Radiation Situation in the Territories Affected by Mining Activities in Stepnogorsk Areas, Republic of Kazakhstan: Pilot Study

Ibrayeva, Danara; Bakhtin, Meirat; Kashkinbayev, Yerlan; Kazymbet, Polat; Zhumadilov, Kassym; Altaeva, Nursulu; Aumalikova, Moldir; Shishkina, E.A.

doi:10.1093/rpd/ncaa068

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The abnormally high value of the indoor radon concentration in Aqsu village can be attributed to its being in a former gold mining territory [18], in which pitchblende (a naturally occurring ore containing uranium) could be observed in the same ores as gold was and it is one of the radon sources. Similarly, there are a few open-pit uranium mines near the village and there are uranium deposits directly underneath dwellings or buildings [19,20].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residential radon exposure in Astana and Aqsu, Kazakhstan

et al. 2023

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A pilot study was carried out to measure indoor radon concentrations in a uranium mining area of northern Kazakstan. A total of 80 places at kindergartens, elementary schools, and dwellings were selected in Aqsu village and Astana city as the uranium mining area and background area for comparison, respectively. In Astana and Aqsu, the 3-month radon concentrations from late summer to autumn in 2022 were measured using the RADUET passive radon detectors. Radon concentrations ranged from 4 to >2,000 Bq m−3 (mean ± standard deviation: 290 ± 173 Bq m−3) throughout the study areas. The concentrations were higher in Aqsu, and 70% of the dwellings there exceeded 300 Bq m−3, whereas only 5% of them exceeded 300 Bq m−3 in Astana. Accordingly, the new dose conversion factor for radon recommended by ICRP Publication 137 was applied to calculate the annual effective dose. The annual effective dose from the inhalation of radon was estimated to be 3.6 ± 4.6 mSv y−1 for Astana and 23.7 ± 15.6 mSv y−1, for Aqsu, which are both higher than the world average value of 2.5 mSv y−1.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residential radon exposure in Astana and Aqsu, Kazakhstan

et al. 2023

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“…Workers of the nuclear industry and the population of the regions living in the immediate vicinity of the places where uranium ore is mined and processed can be exposed to the threat of chronic exposure to low doses of radiation [4]. Population genetic studies of working uranium mines in the USA, Canada and Czechoslovakia, carried out in the postwar years, showed a significant increase in the incidence of cancer in the studied populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Assessment of the dose burden and health status of the uranium processing workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Aumalikova

Ibrayeva

Ilbekova³

et al. 2020

Eurasian J. Phys. Funct. Mater.

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The main objective of current study is to assess the dose burden and health status of workers at the uranium processing hydrometallurgical plant in order to develop measures aimed at reducing their incidence. This article presents the results of radiation monitoring and data on the health status of workers at the hydrometallurgical plant of the Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Combine (SMCC). The data of the accumulated effective dose for the entire length of service, as well as data on the incidence rate for the period 2013-2019, obtained from the base of the Industrial Radiation and Epidemiological Register, have been analyzed. Based on the results of measurements of the uranium content in urine, the expected effective dose of internal irradiation of the enterprise personnel was calculated. The assessment of the health status of workers was carried out based on the materials of outpatient and hospital visits, as well as the results of mandatory periodic medical examinations over the past 5 years. Based on the results, an excess of the expected effective dose of internal irradiation was revealed based on the analysis of a urine sample by 3 times. The most typical for the studied contingent of the main group turned out to be diseases of the eye and its adnexa (23%).

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“…The villages of Zavodskoy, Aqsu and Kvartsitka are located behind the sanitary buffer of the tailings. The distance to the south from the tailing dump less than 5 km [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Measurements of uranium in urine samples of uranium workers and inhabitants of nearby settlements in Akmola Region, Kazakhstan

Aumalikova

Ibrayeva

Zhumadilov

et al. 2022

Eurasian j. phys. funct. mater.

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The main purpose is determine and evaluate uranium concentration in urine of the inhabitants of nearby settlement of uranium mining sites and workers of uranium processing sites. As uranium enterprises working in Stepnogorsk of Akmola Region and its exploitation could be a risk of radiation exposure for the workers as well as for the local population, monitoring of biosamples could allow information about the exposure to uranium for the workers and inhabitants. Workers and inhabitants of male genders were asked to collect 24 h-urine samples. The concentration of uranium in urine was measured in mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Uranium concentration in urine samples from workers values ranged from 0.05 to 12.5 µgL −1 , for Akmola region inhabitants values ranged from 0.10 to 0.60 µgL −1 . The results of concentrations of uranium in the urine of inhabitants living near SMCC were comparable to values reported in other studies. The concentration of uranium in the urine of the workers had slightly elevated values, comparable to the conditional norm of 0.9 µg/L.

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Radiation Situation in the Territories Affected by Mining Activities in Stepnogorsk Areas, Republic of Kazakhstan: Pilot Study

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Residential radon exposure in Astana and Aqsu, Kazakhstan

Residential radon exposure in Astana and Aqsu, Kazakhstan

Assessment of the dose burden and health status of the uranium processing workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Measurements of uranium in urine samples of uranium workers and inhabitants of nearby settlements in Akmola Region, Kazakhstan

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