fertilizers in Saudi Arabia, Radiat. Protect. Dosim. 158 (3) (2014) 349-353. 
  32. M.A. Shirazi, H.R. Jalilian, Radioactivity levels in some commonly used fertilizers in Iran, Environ. Monit. Assess. 184 (10) (2012) 6135-6141. 
  33. R. Kumar, S. Singh, Assessment of natural radioactivity levels in commercially available fertilizers in India, Radioprotection 46 (1) (2011) S425-S430. 
  34. L. Wang, Q. Zhang, Radioactivity levels in phosphate fertilizers in China, J. Environ. Radioact. 99 (1) (2008) 109-113. 
  35. V.S. Belyaev, E.A. Kiseleva, Natural radioactivity in fertilizers used in agriculture in Russia, Environ. Geol. 49 (7) (2006) 991-996. 
  36. M.F.S. Santos, et al., Radioactivity levels in phosphate fertilizers produced in Brazil, J. Environ. Radioact. 124 (2013), 128-13. 
  37. UNSCEAR, Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation. Annex A: medical Radiation Exposures, Report to the General Assembly, Scientific Annex A, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 2013. 
  38. IAEA, Radiological Characterization of NORM Residues in the Phosphate Industry, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Reports Series No. 483, 2018. 
  39. H. El-Fiki, A. El-Taher, H. El-Arabi, Radioactivity levels in phosphate fertilizers and their impact on the environment, Egyptian J. Basic Applied Sci. 8 (2) (2021) 112-118.